Masters in Aviation Management

Can you share the cost of this course

Pilots become managers in airlines when they are usually experienced pilots with some time as Captains under the belts. They fulfil roles which have management functions such as Fleet Captains (on a Type), training captains (line and simulator), Route management, Safety, Flight operations, ground operations, ongoing training of cadets and so on. Some management roles for pilots are part-time, ie, the incumbent is also a full time pilot and might have a day off his flying roster per week to see to his other duties. In some cases, the role is full-time and the pilot flies just enough to stay current and keep his ratings valid. In some cases, pilots who are medically grounded can move sideways to fill a management slot until they are fit to fly again. Apart from pilots being managers, there are dozens of other management roles in airlines, which are, like the pilot manager roles, tied to the discipline, ie maintenance managers are qualified engrs; avionics maintenance managers are qualified avionics engrs. and so on.

@basill, that's just the bar being raised from merely having a degree (in anything), on top of the CPL/ATPL, to become a manager to having an added Masters or an MBA to become a manager. Most organisations have a point where advancement requires a degree as a minimum; airlines tended to be a bit slow off the mark in that regard as the people who did the most exams (engineers and pilots) tended to have had enough studying to last them a lifetime and more often than not, it was employees who were not pilots or engineers who went for degrees as a leg up. Nowadays, as basill says, it would be rare for a senior pilot not to have a degree, especially if he wants an indoors job. It has also become quite the fashion for line/hangar engineers to go and get degrees, as a full B1 or B2 will get you a dramatic reduction in the length of time it takes to do a degree and it also opens more doors to jobs outside airlines (as most employers haven't a clue what a B1/B2 is, or the level of effort it takes to get it).

there is no hard and fast way to beat other candidates; be well prepared by having a thorough knowledge of the basic history of the company, what they fly, where they fly, how they operate as part of IAG, what a pilot actually does as his/her day job (you'd be surprised how many candidates haven't a grasp of how a pilot's rostered day works/how many hours a year they fly/how they operate as part of the greater team). Also, get a couple of hours under your belt in a training aircraft, so that when they ask you how an aileron works, you will have first hand experience. Do the basic tech preparation so that you know how a jet engine works/why airliners are pressurised/why they fly so high....this can be found on the Internet so do some sample questions............Aer Lingus pays for all the training, unlike other cadet schemes, which require partial student funding. Educationally, Aer Lingus recruits across a broad spectrum, so you will get Leaving Cert holder alongside Phd holder. Most importantly, you need to show evidence of being a team player/operating in a team environment. Get yourself a medical to prove that you can pass a Class 1. You may have an underlying medical issue that rules you out.

Solomon Pleasant wrote: »

Hi guys,

OP here, Thanks very much for the feedback. I have no interest in the management side of it (currently in final year of business studies & German in TCD) but I really want to be a pilot. The only reason I mentioned the masters in aviation management was because I read that a background in aviation was helpful when applying to the Aer Lingus cadet programme as it shows you have an interest in the aviation sector. The training seems to cost in and around 100k and I don't have access to that money.

I was thinking about saving up maybe 20-30k and then trying to get a loan for the rest of it. The Aer Lingus cadet programme is obviously the dream and that's what I'm focused on at the minute. If anyone has any experience or tips for getting onto the programme it would be great. A few of ye here seem to have good knowledge of the industry so I have a question for ye - I'm 21, in final year of college and I want to be a commercial airline pilot, preferably with Aer Lingus. What are the best steps I should take to ensure I get there ahead of other candidates?

Thank you all very much, I really appreciate the help!

The masters course at DCU isn't cheap, if you want to be a pilot you're better off putting that money towards your license. Only do the masters in DCU if you have a genuine interest in management/business studies, you won't be looking at planes and any aviation stuff you do is analysing financial statistics or emissions and that type of stuff - if you've just got a burning desire to fly this may be a painful waste of cash.

It is very good though for those (pilots or otherwise) that want to prop up their cv to rise within their current company or switch to a more senior role in another company. The lecturers are very knowledgeable and have more than enough experience.