Learning to fly, or thinking of learning? Post your questions, comments and experiences here

Moderator: AndyR

#1910378
You'll be surprised about the pandemic point...

No cars on the road during lockdown = hardly any new RTA cases for a year (RTA cases are the quick "bread and butter" for me, with a billing target, amongst my high value cases which take years to settle).

Oh.. and the Government have introduced new legislation which came into effect last year which pretty much has put a stop to us earning costs
in RTA cases.

Anyway - that was a bit off topic, but I'm considering my options at the moment :)
#1910388
Can you do basic arithmetic easily enough or do you have a specific problem like dyscalculia?

There are many reasons for failing a GCSE including lack of motivation and engagement (as my history teacher could have told you) but if you really struggle with manipulating numbers then you may find the maths in pilot training a bit of a problem.
#1910675
I have a CPL/IR, so am a qualified professional pilot, albeit not an airline pilot. Mostly by choice I have never worked as a full time professional pilot.

My position is that I have other professional qualifications- mainly I am a Chartered Engineer with a PhD, with which I also do work as an Expert Witness (and do some paid writing).

My take on this is dive in, get your PPL, start studying for the professional licences if you genuinely find that you have the enthusiasm and aptitude for it.

But in the first instance look around at your industry and the aviation industry. Both employ lawyers who require aviation knowledge, including in litigation work - I have worked with a number of them. There is definitely a demand for lawyers who understand flying, just as there is in my case for research engineers who understand flying.

Not a huge demand in either case, but those jobs that exist are interesting and rewarding.

As for making "significant personal sacrifice", basically yes, you will need to, both of time and money. Most of us did, it's the price of admission to the aviation industry.

I scrimped and saved to pay for my first PPL as a young engineer, I gave up most of my leisure time for 7 years to get my PhD. I do not regret either for one minute- both were very rewarding at the time, and let me do the things I find incredibly rewarding now.

And I have the option now to jump into full time flying if I wanted to, although I am very unlikely to (I love the variety). You would too.

But making significant sacrifices to get there? Yes, you would need to. I also think that you'll need to improve your maths, but nobody will care at-all about the rest of your grades, that is all ancient history.

G