Careers in Aviation

[Robertinho]

Well, the time has come for me to begin thinking about what I'm going to do with my life. As long as I can remember I've always thought about becoming a pilot, and recently I discovered one of my friends also wants to be a pilot and we've spoken about it a fair bit. ALOT of my friends' dads are pilots, and from what I know, they live a comfortable lifestyle.

But now I need to know more about what you need to do, what qualifications, etc.

I was hoping that someone here can help me out? I'm in Year 10, and as far as I know you to do the following

- Go to Flight School
- Get General Pilot License, then Private, then Commerical
- To be considered for a job, you need 1,500 hours of flying time at most airlines

I'm just interested to know, what will I have to do, how much it will cost, how long it will take, etc.

Thanks!

[andyc]

talk to langeveldt, he should be able to help you

[age_master]

being a pilot would be cool, i have a feeling it can be expensive, in Australia a reasonable number of Pilots learn to fly in the Air force than go on to commercial careers

[Mr Casson]

Originally Posted by age_master

being a pilot would be cool, i have a feeling it can be expensive, in Australia a reasonable number of Pilots learn to fly in the Air force than go on to commercial careers

Yeah as Age said, a lot of people in Australia go through the Air Force. It's a good way to do it if you can't afford to learn any other way, and I imagine the job itself would be pretty darn exciting once you are fully qualified. I think the only catch is that you have to spend some time in the Air Force (If I remember correctly, it's the same amount of time as you spent studying?)

To get in, you have to meet physical requirements too. I'm not sure what they are for commercial airliners, but you can find the Air Force's on RAAF's site.

[age_master]

yeah but flying in the airforce (when they can afford to let you go up) would be fun too

[SJS]

Originally Posted by Robertinho

Well, the time has come for me to begin thinking about what I'm going to do with my life. As long as I can remember I've always thought about becoming a pilot, and recently I discovered one of my friends also wants to be a pilot and we've spoken about it a fair bit. ALOT of my friends' dads are pilots, and from what I know, they live a comfortable lifestyle.

But now I need to know more about what you need to do, what qualifications, etc.

I was hoping that someone here can help me out? I'm in Year 10, and as far as I know you to do the following

- Go to Flight School
- Get General Pilot License, then Private, then Commerical
- To be considered for a job, you need 1,500 hours of flying time at most airlines

I'm just interested to know, what will I have to do, how much it will cost, how long it will take, etc.

Thanks!

My elder son was keen to be a commercial pilot.

He got his private pilot's licence in India and just as he was leaving for the USA to join an institution there to get his commercial pilot's licence, we found that he had a problem with his back which could later badly affect his career and make him give up flying midway through his career.

It was an extremely traumatic time for him and all of us as he was shattered. But thats in the past.

I do not remember the details but I can get them from him.

Its not very expensive. And you get to to train at the institution where you get your license from as part of the deal so you get some valuable miles of flying and also make some money immediately after you have got your license.

Its a good idea to get a private pilots licence in your home country before you move on to one of the better places like the USA for the commercial licence.

If you want any specific details, I could ask my son who now lives in NY.

[Waughney]

Originally Posted by age_master

being a pilot would be cool, i have a feeling it can be expensive, in Australia a reasonable number of Pilots learn to fly in the Air force than go on to commercial careers

It's extremely hard to get into the airforce as a pilot sometimes - you've got to be smart and fit.

[cricket player]

Originally Posted by SJS

My elder son was keen to be a commercial pilot.

He got his private pilot's licence in India and just as he was leaving for the USA to join an institution there to get his commercial pilot's licence, we found that he had a problem with his back which could later badly affect his career and make him give up flying midway through his career.

It was an extremely traumatic time for him and all of us as he was shattered. But thats in the past.

I do not remember the details but I can get them from him.

Its not very expensive. And you get to to train at the institution where you get your license from as part of the deal so you get some valuable miles of flying and also make some money immediately after you have got your license.

Its a good idea to get a private pilots licence in your home country before you move on to one of the better places like the USA for the commercial licence.

If you want any specific details, I could ask my son who now lives in NY.

