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

Moderator: AndyR

#1909460
Long story short...

- I'm 33 years old.
-I sat my GCSE's around 2004/2005.

My grades:
Science (double award) - x2 C's
English Language - C
English Lit - E
Art - C
Music - C
Maths - F

When I was 20 I began studying law.
My results:

10 Level 3 (A-Level equivalent) certificates in 10 areas of law
5 Level 6 (Degree equivalent) certificates in 5 areas of law.

I have practiced as a litigation lawyer for 8 years.

The trend here being that I performed much better in academic life once I left school.

What would you reckon my chances are of ever being accepted for ATPL training?

Thanks
#1909516
You can but ask but it also depends if you are going for being sponsored / connected to a particular airline during an integrated course. There are lots of shapes of course - if paying yourself there are courses with no entry requirements.
I would say - with no maths qualification or background, there are parts of any course you may struggle with.
#1909522
You'll be fine.

The theory required is more about cramming stuff in and regurgitating this at the time of the examination, than understanding complex concepts. I have yet to meet anyone doing the CPL/ATPL and failing them when they've put in enough learning time.
#1909670
ATPLs cost a lot and you may not earn much when you have one. The “academicals” are very different to those you have mastered. Are you scientific? If you are a great lawyer it might be better to earn lots of money that way, buy a jet and use it to visit your minted clients!
#1909698
Personally I’d consider carefully abandoning the day-to-day variation and interest of litigation in exchange for sitting screen watching in a metal tube for hours at a time.

Each to his/her own but I would expect lawyering and privately running a nice aeroplane to be quite a satisfying option.
Flyin'Dutch', Sooty25 liked this
#1909741
As others have said. You clearly have the intellect, so all you need is determination, stamina, and a whole lot of money and you can do it.

I 'm a commercial lawyer and enjoy the pressure, variety, and challenges of each day. The thought of sitting there for hours a day 'monitoring', doing shifts, and being perpetually tired for poor remuneration doesn't appeal to me. Private flying is pure joy for me and I wouldn't ever want to tarnish that. Each to their own.

It's a big decision, lots to think about!
Flyin'Dutch' liked this
#1910015
Thank you for the feedback!

Unfortunately, I'm based in the UK and the salary for a personal injury litigator isn't great
at a small firm. I don't particularly like my job, and having grown up in the countryside on a flight path of an international airport, most my childhood involved watching planes / flying RC planes / going to air shows - and I'm still messing around on MS Flight Simulator (from the 90's until now).

Over the past 2 years, I've been slowly reading though the Air Pilot's Manual series
as I have intended to start the PPL for a couple of years now, but my salary doesn't really allow for such expense without making disproportionate sacrifices.

Nevertheless, I did find an airline that has launched a sponsored/integrated program for pilot training. Whilst it doesn't suggest it's an absolute requirement, parts of the brochure do lean towards a preference for good GCSES, particularly in maths and science.

My GCSE'S were 17/18 years ago and I'm hoping that this wouldn't be a deal breaker after such a long time.
#1910018
Quanta Mechanic wrote:

> My GCSE'S were 17/18 years ago and I'm hoping that this wouldn't be a deal
> breaker after such a long time.

It may be that your age may be more of a problem. They like to 'invest' in people they can hang on to for a very long time and if you are early/mid thirties they may well prefer to look at those who are 10 years younger - but never tried is always missed.

Good luck.
A le Ron liked this
#1910065
Would you consider taking the required / preferred GCSEs or equivalent now??

More importantly... As a few folk have said, you may well find that flying a light aeroplane is fun enough, rather than aiming for a career. Start with that and see how much fun that is?!

Yes, you need money to pay for that. Options include learning in a cheaper-to-hire fixed wing microlight such as the Ikarus C42 or the Skyranger. Don't let anyone put you off taking some lessons, even if a career change is not immediately possible. It's an itch you have to scratch.

You can earn money additional to your current job with a bit of imagination (albeit whilst ensuring your are not breaking your covenants) or, work towards changing the day job. A friend of mine makes a decent living advising micro-businesses on employment law. Whilst I appreciate it's not your current speciality it's not as big a leap as going from poor GSCE grades to getting a law degree so I'm sure you'd have no problem diversifying.

Ultimately though, it's an expensive thing to do, flying, and there is no way round that, I'm afraid. Have a look at Flyer.co.uk sections on learning to fly and careers for lots of useful info.

Find a niche business that you can fit round flying lessons and go for it!
#1910073
Quanta Mechanic wrote:
>
> Unfortunately, I'm based in the UK and the salary for a personal injury
> litigator isn't great at a small firm.

Maybe time to look for a move in the same industry, there's only so many rungs you can climb in a small firm, and there's usually already someone on the next one up. "dead man's shoes".

> I don't particularly like my job,

I often think that about what I do, but I've actually narrowed it down to some of the people I have to deal with, rather than the subject matter.

> having grown up in the countryside on a flight path of an international airport, most my
> childhood involved watching planes / flying RC planes / going to air shows

Have you considered Air Traffic Control?

> - and I'm still messing around on MS Flight Simulator (from the 90's until
> now).
>

use your FlightSim and do a real time Heathrow to New York night flight and see how exciting it feels.
T6Harvard liked this
#1910205
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:
> It may be that your age may be more of a problem. They like to 'invest' in people
> they can hang on to for a very long time and if you are early/mid thirties they may
> well prefer to look at those who are 10 years younger - but never tried is always
> missed.
>
> Good luck.
Alternatively, some big companies like personnel whohave no chance of earning a full pension; keeps down future obligations.
#1910236
Stick with lawyering: you'll never be furloughed..................... :roll:

Or sacked/laid off in the next pandemic.

My situation as a youngster was only slightly similar to yours in that during GCEs I was hell bent on flying for a living (my dad had been a RAF Nav in WW. 2) . I had done the RAF cadet gliding course applied for a Flying Scholarship and even covered my options by applying to Hamble.
Then my A level biology master at school persuaded my parents and thence me that this was not a good career path and suggested an alternative career which he thought would suit me better.

Reluctantly I took the alternative career advice : the training was bloody hard, lifestyle disjointed and the pay and conditions were sh ite but I got there in the end .

Looking back over those 60 years, now retired on a good pension I have no regrets and even scratched my flying itch by gaining a PPL at 48, a share in an aeroplane at 50 and an IR at 66.

Just my reasoning behind my initial comment at the beginning. :wink:
Sooty25, Flyin'Dutch' liked this