If you’re considering a career in aviation, as an airline pilot on a shiny big jet with a flashy uniform, paying you a small fortune to do it then I can tell you, as Luke Skywalker said in The Last Jedi “This isn’t going to go the way you think.”

I’ve literally spent years with the dream of doing this and from taking it from that point (overcoming a mountain of barriers) to a concrete goal and some momentum towards the flight deck, it has taken me 10 years to be able to afford the cost of training.  My first bit of advice to all of you bright young future pilots with the world at your feet is to understand the importance of the next four words. DETERMINATION, MOTIVATION, PATIENCE & RESILIENCE. If you look at those words and think, “Have I met James before as he knows me so well?” read on.  If you don’t have those qualities then either dig deep and find them or review your ambitions in life, without them (in the best Jim Carrey Grinch voice) YOU’RE DOOMED!

CHALLENGE 1- THE COSTS!!!

My first realisation when I really looked into the detail of the training was the cost (it ain’t cheap) and best case scenario which means minimum flying time required, perfect weather every single lesson, no exam retests and going down the Modular Route as opposed to the Integrated Route (which i’ll cover off in another section) you’ll be looking at upwards of £50,000.  This is £50,000 you’ve got to find yourself either through very supportive and slightly heroic parents who may have a way of freeing that money up for you or by saving it yourself (insert shocked faces/gasps of horror/possible fainting here) I’ve had the privilege of option 2 and have had some fantastic support from my girlfriend  and her parents to get me started this year with the costs of my PPL Course now covered, with me saving the rest/obtaining a low interest loan to cover the remainder of the training.

CHALLENGE 2- TIME

This is where the second challenge comes in.  To save the money you need a job (in my case a full time management job in retail which i spent 5 years working my up in from 16 years old to 21) which gives you the money to train but takes away the other really important thing you need. TIME. So straight away you need to balance the two. Again i’ve had to sacrifice a lot of time over recent years to work my way up within my job to get to the point where I can sort my own rota’s. Now I can do this I can plan my working week around my training requirements but again a lot of time sacrificed to get to this point. How would you manage your time around a full time job where you can’t do that though?!?!