HOW IT BEGAN
The Dream
When I was 7 years old my life-long ambition to become a pilot began. Neither my parents or anyone in my family is remotely related to aviation so I can't say where this passion came from, all I know is that it's something that I've always wanted to do. My parents would often take me to London Heathrow Airport, a 2 hour drive away, and we would stay there all day and watch the planes arriving and departing over our heads, and listen to the communications from the tower. Everything I have studied at school as led to this point, all the money I have saved over the years has led to this point - I have always been so motivated to becoming a pilot, it's the only thing I have ever wanted to do in life.
The Taste of Flight
Flying is something I have never taken for granted, not as a passenger nor as a pilot. I've been on commercial flights to and from Austria, Canada, Egypt, Greece, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and each time I thoroughly enjoy the experience; life at the airport, the journey (for me this is the best part of the holiday!) I have also flown many different light single engine aircrafts, as part of my pilot training, but also from my time in the Air Cadets. I've flown multi-engine aircraft, the Airbus A320, A350 and Boeing 737 simulators as well as in gliders and in a hot air balloon. I like to use the quote, "once you taste flight, there's no turning back!" I will never forget my first time flying a plane, noticing how wide the runway is from a different perspective, the power you feel in the controls, I will always remember it all. The second my wheels leave the ground, all of my troubles, worries and doubts just simply disappear. I find myself immersed in a world of tranquillity with only the sound of the engine to keep me company. For me, the sky is a place where happiness thrives; life is easier in the air. The taste of flight gives you freedom, joy and excitement. And once all of these things happen to you, only then will you discover your true passion for Aviation. The sky is a place where dreams comes true.
After my first solo
Tasting freedom for the first time
Smiling because my dream is coming true
Challenges & Struggles
But don't let me mistake you, becoming a pilot isn't easy; you need to have the right set of skills, the right mind set and obviously the financial capabilities. For me the hardest challenge to overcome was financing it all - I thought I would never find this sort of money, but I never thought I could not become a pilot. I chose to apply to the Royal Air Force, since the funding was provided; I made it through a few stages but unfortunately I fell short by a couple of points on the aptitude test, it was a gruelling 8 hour exam! However I never let this get me down, I worked hard, saved hard and together with my family we worked a way where we could afford to pay for the training (as well as doing some fundraising too). I sat an entry exam for a flight school I had chosen and passed with flying colours haha ;) I was ready to start the course in Florida but then Brexit happened and the price of the course went sky high, another setback! Luckily I knew about Flyby and soon booked myself a place on their course. No matter what challenges, struggles or set backs you may experience, if you have such a high level of motivation and a huge passion to become a pilot, then you will find a way.
Choosing a Flight School
Choosing a flight school can be very daunting, there are hundreds of flight schools out there so how do you know which one to go to? One factor is pricing, flight schools can vary from £60,000-£120,000. When I was looking for a flight school I wanted to find something that had everything included - the course, accommodation and potentially meals. You may find a relatively cheap flight school to go to with all of this, but to your surprise you later find out that there are a tonne of hidden extras, so please be careful with this!. There are plenty of locations to choose from - most major flight schools choose to do their VFR training or hour building in either Florida, Arizona, Spain, or New Zealand to take advantage of the great weather - so be prepared to move far away from home. At the end of all the searching a chose Flyby - it was reasonably priced, had everything included and it got me to where I am today! I'll publish a few flight schools just below for you to take a look at:
L3 Training Academy
2FLY Group
CAE
Flyby
Baltic Aviation Academy
FTE Jerez
The Next Step
Once I officially became a Commercial Pilot with a (f)ATPL licence, I chose to work as a Flight Instructor to gain more hours and experience and I hoped to use this to my advantage when applying for the airlines later on in the future. As of May 2023, I've been flying for Ryanair as a First Officer - the huge, childhood dream of flying a jet had finally come true. Whatever route you decide to take, you should never stop dreaming, don't just let dreams be dreams.