The Student Room Group

Becoming a pilot

Hello,
My 14 year old son want to become a pilot. However, I saw this apprenticeship that accepts 16 year olds but requires ability to swim. I would like to ask if swimming is usually a criterion these types of programs or for being a pilot at all.
Original post by Agbalagba2024
Hello,
My 14 year old son want to become a pilot. However, I saw this apprenticeship that accepts 16 year olds but requires ability to swim. I would like to ask if swimming is usually a criterion these types of programs or for being a pilot at all.

As a part of medical and fitness assessments, many programmes will require you to swim. It is a very good skill to have as the coordination improvements can be very useful for coordinating your body when operating an aircraft. I love flying (My Profile Pic Is Of My Character In A Flight Sim) and have a flight simulator, I recommend the Thrustmaster TCA Captain Pack, Thrustmaster T.Flight Headset and Thrustmaster T.Flight Rudder Pedals. They are great and have really boosted my enjoyment and interest in flying. I wish you and your son all the best! Hope this helps :smile:
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by Vyshto Andeddu
As a part of medical and fitness assessments, many programmes will require you to swim. It is a very good skill to have as the coordination improvements can be very useful for coordinating your body when operating an aircraft. I love flying (My Profile Pic Is Of My Character In A Flight Sim) and have a flight simulator, I recommend the Thrustmaster TCA Captain Pack, Thrustmaster T.Flight Headset and Thrustmaster T.Flight Rudder Pedals. They are great and have really boosted my enjoyment and interest in flying. I wish you and your son all the best! Hope this helps :smile:

Thank you so much for this insight, I really appreciate this.
Original post by Vyshto Andeddu
As a part of medical and fitness assessments, many programmes will require you to swim. It is a very good skill to have as the coordination improvements can be very useful for coordinating your body when operating an aircraft. I love flying (My Profile Pic Is Of My Character In A Flight Sim) and have a flight simulator, I recommend the Thrustmaster TCA Captain Pack, Thrustmaster T.Flight Headset and Thrustmaster T.Flight Rudder Pedals. They are great and have really boosted my enjoyment and interest in flying. I wish you and your son all the best! Hope this helps :smile:

So sorry to bother you again. Aside swimming, what other skills are necessary to become a pilot in UK?
Original post by Agbalagba2024
So sorry to bother you again. Aside swimming, what other skills are necessary to become a pilot in UK?

It is vital that your son becomes comfortable with horrid airline food 😆. Hand-eye coordination is also imprtant, this is easy to master in flying with a wee bit of practice. The biggest skill is patience. He'd be wainting a long time if on call, where the airline would say "Hey! We may need a pilot, can you wait around for a call?", and that'd come with some boredom, and sitting around for many hours on a flight can be dull. Another important skill is how well you can handle people, he'll definitely encounter some rude passengers, that's were the people patience comes in.

Being an pilot can come with long waits and dreadful shifts, but the people you meet will make it so much better. There really is no better feeling than being the one in control of the giant metal tube way up in the sky. I'm happy to answer any questions :smile:
Original post by Vyshto Andeddu
It is vital that your son becomes comfortable with horrid airline food 😆. Hand-eye coordination is also imprtant, this is easy to master in flying with a wee bit of practice. The biggest skill is patience. He'd be wainting a long time if on call, where the airline would say "Hey! We may need a pilot, can you wait around for a call?", and that'd come with some boredom, and sitting around for many hours on a flight can be dull. Another important skill is how well you can handle people, he'll definitely encounter some rude passengers, that's were the people patience comes in.
Being an pilot can come with long waits and dreadful shifts, but the people you meet will make it so much better. There really is no better feeling than being the one in control of the giant metal tube way up in the sky. I'm happy to answer any questions :smile:

Thanks so much. You have been really helpful

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