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The great big "ask an airline pilot" thread!

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Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 153 ✭✭danube


    I know this has been asked before but do you need to be an expert in Maths and science to be a pilot? I scraped a pass in maths for my LC and I didn't even do science for the LC.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 643 ✭✭✭duskyjoe


    danube wrote: »
    I know this has been asked before but do you need to be an expert in Maths and science to be a pilot? I scraped a pass in maths for my LC and I didn't even do science for the LC.

    Pass maths, bun honour in the leaving cert, no science subjects.....17000hrs plus later, Capt on a heavy and I'm still here. Maybe I was plain lazy at school but you genuinely need a head for figures not in a scientific way but a practical way.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 153 ✭✭danube


    duskyjoe wrote: »
    Pass maths, bun honour in the leaving cert, no science subjects.....17000hrs plus later, Capt on a heavy and I'm still here. Maybe I was plain lazy at school but you genuinely need a head for figures not in a scientific way but a practical way.
    So are you saying its just basic maths like adding and subtraction? I was told that trigonometry was important.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 821 ✭✭✭eatmyshorts


    danube wrote: »
    So are you saying its just basic maths like adding and subtraction? I was told that trigonometry was important.

    A good basic grasp of mathematics is good. But I'd say it's more important to have a good sense of spatial awareness, forward thinking and basic common sense.

    I know people who are maths and physics geniuses, but I wouldn't let them near an aircraft. Conversely, I know people who are dyslexic, can't spell to save their lives, but are good aircraft operators.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 643 ✭✭✭duskyjoe


    danube wrote: »
    So are you saying its just basic maths like adding and subtraction? I was told that trigonometry was important.

    Trigonometry just like Nav gen is just monkey see monkey do stuff. Takes just slog and swotting .....and practice. If you want something badly these little obstacles are just a hindrance to your goal. I was as thick as a plank in school, very ordinary results but when I saw something I really wanted nothing got in my way. Hope this helps. No job is easy and like us all we had to slog hard to get where we are today. There were many days of self doubt and would I make it but just keep the head down. Bests luck


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 821 ✭✭✭eatmyshorts


    duskyjoe wrote: »
    Trigonometry just like Nav gen is just monkey see monkey do stuff. Takes just slog and swotting .....and practice. If you want something badly these little obstacles are just a hindrance to your goal. I was as thick as a plank in school, very ordinary results but when I saw something I really wanted nothing got in my way. Hope this helps. No job is easy and like us all we had to slog hard to get where we are today. There were many days of self doubt and would I make it but just keep the head down. Bests luck

    +€€€€€€€€

    Prepare to spend a lot and get very little in return.
    Unfortunately that's the business now the bean counters are in charge.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10 stubble1


    Hi there,

    I'm going into my 3rd year in college, doing an IT course. After my LC I was mad to become a pilot and was seriously considering it, but I just looked at it from my parents point of view and felt the training was just too expensive.

    I'm 20 now and I enjoy the course I am doing, after 3rd year I will hopefully have a degree and IT graduates walk into jobs with ease these days (hopefully it will be the same for me). But my love of aviation and aircraft is still in me, I'm beginning to consider doing the following: working in IT for a few years, saving up a bit then go off to hopefully obtain a private pilots license and work my way up from there.

    Am I mad? I could be 24 or 25 by the time the opportunity presents itself. But I feel that I will regret it for the rest of my life if I don't at least have a go.

    Why does pilot training have to be so bloody expensive!

    Apologies in advance if something like this has been asked in this thread already, but I'm too lazy to scroll through it!

    Thanks guys.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 821 ✭✭✭eatmyshorts


    stubble1 wrote: »
    Apologies in advance if something like this has been asked in this thread already, but I'm too lazy to scroll through it.

    Not a good start. What's up with your generation wanting everything handed to them on a plate?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10 stubble1


    Not a good start. What's up with your generation wanting everything handed to them on a plate?

