Seriously considering a flying career, advice/opinions sought....

horseflesh

My place of employment for the last 13 years is closing down at the end of August, and I'll have a redundancy lump sum of €50k +.

I'd really like to do something different/new, and am genuinely thinking of getting into aviation.
The way I'm thinking of doing it is the Florida route (Ormond Beach Aviation). My cousin got his PPL there and recommended them.

What I basically need to know is, what's flying like as a career?
How well does it pay?
How likely would I be to get a job based in Dublin?

BTW, I'm 35 next month, but I've heard that it's not unheard of for someone to take up flying in their mid-thirties.

pclancy

Pros and Cons and loads of links here...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055067304

pclancy

and some stuff here....ask questions at your own risk

http://www.pprune.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=14

jmayo

horseflesh wrote:

My place of employment for the last 13 years is closing down at the end of August, and I'll have a redundancy lump sum of €50k +.

I'd really like to do something different/new, and am genuinely thinking of getting into aviation.
The way I'm thinking of doing it is the Florida route (Ormond Beach Aviation). My cousin got his PPL there and recommended them.

What I basically need to know is, what's flying like as a career?
How well does it pay?
How likely would I be to get a job based in Dublin?

BTW, I'm 35 next month, but I've heard that it's not unheard of for someone to take up flying in their mid-thirties.

Not sure about OBA. Have heard lots of not so good things about them.
Check out PRune, give yourself good day for it also.

Whatever you do, do not I repeat, DO NOT pay big lump sum up front, no matter how good they appear or who tells you.
If you have to pay smaller up front amounts at regular intervals.

BTW have you ever tried flying?
Also what is the old health like?
Yeah have met good few older people getting serious but it is long road and you will need more than 50k I am afraid to go for ATPL.
Try it anyway and see if you like flying for a start.

horseflesh

Yes, my health/eyesight are good.
I plan to take one of those "introductory lessons" at Westin in the next couple of weeks, looking forward to that even if I don't take it any further!

I've been on the pprune forums, lots of positive people and a lot of people moaning, LOL. True, you could set a day aside to read through the relevent stuff.
The main reason I'm considering the Florida option (apart from the cost obviously) is that I could do so much of it in one big block. I'll obviously need to get some sort of job to pay the bills (back here), but I don't think many employers would be too keen on someone taking weeks or months off at a time.

The way I see it, I'll never have an opportunity to try something like this again, so it's at least worth considering.

Are you working as a pilot at the moment jmayo?
Would you recommend it as a career??

jmayo

horseflesh wrote:

Yes, my health/eyesight are good.
I plan to take one of those "introductory lessons" at Westin in the next couple of weeks, looking forward to that even if I don't take it any further!

I've been on the pprune forums, lots of positive people and a lot of people moaning, LOL. True, you could set a day aside to read through the relevent stuff.
The main reason I'm considering the Florida option (apart from the cost obviously) is that I could do so much of it in one big block. I'll obviously need to get some sort of job to pay the bills (back here), but I don't think many employers would be too keen on someone taking weeks or months off at a time.

The way I see it, I'll never have an opportunity to try something like this again, so it's at least worth considering.

Are you working as a pilot at the moment jmayo?
Would you recommend it as a career??

No only PPL with lots of different types of flying as well.
I never wanted to be glorified bus driver on a 737 etc.
As one examiner told me, the best commericial flying he did was freight since he had no cr** from payload unlike with passengers.

I went through PPL in Florida, sadly school no longer around, due to 911 and lock down on whole process.
If going FLoirda make sure you do lots of the theory before hand. Makes life a lot easier.
Then if you push you can do PPL in 3 weeks if have to.
Lots of airports in Florida and so good for hour building.

A lot of people will tell you are not as good a pilot because you have not flown or trained in conditions over here and you have trained in less time. Total cra~*.
You get more intensive flying over there, which has advantages, and after you do 10/20 hours over here you get used to conditions. Anyway if you have ever had to fly during one of their thunderstorms you will get more of an eye opener than ever get here.
Not recommending you do fly in their thunderstorms.

I met a lot of guys doing CPL/ATPLs etc. Lots of military guys transferring from helis to flixed wing and trying to make it outside as civvy pilots. Also met the guys laid off by small airlines after 911. They were making very little money as first offciers and ended up making more at non-flying jobs.
Some of best pilots I have ever met had never flown jets but flew by seat of pants as bush pilots on beavers and cubs etc.

I think you need to be very focussed and you really must want to do it because you will have to make sacrifices to get to ATPL.

Try flying and if you love flying go for it.

trap4

I'm interested in one day training to be a pilot too though I admit I know very little about it. But I'm sure I read somewhere that there is a shortage of pilots for Private Jets, can someone tell me if that's true and what it would be like to fly Private Jets as opposed to commercial airliners?