The Student Room Group

I'm a pilot AMA

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Reply 40
I'm 21, and went straight to flight school. Most of my course mates were a similar age and many didn't go to uni or dropped out (other courses seem a bit older though, maybe it was just us? :biggrin: )

I knew this was what I wanted to do so I just went straight for it. Uni isn't a requirement but can provide a good backup if flying doesn't work out.

Original post by choco_monsterxo
how old are you & did you ever go uni?
Reply 41
21

Original post by MiracleLeaf
How old are you?
Reply 42
I already have a bid for long haul on the A330! Hope it works out! I enjoy long flights, personally 😊

Original post by EwanWest
Tempted to do the type rating for an A330/50/80 and do long haul?
Original post by AYRnet
Unfortunately it is really expensive, remortgaging does happen, on the bright side, it tends to pay off relatively quickly. There's no funding like there is for uni studies (a major problem we're trying hard to solve). Some schools offer help with getting loans for a course but it's just credit, not a scholarship.

The most secure way perhaps is to enrol in a "sponsored" programme where you have a guaranteed job at the end of the course, thus knowing your investment will be returned.


Thanks for your response, what's your opinion on university degrees that incorporate commercial pilot training, is this something you've done and how well regarded are they in industry?
would u say ur balling😂😂
Original post by AYRnet
Title speaks for itself 😊 (commercial pilot, not private)


I know the pitot systems in the previous have been faulty (Air France over the equator). Have they been improved well? If such a situation occurred again, what would be done?

what's your opinion on a boeing?
Reply 46
Not great, tbh :biggrin: Airlines care about your licence, experience, and how you do at their assessments. Uni degrees are basically an extra to provide backup for the individual and won't get much attention from recruiters at all. I never went to uni and noone has asked me about that.

Flight training is very intense and I feel you need to dedicate 100% to it, not split time between uni and flying, it seems like the flying is more of an addon to a course to make it seem more attractive to prospective students than an effective way of getting a licence.

Lastly, degrees are good as a backup in case flying doesn't work out (i.e. medical reasons, etc.). Most pilots prefer having a degree in a completely different field so that if aviation doesn't work, they have a safe alternative (a friend of mine has a degree in finance, for example). Most of these courses offer an aviation related degree, which kind of defeats half the point of that backup!

If you are taking one of these courses, please message me! This is purely an opinion, I've never actually met someone who's done this and would be really interested in seeing their point of view!!!

Original post by feverishfresher
Thanks for your response, what's your opinion on university degrees that incorporate commercial pilot training, is this something you've done and how well regarded are they in industry?
Reply 47
😂😂 oh always, all the time 😜

Original post by choco_monsterxo
would u say ur balling😂😂
watch American made then tell me if any of that is possible
and wether that's what all pilots go through
Reply 49
Nice one! Both pitot static systems and anti-icing systems are actually very effective. What has improved since then is the training we receive -- how to recognise such a situation, and how to react. A lot of emphasis is placed on this during training and recurrent checks to make sure an Air France doesn't happen again.

We have a procedure for unreliable airspeed which includes memory items and makes us take over manually to prevent that from happening again, as well as the help of GPS to get a decent idea of speed if the pitot tubes are blocked. Of course, we have standby instruments as well, which we're trained to use from day one and are connected to their own pitot-static sources.

In terms of Boeing, I love the Airbus and would like to stay on it, but if I had to move to a Boeing (change of aircraft or company), I'd do as I'm told. My career is more important than my personal aircraft preference :biggrin:

Original post by RickHendricks
I know the pitot systems in the previous have been faulty (Air France over the equator). Have they been improved well? If such a situation occurred again, what would be done?

what's your opinion on a boeing?
Reply 50
haha okay, will do :biggrin:

Original post by TheRuralJuror
watch American made then tell me if any of that is possible
and wether that's what all pilots go through
Original post by AYRnet
Nice one! Both pitot static systems and anti-icing systems are actually very effective. What has improved since then is the training we receive -- how to recognise such a situation, and how to react. A lot of emphasis is placed on this during training and recurrent checks to make sure an Air France doesn't happen again.

We have a procedure for unreliable airspeed which includes memory items and makes us take over manually to prevent that from happening again, as well as the help of GPS to get a decent idea of speed if the pitot tubes are blocked. Of course, we have standby instruments as well, which we're trained to use from day one and are connected to their own pitot-static sources.

In terms of Boeing, I love the Airbus and would like to stay on it, but if I had to move to a Boeing (change of aircraft or company), I'd do as I'm told. My career is more important than my personal aircraft preference :biggrin:



what's your opinion on the KLM crash in the Canary Islands? do u blame the captain or the atc or both? or the weather? I wanna see what a real pilot thinks about it.
Original post by AYRnet
Cheeky 😂 😜


My fixed wing mates got jobs far more easily than me, I have to take a bit of time to remind them they do less hands on flying :laugh:
salary? :ninja:
Reply 54
We use that example a lot in training when talking about crew resource management, etc. It's a tragic but excellent example of why there is a real need to communicate any doubts, and a real need to listen to those doubts, and check before proceeding, no matter how sure you are or what your rank is. The captain (pilot flying) was sure they had received a takeoff clearance and wouldn't check, the rest of the crew didn't check with ATC or insist that the captain wait. It's also a good example of how commercial pressures can influence decision-making... and exactly why they shouldn't. On time performance (or trying to reduce a delay) contributed to their desire to go ASAP.

We've learned a lot from it, any clearance we're unsure about, even if only one pilot is unsure, gets checked ("Confirm cleared level?" "For crew coordination, confirm landing clearance?"), and nobody gets offended. We use standard phraseology to prevent misunderstandings. We don't let an on time departure decide our actions or impact our flight (de-icing is a great example, if we have to de-ice, we have to de-ice, we won't go until we're happy it's safe, no matter how late that may be).

Original post by RickHendricks
what's your opinion on the KLM crash in the Canary Islands? do u blame the captain or the atc or both? or the weather? I wanna see what a real pilot thinks about it.
Reply 55
Yeah, helicopter jobs seem far more difficult to get, am sure it's a lot of fun though! I have to admit, it makes you a damn good pilot!

Original post by CurlyBen
My fixed wing mates got jobs far more easily than me, I have to take a bit of time to remind them they do less hands on flying :laugh:
can u fly bchez?
Reply 57
:biggrin: Depends on how much I fly and whether I'm in base or not. I get a base salary per month but can't say what that is (contract, sorry). It's a comfortable amount though, I'm not complaining!

Overtime flights are very well paid at my company as well :wink:

Original post by angelike1
salary? :ninja:
Why do fixed wing aircraft bank left whenever i apply the throttle?

What would you recommend is the best way (In your opinion to becoming a pilot)?

Did you have many contacts with pilots whilst you were training?

Would you ever want to fly the a380? (An amazing plane)

Why does the GPWS callout say retard Lmao, in all my years of studying aviation I've never actually found out...

Do pilots still use VOR navigation nowadays?

What flight school did you go to and how did you fund for your training?

How many hours do you have?

How exactly do the scholarships work because from what it seems its like you have to pay £69k to get a bond and etc.You Currently are the only pilot I know and I hope one day I too may attain my CPL
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 59
I'll assume you mean can I take a girl flying in a light aircraft? Yes I can, as long as I have my single engine piston rating valid 😊

Original post by Angry Bird
can u fly bchez?

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