[riverrock]

They have been for a long time, but someone still has to tell the computer what to do, and restart it when it dies., and tell if what the strange humans known as air traffic control want it to do.

[Dave W]

...and feed the dog.

[Josh]

I shouldn't worry about any of this commercial pilot stuff - computers will be flying everything shortly

They're still making brand new 737s. It's going to be a while yet...

[rikur_]

All this talk of parental finance etc... I remember when, as I think briefly mentioned on the programme, the airlines paid for the training of their ab-initio pilots.

It was a retrograde step when they got away with shifting the burden on to the prospective employee. Even more so with the pay to fly schemes operated by some as I understand it.

I fear the larger ATC employers may ultimately go the same way.

Probably one for the non-aviation thread, but there seem many injustices in who pays for what types of 'training' .... e.g. all the lobbying that the state should pay university fees to train academic based professions, but other vocations are expected to pay their own way, or paid for by employers.

When I was at BA, BA paid for all your engineering apprenticeship and subsequent licences .... paid you a salary whilst doing it, and gave you a pay rise each time you acquired another qualification.
Occasionally someone got offered pay rise to stick two fingers up to BA, and go and work in the hangar next door.... but in general there was mutual loyalty, so it worked. I get the impression nowadays that employment is more casual and people move employers more often - so the rational of the employer carrying the cost no longer works.

[ianfallon]

They have been for a long time, but someone still has to tell the computer what to do, and restart it when it dies., and tell if what the strange humans known as air traffic control want it to do.

Sounds like more software to me Software ATC controlling the a/c - probably not just yet though !!

[Rob P]

Let's hear it for Mike Collett and what he did for the "Fugglies" at Atlantique back then

[Paultheparaglider]

...a healthy degree of cynicism about diminishing value of contributions to the forum.

I agree with this.

The forum used to be a great mix of banter, considered discussion and hard information from people in a position to know, who were known as being in a position to know. All generally -or at least, mostly - in good humour.

It is becoming less and less like that. The Dementors make more noise than the Wizards sometimes.

Several times in the last several months I've tried drafting a Non-Av post along those lines but have always stalled, because I am not sure what we can do about it. Self-policing doesn't work well enough.

There is still a lot of value here that is easy to find.

I'm off to pour myself a beer. In honour of you glass half empty guys I'm going keep topping it up when it is still half full.

[Robin500]

I watched it, thought it was okay for a prime time program. In what other career would anyone stump up such a huge amount of wonga with no guarantee of a job.

[Gertie]

I watched it, thought it was okay for a prime time program. In what other career would anyone stump up such a huge amount of wonga with no guarantee of a job.

Kids wanting to be doctors maybe next on the list? - how much does that cost?

[rikur_]

In what other career would anyone stump up such a huge amount of wonga with no guarantee of a job.

Is it as extreme as it first appears?
As I understand it £120k is the top end, but it could be in the region of £50k. That starts to look very comparable to a four year degree course.

[neilmurg]

"Lady pilots are a rare breed". My reply of "a bit like Herefords really" did not go down well. Women eh!!!

It's been the same for Heffer

[GAFlyer4Fun]

I dont mind the repeating of the £120k training cost as it reminds the general public that think airline pilots are glorified taxi drivers that the two professions are not directly comparable.

Does it actually cost £120k for integrated training with a jet type rating, or it that just the headline course cost and it could cost a lot lot more dependent on performance? (A bit like PPL training....).

Given that training costs, and the airliner sims are so good/realistic, I was a bit shocked by some of the early landing attempts in the real thing before getting qualified. We can allow for some nerves, but I was surprised by that. (Some of them could consider applying to the Navy for carrier landings and slam it onto the deck hehe ).
I would have thought if anyone wanting to be a professional pilot had not got the hang of tracking the runway centre line on final approach in the full motion airliner sim then they would not be given the opportunity just yet of trying in a very very expensive aeroplane.

Towards the end of the program I am not sure the scenes from that early solo in a Cessna, however much it was stage managed, will give the public a huge amount of confidence in GA despite the comments about the student being in an early stage of training.

I would like to get the reaction of one of my neighbours about that programme as whilst I quite enjoyed it, my neighbour is of the opinion that with aviation no expense is spared in training and maintenance to ensure everything is just right and safe when so many lives are risk.

[GAFlyer4Fun]

In what other career would anyone stump up such a huge amount of wonga with no guarantee of a job.

Is it as extreme as it first appears?
As I understand it £120k is the top end, but it could be in the region of £50k. That starts to look very comparable to a four year degree course.

Former workmate of mine gave up his IT day job in c2006 and spent £100k on an integrated course and a Boeing or Airbus jet type rating with no job at the end of it.

There are times when there are too many commercial pilots for the jobs available... and not many people are prepared to take that kind of financial risk of spending a fortune and ending up in a large pool of wannabes in waiting for how many years....

Last time I saw him he did have a commercial flying job but it is not on jets so the jet rating seems to have been a bit of a waste even though he enjoyed all of his training in Spain.

[pullup]

£120k for training. Starting salary £40k. Three years all paid off...what's there to lose?

[jasoncuk]

I thought it was fine. Of course it is made for entertainment but nothing terrible was done and it was a good show to watch. Let’s not take it all too seriously.

Overall I think will be more lilely to inspire people to aviation.