    I'm just asking for bit of help and advise bud leave out the bitterness. I'm sure similar questions have been asked hundreds of times before and answered every time.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 821 ✭✭✭eatmyshorts


    stubble1 wrote: »
    I'm just asking for bit of help and advise bud leave out the bitterness. I'm sure similar questions have been asked hundreds of times before and answered every time.

    It's not bitterness, it's advice.
    If you can't be bothered to scroll through a few pages (search function?), then I'd question your motivation to take you through to an ATPL.

    This the real world now, not school or college where everything is just handed to you and told how great you are.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,179 ✭✭✭✭fr336


    Not a good start. What's up with your generation wanting everything handed to them on a plate?

    Wow.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,729 ✭✭✭martinsvi


    stubble1 wrote: »
    Hi there,

    I'm going into my 3rd year in college, doing an IT course. After my LC I was mad to become a pilot and was seriously considering it, but I just looked at it from my parents point of view and felt the training was just too expensive.

    I'm 20 now and I enjoy the course I am doing, after 3rd year I will hopefully have a degree and IT graduates walk into jobs with ease these days (hopefully it will be the same for me).

    As someone employed in "IT" for 10+ years now I thought I just pitch by saying only good candidates walk into jobs with ease.. not everyone is good. So to say - don't let your guard down, you still have to work for it.
    stubble1 wrote: »

    But my love of aviation and aircraft is still in me, I'm beginning to consider doing the following: working in IT for a few years, saving up a bit then go off to hopefully obtain a private pilots license and work my way up from there.

    Am I mad? I could be 24 or 25 by the time the opportunity presents itself. But I feel that I will regret it for the rest of my life if I don't at least have a go.

    no you're not mad at all, that's how many people start out, I'm pretty much doing the same except I'm nearly 30 now.. If you think about it, at 25 or 30 years you still have 30+ years of work ahead of you, you better be sure you spend them doing what you love.
    stubble1 wrote: »
    Why does pilot training have to be so bloody expensive!
    planes are really expensive!
    stubble1 wrote: »
    Apologies in advance if something like this has been asked in this thread already, but I'm too lazy to scroll through it!
    Thanks guys.

    that's your loss really... have you seen the pile of books you have to go through for mere PPL? (not even to mention ATPL).. PPL/ATPL requires a LOT of reading, so if you're really considering in, this thread is a good warm up!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 343 ✭✭easygoing1982


    stubble1 wrote: »
    Apologies in advance if something like this has been asked in this thread already, but I'm too lazy to scroll through it!

    if you can stubble i would edit your post and delete this part. so fair most of the replies are in direct response to this


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10 stubble1


    martinsvi wrote: »
    As someone employed in "IT" for 10+ years now I thought I just pitch by saying only good candidates walk into jobs with ease.. not everyone is good. So to say - don't let your guard down, you still have to work for it.



    no you're not mad at all, that's how many people start out, I'm pretty much doing the same except I'm nearly 30 now.. If you think about it, at 25 or 30 years you still have 30+ years of work ahead of you, you better be sure you spend them doing what you love.


    planes are really expensive!



    that's your loss really... have you seen the pile of books you have to go through for mere PPL? (not even to mention ATPL).. PPL/ATPL requires a LOT of reading, so if you're really considering in, this thread is a good warm up!

    "you better be sure you spend them doing what you love", my exact thoughts and why I posted this question! Don't get me wrong I really like my course but I've travelled around a good bit now and enjoy flying, but to do all that as a pilot would be a whole new level!

    Thanks for the help guys.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10 stubble1


    fr336 wrote: »
    Wow.

    Yes i thought eatmyshorts' comment was a bit out of order as well.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,991 ✭✭✭el tel


    stubble1 wrote: »
    I'm just asking for bit of help and advise bud leave out the bitterness. I'm sure similar questions have been asked hundreds of times before and answered every time.


    Good edit there! I think you deleted the bit about not wanting to spend 7 hours sitting at a computer screen?