Nice detail Sjs,Robert I believe that you have spend massive amount of money in order to get a good training I believe you can afford that if your father is ready to pay,
Plus these days they have added new rules because of the security reasons,
All The best with your life mate hope you do a grade job attending the pilot classes.

[Langeveldt]

I'm starting training to be a full time airline pilot
MSN me (rhingston at hotmail dot com)

Different circumstances mean different options, but its a hell of a career to get into, but its one you have for the rest of your life, and its still quite special..

First of all, if you havent flown a plane, go to your local air club and just ask to be taken up by an instructor.. He'll let you cruise around, just see if you feel at home up there before doing anything too major.. Then see a doctor and ask about health and flying, but my medical I do in South Africa with the flying club, not sure what you would do..

I'm going to do my PPL at Port Elizabeth intl. Airport so I get good experience with different conditions and different traffic patterns.. The best places for learning to fly are generally the USA (Orlando), Spain (Jerez), South Africa (Rand/Algoa/43) and you can't go far wrong in Aus..

The initial outlay for the PPL (Private Pilot License) for me is about ZAR45,000 (Not sure what that is in A$) .. That includes everything, including the 45 hours you need for your SA PPL which allows you to fly solo basically.. You can do that in a month or two if you do it intensively..

Then you hour build, gain experience, gain contacts for a couple of years.. And WORK! You need a lot of money for the fATPL which is basically your airline license.. And a lot of hours! Crop spraying/Instructing/Banner flying are all valid ways you can do this and earn money.. To put it bluntly, I hope you know a good bank manager (Its all worth it in the end, so I'm told)

Scholarships have been hard to come by after September 11th. Getting an airline to pay for your training is a godsend, but it does mean you are tied to that airline..

Then of course comes the job hunt.. Where pilots wonder "Why do we do it?"

Useful links, remember to MSN me if you are at all serious about this (I could probably do with an ideas exchange as well)

www.algoafc.co.za (One of the best rated flight schools in SA, I'll be able to give you the lowdown when I finish this christmas)

www.pprune.org (Go to the wannabes section.. Absolutely collosal forum full of experienced pilots and people in our boat - And you should get links to aussie schools if you dont want to travel)

[steds]

Does everybody on this site want to be a writer/journalist or a pilot?

Perhaps if I start a podiatry thread you'll all want to be one of them, like I do

[Langeveldt]

Originally Posted by steds

Does everybody on this site want to be a writer/journalist or a pilot?

Perhaps if I start a podiatry thread you'll all want to be one of them, like I do

I've wanted to be a pilot for about six years I guess.. And/or a sports photographer for about 2-3 years..

I'm pretty sure CW didn't have much to do with it

[age_master]

Originally Posted by Waughney

It's extremely hard to get into the airforce as a pilot sometimes - you've got to be smart and fit.

your back - your on the A tour if you didn't know

yeah the RAAF can be hard to get into at times, depends on how many others want to get in, around the same time, you would want to train up and be in peak physical condition before and during the application process though.

[marc71178]

45000 rand is about 9463.27 Aus Dollars - interestingly the rate I've often been quoted by my South African friend of 10-1 has gone in her favour as it's now over 11.5 to 1.

[Craig]

Originally Posted by steds

Does everybody on this site want to be a writer/journalist or a pilot?

Perhaps if I start a podiatry thread you'll all want to be one of them, like I do

+

Well I build boats/make parts for boats for rich people (you have to be rich to buy one of our boats ) for a living, so why not do that? You might have to move, but a trade is a trade (and probably better then Uni IMO).

Back on topic, Rob I would say your best bet would be through the RAAF, you get looked after very well in there, and you get to learn how to fly a plane. Either way it is tough to do, but RAAF is probably a cheaper option.

I myself have always wanted to learn to how fly a plane, don't know if people on the ground or other people in building or in other aircraft would agree

[Langeveldt]

Originally Posted by marc71178

45000 rand is about 9463.27 Aus Dollars - interestingly the rate I've often been quoted by my South African friend of 10-1 has gone in her favour as it's now over 11.5 to 1.

When I was interested in going back to SA, the rate was severely in my favour, but since I've been more serious about it, its got worse for me (still very good though, especially house rental and fuel)