Airline Pilot

J

JamesFL350

New Member
Hey, great website!!! I had pretty much given up my dream as a pilot untill I found this website!
I'm 21 years old and about to graduate this year with a degree in Physics from a UK university. I have applied to NATS, (UK ATC service), the selection tests look fairly tough, but if I get a place I'm hoping to use this as a stepping stone onto becoming a pilot.
With the money I make as an ATC I'm planning to pay off my loan, and then start flying lessons again, (i've done 10 hours worth so far).
If I dont make it as a ATC I'm going to find a graduate job instead.
Does this sound like a good course of action???? Also, how important are grades when applying to be an airline pilot. Mine are ok, but could be better. What are the chances of getting into somewhere like Flight Safety for an International student?

Thanks James
 
For being a pilot, grades dont matter just your degree. Also, Im pretty sure flight safety will take anybody, as long as you have a loan or a lot of cash.
 
With a degree in Physics you are likely to be able to find a job that pays much better than being a pilot, and have a better home life on top of it. If you absolutely have to fly, then get a PPL and fly for fun on the weekends. It will be much more satisying than flying for a living.
 
Thanks for the replys, I still really want to fly, and dont mind starting at the bottem flying cessnas or whatever and working my way up. However, if being a pilot really is that unsatisfying I'll take up flying as a hobby for now and see how it goes.
 
I agree with skydog. Until pilot pay and quality of life improve (for most but not all of the flying jobs out there) I plan to just keep it a hobby. Being poor for several years and gone half the time including weekends and holidays isn't worth it to me. And with the state of the industry, being furloughed from any US airline is a real possibility.

Things might be very different for UK pilots, though...
 
Texguy said:
Things might be very different for UK pilots, though...
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????

when you say UK university, I am assuming University of Kentucky or Kansas? right? jayhawk or wildcat? tubby smith or roy williams (ok, bad example)
 
JamesFL350 said:
Thanks for the replys, I still really want to fly, and dont mind starting at the bottem flying cessnas or whatever and working my way up. However, if being a pilot really is that unsatisfying I'll take up flying as a hobby for now and see how it goes.
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Here bro, BEST WORDS of advice:

Do what you want to do with your life, dont do what others think you should do.

Pay sucks? Yeap! Crappy work rules? Yeap! Tough industry? Absolutely!

Do i still want to fly for a living? NO DOUBT! I got a bug that is with me and i cant get rid of it!
 
BobDDuck said:
Uh oh... Somebody's back on the Kool Aid again. The cure? More Cowbell.:)
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Haha yeah i know! Sure sounds like im drinking the kool-aid.

However, i dont mean it as you might of taken it.

My word of advice; Do whatever makes you happy even if it might not make you financially sucessful.
 
John Herreshoff said:
You don't have a damned clue, Bigey.
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and why not? care to explain?

Do what you want to do with your life, dont do what others think you should do.
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and
Do whatever makes you happy even if it might not make you financially sucessful.
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are statements that i'd totally agree with...unlaced with kool-aid aviation wise...having all the money in the world does not always make a happy person (altho you don't hear them complain much).

of course, neither of those statements should be construed as "take the low paying job" whatsoever!
 
They are easy statements to make at 16, and I said the same things. Money doesn't mean much, that's true and I also very much agree. But all the other hardships that come along with being at an airline put a real strain on a persons life. I don't mean to come off preachy, 'cause that's not my intent at all, and certinally not towards you because you understand the strains I'm talking about much more than I do, I'm just saying at 16 it's real easy to say those things and not think about the ultra high divorce rate amoung airline pilots. Maybe that number doesn't matter to some people, though, and they're willing to go through three wives (or husbands) for this career.
 
John Herreshoff said:
They are easy statements to make at 16, and I said the same things. Money doesn't mean much, that's true and I also very much agree. But all the other hardships that come along with being at an airline put a real strain on a persons life. I don't mean to come off preachy, 'cause that's not my intent at all, and certinally not towards you because you understand the strains I'm talking about much more than I do, I'm just saying at 16 it's real easy to say those things and not think about the ultra high divorce rate amoung airline pilots. Maybe that number doesn't matter to some people, though, and they're willing to go through three wives (or husbands) for this career.
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Oh comon brother. Im not saying anything that's out of the ordinary.

