Mechanical Engineering

FionnK86

Would Mechanical Engineering in UCD be a good idea, seeing as I want to join the Air Corps to get a pilots license?

dechand

Why dont you just join the Aer corps first , do your training and get them to sent you to uni ,get your degree and your pilots ticket together and then leave and go to a commercial airline .. simple easily done .
All you have to do is just join up and everything will fall into place and be done for you.

FionnK86

Yeah I originally planned to do that but Ive heard from sources that the Air Corps accepted only a handful of cadets last year, each in their twenties who financed their own education.

Apparently the government doesnt have enough dosh to send you to college and keep you in the defence forces until you paid off your debt, so want me to finance it myself, which is fair i suppose because im probably going to immigrate to get employment as a commercial pilot, and the money they spend on me would be better spent on putting my brothers through school on social welfare.

Stovepipe

@Fionn,
Ignore dechand, he's taking the piss.

Competition for the Air Corps cadetship is very high, given that they only take on a few a year. If you genuinely want to be a Commercial Pilot, go and research the integrated/modular route to becoming a CPL, with a view to getting a job as an airline pilot. Research it thoroughly before you think of spending a red cent.

regards
Stovepipe

xflyer

LOL,Yup, dechand is taking the pee. But not surprising given the implication in the first post that Fionn wants the taxpayer to fund his career in aviation. A nice idea to be sure but the Air Corps doesn't want to be a free flight school for future airline pilots even if that is the effective result.

They want people interested in a military career who'll hopefully stick around for a bit.

dechand

At least someone can see the real issue here, if thats the general perception among people in that you just join the AC to get a free pilots ticket and away ya go then to join aer ryan it says a lot for what the AC is then.
If guys like the OP can walk into the AC , having little or no knowledge of it ,and whos only purpose in joining is a freebe on the taxpayer, it surely says a lot about their selection procedures.

tu2j2

Any reason you wouldn't choose Aeronautical Engineering? Apart from the fact that you'll never get a job out of it

omg a kitty

They took 3 cadets this year(usually around 5 or 6), one of them have a degree in Aeronautic Engineering or something, not sure about the other two.

Even if you get in, and Cadetships are for pilots, you still have to do 9 months defence forces training at the Curragh, yes you have to be a soldier before you can be a pilot. Its not a free and easy pilots license

I believe Cadets have to serve for a minimum of 12 years, they'd expect you to stick around longer so they dont have to hire new Cadets. As prviously mentioned, Air Corps isnt a way of getting a a pilot's license at the expense of the taxpayer