    In which case, if you don't like sitting gawping for hours at not much happening on a computer screen then perhaps neither IT nor flying is for you :pac:

    But on the bright side, if you think flying training is expensive, you don't want to be paying for astronaut trailing...it's astronomical.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,698 ✭✭✭tricky D


    Instead of being lazy and emotional, be smart and pay attention to detail: Using the search functions www.boards.ie/search/submit/?query=how+to+become+an+airline+pilot has already been suggested to you by eatmyshorts but for some reason you have missed that very helpful detail. No hours required, just a few seconds and you have all the advice threads you could hope for, but you'll still have plenty of reading up to do.

    You're going to need to work much better at finding the right info for yourself. You won't be able to afford being lazy or relying too much on having others to help you with the huge amounts of info and literature you'll be dealing with.

    /2c


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,829 ✭✭✭✭smurfjed


    Reference from avherald.com
    A Korean Airlines Airbus A330-200, registration HL8211 performing flight KE-962 from Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) to Seoul (South Korea) with 186 passengers, was climbing out of Riyadh's runway 33R when a loud bang was heard from the left hand engine (PW4168A) prompting the crew to level off at about 6000 feet MSL, shut the engine down and return to Riyadh for a safe landing on runway 33L about 30 minutes after departure.
    A replacement Airbus A330-200 registration HL8228 departed Riyadh the following day and reached Seoul with a delay of 25 hours.
    On Jul 28th 2015 the French BEA reported in their weekly bulletin that the left hand engine stalled at about 500 feet AGL followed by its EGT showing over limit and ENG 1 FAIL ECAM warning. The engine was shut down and the aircraft returned to Riyadh. The occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated by Saudi Arabia's Accident Investigation Board.

    Does the A330 have fuel dumping capabilities?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,698 ✭✭✭tricky D


    Customer option according to wiki.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 821 ✭✭✭eatmyshorts


    smurfjed wrote: »
    Reference from avherald.com



    Does the A330 have fuel dumping capabilities?

    As tricky D said, it's a customer option. Some do, some don't.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,489 ✭✭✭Stealthirl


    Listening to a aviation podcast the other day and 2 questions came into my head.

    1) Do any of you listen to aviation podcast like Airline Pilot Guy/Airplane geek podcast ect

    2) Do you undergo any type of simulation for hypoxia ?

    In the podcast they were talking about a device that simulates hypoxia but on the ground in a sim.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,829 ✭✭✭✭smurfjed


    1: No
    2: No

    I have seen the hypoxia simulator advertised, but we cant get our bosses to pay for it :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,508 ✭✭✭✭JCX BXC


    A hypoxia simulator? How would that work?!?!?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,980 ✭✭✭Growler!!!


    Carnacalla wrote: »
    A hypoxia simulator? How would that work?!?!?


    http://youtu.be/WTNX6mr753w

    Something like this.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,489 ✭✭✭Stealthirl


    I meant something more like this
    http://www.flyingmag.com/real-hypoxia-training-flightsafety

    Just seamed strange that there is a lot of training for pilots to experience all emergency situations but had not see anything relating to hypoxia training or experience outside of some militaries


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 96 ✭✭rudders


    Really dumb question here but how does one learn to fly a micro light if they only have 1 seat? Where would the instructor sit?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,829 ✭✭✭✭smurfjed


    Really dumb question
    In a 2 seater version :):)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,729 ✭✭✭martinsvi


    rudders wrote: »
    Really dumb question here but how does one learn to fly a micro light if they only have 1 seat? Where would the instructor sit?

    most microlights have 2 seats


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 153 ✭✭danube


    I see a few people on this thread have failed the medical because they have a lazy eye. I have a lazy right eye as well as double vision because of a squint . But I do have 20/20 vision in my left eye. Does this surely put me out?
    I think I read somewhere that having a squint does not automatically disqualify you. I did pass a medical for the army and the tester even said that I had good eyesight!


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,829 ✭✭✭✭smurfjed


    http://airfactsjournal.com/2015/07/archives-leighton-collins-flies-747-paris/ This is a fun read and shows how times have changed :)


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