Now if i came off saying OMG BEING A PILOT IS THE BEST THING!!11 I'd SO GO TO GULFSTREAM or something, then you could say that. Seriously, this is one TIME you cant throw the age thing out there. I said basic things. Do whatever makes you happy. This has nothign to do with age, just a basic thing people do in life. And dont let others tell you what to do, that also is a basic thing. Live your life, the way you want to live it.

Now, i didnt say, dont take the bad with the good. Just an inbetween statement. I never said anything that the life is good or bad. Just "life" in general statements. And NEITHER of these things have anything to do with EXPERIENCE in life. I dont need to be 40 years old to say "do what makes you happy."
 
John Herreshoff said:
Money doesn't mean much...
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If there's anything I would disagree on, it would be people making statements like money doesn't mean much. I've been in both places. Right now I'm on the side where I have no money. I'll tell ya, I'm miserable. You never see a homeless guy decline money in the streets. I wonder why. You don't have to have a million dollars but it sure would make things easier.
 
Well Im just about 10 years older than bigey and I have to agree with him that money doesn't mean much. When I was younger, my family was pretty afluent in the bay area, and I have some of my worst memories from then. Some of my best memories are from times when I was eating raman noodles as main courses, but doing what I wanted to do.

Ninja, if you are so miserable there are three possible things wrong:

1. You are not happy doing what you do.

2. You place money way to high in your list and no matter how much you make, you will never be happy.

3. A combination of both.


Find something you love and go after it and concentrate on the positive. Your life will seem much happier if you do. If all else fails, read my signature and know it is true.

Bigey, never lose the passion and energy you have for the subject you love. If you keep it you will be happy no matter how much money you lose or how far off you go from your chosen path.:) The biggest thing my father taught me (by example, not his words) is if you hate your job or whatever you do, you will ruin the lives of the people around you and the ones you love.
 
Polarbear said:
Well Im just about 10 years older than bigey and I have to agree with him that money doesn't mean much. When I was younger, my family was pretty afluent in the bay area, and I have some of my worst memories from then. Some of my best memories are from times when I was eating raman noodles as main courses, but doing what I wanted to do.

Ninja, if you are so miserable there are three possible things wrong:

1. You are not happy doing what you do.

2. You place money way to high in your list and no matter how much you make, you will never be happy.

3. A combination of both.


Find something you love and go after it and concentrate on the positive. Your life will seem much happier if you do. If all else fails, read my signature and know it is true.

Bigey, never lose the passion and energy you have for the subject you love. If you keep it you will be happy no matter how much money you lose or how far off you go from your chosen path.:) The biggest thing my father taught me (by example, not his words) is if you hate your job or whatever you do, you will ruin the lives of the people around you and the ones you love.
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:yeahthat:, to a point. If you're at the point where you can't make enough to eat, then I could see how one would be unhappy, but really, if you're making enough to house yourself and pay for your house, food, and children, what's an extra few bucks if it's at the expense of your happiness? Money isn't everything, although it does help... But I'd venture to say most of you would rather be poor and happy than rich and miserable.
 
I'm not doing anything other than looking for a job right now. And I am dirt poor now. Maybe I am putting money high on the list but honestly, I think rich and poor is a matter of perspective. My point is, people rather have money than without. In a capitalistic society, it's about money. Happiness can be bought by money, but I've never seen a laughing fool turn his inner smile into cash without a job. I'm not saying to go get that $250K job and never see the outside of your office. I'm saying that having money on hand (rich) is certainly better than not having any (poor). Anyway, it's semantics. It all comes down to one thing. If money doesn't matter, why look for a job? Why go to college? Why do people get better at what they do so they can make more money? If money didn't matter, we'd all be happy sitting around a camp fire and sleeping on straw.
 
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