Question for a pilot

adamob544 wrote: »

Like half the people on this topic, I’d love to be a pilot when I’m older. I have a question with regards to how to get to there. What did you do after the leaving Cert? What course in college did you do? After college, where did you go? In general, what educational qualifications do I need?

Hi Adam - I'm in the same boat as you, except about 10 years older if you're doing your leaving cert now. Myself I'm an engineer and saving to do my ATPL, still a year or 2 off being able to afford it. Hopefully the engineering background will have some benefit to me in the aptitude tests and exams, but plenty people go straight in after school so it's certainly not a requirement to have a college degree.

Have you any flying experience, even a few private flying classes to make sure you don't hate it (it happens some people). Also the Class 1 medical must be passed before any you spend any money on courses etc.

There are some sponsored cadetships but it's like winning the lotto trying to get a place, but do put your name forward!! Other than that there's NFC in Weston, AFTA in Cork where it'll cost 75-80k if you want to go integrated route, maybe a little cheaper if you go modular. It's a huge amount of money (hence me being about 30 before I'll have enough savings to afford it).

Perhaps people that have actually gone through the process might be more helpful than a wannabe like me.

if you put in "how to become a pilot" in a search bar of this forum, you will find that this topic is already covered in depth before. To answer your question - you don't need a college degree to become a pilot but as sportsfan already mentioned - it costs a lot of money, so unless you have funds available, you will need good education to find a decent job that will eventually sponsor your way up to a licence.

College degree also is a plus if you decide to apply to a cadetship in an airline, but again to echo what sportsfan said, it is a lottery - try it, but don't count on it!

clo1 wrote: »

Hi can I ask what is the requirement for your eyes I heard you can't be less than 06 diopter to work as a pilot?

requirements are laid out here - https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/Easy_Access_Rules_for_Medical_Requirements.pdf

(1) Applicants with the following conditions may be assessed as fit subject to satisfactory
ophthalmic evaluation and provided that optimal correction has been considered and no
significant pathology is demonstrated:
(i) hypermetropia not exceeding +5.0 dioptres;
(ii) myopia not exceeding –6.0 dioptres;
(iii) astigmatism not exceeding 2.0 dioptres;
(iv) anisometropia not exceeding 2.0 dioptres

however if you don't meet the criteria, you wear glasses/contact lenses and the doctor can still sign you off

Hi Adam, some good advice above but really consider just going to university and getting a degree first, be it aviation related or not. You'll still be in your early twenties going for your pilot training and entering the jobs market not long after which is ideal. The aviation world is tough, a modest medical complaint can see you out of flying, airlines come and go, the long and extreme hours can be tough too. Have a back up plan, enjoy college, make lots of friends and contacts, get a degree and then go after flying. I regret not doing it that way even though it has worked out very well for me. Good luck with it.