Hello, my name is Ben Lovegrove and in this video I'm going to briefly describe why now
is the perfect time for you to learn to fly and to obtain your Private Pilots Licence.
Gaining a PPL now will enable you to catch the next big surge of commercial pilot recruitment
in the years ahead.
In July 2015 the aerospace giant Boeing predicted that the world would need 558,000 new pilots
during the next twenty years.
If this forecast for half a million pilots jobs is correct (and they should know, being
Boeing) then there has never been a better time to learn to fly.
If you start now and work your way along the path to a career in the airlines then you
should be ready to catch this wave of opportunity as it gathers momentum over the next few years.
If you have no flying experience at all then the idea of one day being the pilot of an
airliner may seem an impossible dream but like all such ambitions they can be realised
with the right amount of concentration, perseverance, money, and sacrifice.
It may seem daunting to consider that one day you'll be responsible for the safe take-off,
flight and landing of a multi million pound aircraft along with its passengers, crew,
or cargo.
However, twenty-something First Officers fly airliners every day.
If they can do it then there's no reason why you can't one day wear that uniform.
At the very start of your journey into aviation you’re going to have a lot of fun and excitement
as you learn to fly.
The milestones are many and come in quick succession; first solo, first solo navigation,
first land away etc and within a few months you will become one of the privileged holders
of a Private Pilots Licence.
This licence will entitle you to fly specific aircraft within the limits of the type of
licence you have elected to obtain.
At this point along the path some pilots divert into recreational flying and that journey
can last for years.
For the lucky few it can last a lifetime and some pilots continue to fly into their eighth
and even their ninth decades.
For those whose aspirations are firmly fixed within the world of civil aviation then the
achievement of the PPL marks only the end of first stage of training.
From there they must move quickly on to twin engine ratings, a Commercial Pilots Licence,
an Instrument Rating, and onward towards an ATPL (Air Transport Pilots Licence).
As you can imagine, all this training takes a lot of concentration and application.
It also demands a lot of sacrifice.
If you take this path you will probably drastically reduce (and perhaps cut out altogether) nights
out, holidays, nice cars, new clothes, and all the other things that working people spend
their money on.
Obviously, if money is not a problem for you then this won’t be the case, but for most
student pilots it is not uncommon for them to reach the end of their training in debt
to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds.
It is only the promise of a long career in the airlines, with increments of salary as
they gain experience and seniority, and ending with a good pension, that gives them the confidence
to continue with their goals.
If you're lucky you might be awarded a bursary or scholarship that pays some of the costs
towards a particular milestone.
This all depends on your personal circumstances and aptitude for flying and you'll need to
keep a keen eye on what's available from one season to the next.
Flight Training
Learning to fly isn’t cheap.
Yes, it can be done on a budget but this video is about the airline career path and it might
be a false economy to learn to fly microlights or some of the other smaller, lighter aircraft.
Students aspiring to be the First Officer in an airliner would probably want to start
training on the standard single engine training aircraft but it's not essential.
The important thing is that the candidate learns the basic principles of the forces
involved in flight as they are essentially the same whether you're flying an ultralight
aircraft or an Airbus.
The number of flying schools offering flight training varies from place to place and in
quality.
You should try a few of those closest to you before committing to spending all your money
in one place, and even if you find what seems to be the right flying school don’t feel
you have to stick to the same instructor.
It’s vitally important that you get the best flight training from the outset and that
you have a comfortable and enjoyable relationship with your Flying Instructor.
There are a few other videos in this playlist about reducing the cost of learning to fly
and tips about ground school studies.
Are you in your teens or twenties with a mature and focused attitude to study and training?
Are you the sort of person who looks skywards whenever you hear the sound of an aero engine?
Do you dream of flying and seeing the world above the clouds?
Then perhaps you should delay no longer and start planning your career in the airlines
over the coming decades.
Let me know what your aspirations are in the comments section below.
Thank you for watching!
I hope you found this video useful.
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