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

Moderator: AndyR

By thomas6351
#1683348
Hi so this is my first time posting on here apologies if I get what I'm saying a bit wrong. Long story short I'm 15, and am desperate to fly. Eventually, or I guess in the not too distant future, I want to fly commercial, but am aware of how difficult it's going to be.

My dad has said that he can fund my PPL (the around £10,000 it'll cost), but not much more (which I'm super grateful for nonetheless). With a PPL, I'm not really sure where to go with it. I was thinking of building up my hours until I can start training myself, as that'll build up my hours faster, and give me a steady income, but to get from there to commercial sounds like it would take years - that wouldn't bother me, but knowing that the older I get the less appealing I am to airlines, makes me much more time conscious. Family have also suggested I do something like a GoFundMe, but I can't see anyone willing to donate to a random 15 year old that doesn't have enough money to enter, for example, a flyer program that I'd need £80,000+ for as a security bond.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant, I'm trying to say a weeks of planning in as short a message possible. Please ask any questions if I haven't been specific enough, but my main question was does anyone ave any clue how I can get anywhere with flying?.

Thanks for any replies.
P.S. I've flown a Cessna and Piper in the past, so I know I'm actually capable of this.
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By Flyin'Dutch'
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1683350
Welcome to the forums.

The world is your oyster and having he funds to start with getting a PPL is a good start, as you are young you will probably manage to get the PPL for less than that 10k and might well have enough left over to do the ground school for the ATPL exams.

However the first thing to do is to get a first class medical - as without knowing you can hold one of those everything else is a big gamble. It will set you back some £600 but you need to see that as an investment to make sure investing the next 100k is worth it.

Enjoy the journey!
By SimFlyer
#1683355
Class 1 Medical if you're serious about airline as a career.
Class 2 Medical if you just want to see where this goes.

Having said the above, do people really recommend taking a Class 1 at 15 knowing full well that he'll take at least 3 years or more go get his fATPL? Suppose he needs to work or go to school/apprenticeship and then work to save up for the post-PPL training, is it worth it having to renew that Class 1 each year (it is yearly IIRC?) for 3-5 years or even more? Or would it be better to save up and take the Class 1 Medical just before starting post-PPL training?

Back to the OP, older doesn't necessarily mean less appealing, at least from my research. Don't fall for the spiel the flight schools love to spit out; quite a number of pilots get into the airlines via modular training and at 40+ years old, it would seem! Of course, the younger you are, the better it is for you and possibly have that to your advantage once you apply, but just be aware that not being able to be a First Officer by the time you're 21 isn't the end of the world.
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By JAFO
#1683361
Look around for bursaries and scholarships from the likes of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots and the Air League. They might help you save some of you Dad's money for later. I know there are other bursaries and scholarships around, too.

Don't worry about running out of time, you've got plenty on your side. Don't rush it, enjoy the journey.

Well done for asking the questions and stick with it.
By thomas6351
#1683374
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:Welcome to the forums.

The world is your oyster and having he funds to start with getting a PPL is a good start, as you are young you will probably manage to get the PPL for less than that 10k and might well have enough left over to do the ground school for the ATPL exams.

However the first thing to do is to get a first class medical - as without knowing you can hold one of those everything else is a big gamble. It will set you back some £600 but you need to see that as an investment to make sure investing the next 100k is worth it.

Enjoy the journey!


100k??
By thomas6351
#1683375
JAFO wrote:Look around for bursaries and scholarships from the likes of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots and the Air League. They might help you save some of you Dad's money for later. I know there are other bursaries and scholarships around, too.

Don't worry about running out of time, you've got plenty on your side. Don't rush it, enjoy the journey.

Well done for asking the questions and stick with it.


Didn't think about scholarships, wasn't really sure how much of a thing they are in the UK. I'll definitely look into it though - thank you!
User avatar
By Wicksay
#1683388
Start Start Start... JFDI, Just F*/%= Do It. Bite your parents hand off.

Get one or more jobs and save save save.

Xmas and Birthdays = cash or lessons or kit

If you meet your dream life head on... Life has a canny knack of offering up solutions to things you think now are problems..

I WISH I had this advice at your age. I had the desire and the opportunity but no one pushing me and telling me... Sod the hurdles.. Go for your dream.

JFDI

Keep us posted. Get a mentor.. Or use this forum..



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By SimFlyer
#1683392
Some schools, usually the integrated ones, can go £100K+ but modular routes would be cheaper. However, I think even with modular, you'll still approach £100K once everything has been added up.... food, rent, petrol, kit, etc.
By cockney steve
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1683460
The level of parental encouragement and support is worth far more than the great financial boost your parent(s) have offered.

there are ways you can stretch your cash-reserve. As well as bursaries and scholarships, you could consider a share/outright purchase in a LAA "Permit" aircraft. You could, AIUI, learn to fly on it, at a considerable saving over a school's Cof A machine...you'd still have ownership after passing your test and therefore have cheap hours' building potential.

Many "student-packages" of equipment include "nice to have" but not strictly necessary items....you don't need the "nice to have" expensive flight-bag....even a knee-board can be made from a modified clip-board from a budget-stationers shop. (just add elastic and velcro ) that tenner saved can buy maybe a half-hour's fuel.
Don't turn your nose up at secondhand....read this and other forums often enough and you'll find many qualified pilots who have never touched a "whizz-wheel" or any of the other navigation stuff, textbooks , etc. since their Student days.....you can potentially save several hundred towards that all-important Medical ! The various textbooks all remain valid for years, engines run in exactly the same way that they did when the Wright Bros. first flew, (though they are remarkably more efficient nowadays.)
clouds and weather patterns still follow the same rules of physics that obtained when Icarus tried his luck....the only major issue is Air Law. Only beg/borrow/buy a current one when you're preparing for the exam, odds-on the latest book will be out of date- but so will the exam-paper....in which case, you'll get credited with the right answer to the question or the right answer to the law that superseded it!

Don't be impatient,- Your local library may well have some of these books study and learn for free! Look before you leap, and all that. Pre plan and research before committing, it eliminates that "damn, if only I'd waited" moment. you have a wonderful opportunity, use it wisely and leverage it to your maximum advantage. you have stacks of time.....have you researched the minimum ages for various qualifications,yet? Realistically, you have a window of around 30 years in which to become qualified as a Commercial Pilot and show a return on the investment. Finally, Never pay up-front, schools do fold unexpectedly, taking all that cash! Dad's credit-card might mitigate that problem, but why chance it.

Use the forum, keep us informed of your journey.

For the avoidance of doubt, I'm not a qualified pilot, I could never get 10 quid from my dad, let alone 10 K :shock: go for it!
By thomas6351
#1684139
Thank you sooooo much for the reply, really means a lot. What you're saying makes complete sense and I'll take it on board as best I possible can! Hopefully getting a weekend job soon, fingers crossed I can start saving there. Starting all my books soon once my exams are done until december, hopefully I can cram then, and start flying by the summer.

Fingers crossed