Am I mental ?

sinbaadi

It's easy to come up with reasons why you shouldn't, but in my experience passion is priceless.  As a few have said, if it means that much to you, stop beating about the bush!  Just go step by step.  
(Do step one now).

thumpingrug

I think you should do it.  You got to have a dream dude.  But perhaps scale back the type of plane you might be flying.   Ive always wanted to fly helicopters.  Its a lottery winning dream and to be honest if I won the lottery I wouldn't be flying for a job and Im not sure i would do it that much. If you have the funds available to make your dream a reality then start the process and see how you get on.

JAYJO

Emp_Fab said:

Oh how I would love to see your faces if one day you are on a plane, just settling in, putting your seatbelts on and over the tannoy comes "Good Morning, this is your Captain speaking.  We're almost ready to depart.  Our new First Officer Emperor Fabulous will be flying you down to Corfu this morning....."

especially as were meant to be going to manchester. Happy Days. Stop off at ours so i can grab my Cossy and towel.

darthed1981

I've got to admit I'd rather do this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5-1HS7Qylg

boogieman

I think the fact you’re posting a “should I ?” thread here rather than getting on with it should tell you all you need to know.  Must be a complete PITA to have a passion for something that you can’t achieve through something relatively minor though, you do have my sympathy for what it’s worth. 

If it’s any consolation, a lady friend of mine is dating a pilot at the moment. He’s been flying for years, only flies internal uk flights, earns peanuts and is bored shitless most days, especially when he ends up at the wrong end of the country with no flying time left. 

ICBM

I have to say that given the cost, the length of time for training, your age and your medical history, it’s likely to be a huge waste of money with little or no prospect of employment, even if you pass the medical requirements.

As already suggested a private pilot’s licence and (if you’ve got enough money) your own light aircraft is probably the best choice. Just paint it in the colours of your favourite airline and wear a uniform, and you’re almost there!



One of my young cousins is currently training to be an airline pilot, by the way. I think his dad said it’s £100K and three years before you even qualify.

randella

There are two things guaranteed to cause me spinal pain.  One is stress, and the other is commercial aviation.  Given that one - from a customer standpoint at least - causes a lot of the other so now you've got both, you can imagine my opinion on flying.

To sum up:

It. Sucks. Donkey. Balls.

Anyone who wants to do that for a living gets my vote.  I think the qualification should be "able to get through Manchester Airport security whilst smiling."  Manage that and you're sure to be able to fly an Airbus A380.  Stands to reason.

Sporky

ICBM said:

One of my young cousins is currently training to be an airline pilot, by the way. I think his dad said it’s £100K and three years before you even qualify.

That'd pay for a lot of cruises.

TTony

Emp_Fab said:

Am I mental ?

PS:  "mental" is probably one of those 1970s terms  ...

chillidoggy

Wait.............it was a rhetorical question?

randella

Sporky said:

cruises

At least with flying you get to leave after a few hours, and 50% of the time you're somewhere a lot nicer when you do.

axisus

haven't read all the thread, I'm at work! I think it's a bit mad to be honest, I agree with someone who said just get a light aircraft licence and be happy with that without blowing all your inheritance. I so wish I'd been in a band and built a life around music, but I didn't. At 54 I'm way past chasing those dreams, I enjoy my modest noodling at home. I'm not saying don't do it, but you asked for opinions so that is mine!

stickyfiddle

Hold on - first things first and all that. 

Is your first name Steve or Roger? 

LuttiS

stickyfiddle said:

Hold on - first things first and all that. 

Is your first name Steve or Roger? 

Roger Roger, whats the vector Victor? Do we have clearance Clarence?

Emp_Fab

You know what...  I’m going for it.  I’m going to be dead in no time at all and then it’s too late for anything.  My first step is to look at the medical situation.  I’ve emailed my nearest A.M.E. (Aeromedical Examiner) to arrange a consultation as to whether any of my medical history excludes me from getting a Class 1.  I’m also arranging an appointment at City University in London to get the definitive answer on my colour vision.

I’ve lived my life with nothing but debt.  If I blow my inheritance and get nowhere with the flying, my life isn’t going to change...  I’ll just carry on being in debt as usual, but at least I will have tried.

TTony

X_X

Snags

I'm torn between cheering in admiration and smacking my head into the desk

Emp_Fab

Oh come on...  I’m 54 in a fortnight.  It’s time to shit, or get off the pot, as they say.

Heartfeltdawn

Emp_Fab said:

Assuming I pass the new colour-vision test, and the subsequent full medical, am I mental for even contemplating such a gargantuan undertaking when I've only got 11 years of potential employment left ? (65 is the mandatory retirement age for pilots) ?

If you were mental, you'd be applying for NASA, not Easyjet.

TTony

If you're really serious about this ...


I did a few (about 10) lessons towards a PPL, but packed it in when I ran out of time.

If I was doing it again, I'd look at one of the overseas courses.  Essentially, cram all the lessons/practice into 7/10 days, and then do the exams at the end.  The UK is not such a good place to do that (weather, busy skies), hence doing it overseas.  You also get a holiday out of it.  It's also cheaper.

Used to be that Florida was a good place to go, but I think that's probably changed nowadays.  You could do them in SA last time I checked.

That might be a sensible approach?  If you've got your PPL, that's a useful step towards a commercial licence.  If you get your PPL, you might then decide to spend the rest of the cash on a timeshare in a light plane rather than on all the extra costs of a commercial licence (about £50k all-in?).

PPL gives you the enjoyment of flying without the hassle of it being a job.