Oliver - Ryanair - B737-800
1) Tell us what made you want to become a pilot?
During family holidays I enjoyed the flights. One in particular that stuck with me was a British Airways flight into Tampa Bay. The weather was particularly rough and we had to fly between CBs (thunderstorms). Back in my uneducated days I believed that pilots were hand flying and I thought "that was pretty cool"!
For my 16th birthday my dad and bought me a flying lesson out of Southend Airport in a PA28 and it all took off from there (if you pardon the pun ;) ).
2) Where did you train and describe your experience training there?
CTC Aviation (now known as L3). Training was tough, however mostly enjoyable. I struggled with ground school but the flying phases were amazing. I spent 9 months out in New Zealand and a great set of instructors. Then Bournemouth which was amazing and finally Southampton for my MCC/JOC on the 737-300.
3) What aircraft did you fly during your initial training?
Before starting at CTC I has flown the PA28 with the Southend Flying Club and also had the oppurtunity to fly the Grob Tutor 115E with the Air Cadets. My time in CTC was spent on the C172 and DA42. URPT was in the firefly and DA20.
4) What was your hardest part of training?
Ground school. People tell you it's the hardest part of training. But you're probably thinking "well how hard can it be ?".. HARD is the only acceptable answer and it's even harder now that the exams have changed. I had multiple choice so had a 25% chance of getting the answer right even if I dodn't know it. Now the CAA have introduced open questions so there's no guessing anymore..
5) What advice would you give to aspiring pilot?
Do your research, don't believe everything you read, especially when it comes to statistics and placement. Also you don't have to pay upwards of £90,000 for training. There are many options that will get you to the same position. One of my friends left an integrate course to go down the modular route.. He's further ahead than is ex coursemates are..
Work hard but never forget what that end goal is!
6) What has been your best moment in the air?
This is a tough one, I've only racked up 46 flights so far, so I haven't had many interesting moments as I'm still in line training. However one night I was flying from Manchester to Charleroi in Brussels. Had a beautiful of London. Moments later it broke into a case of dodging thunderstorms over the channel.
7) What is your favourite destination to fly to?
Again with me being in training I'm limited to the amount of destinations I've been to, but if I had to choose, I'd be torn between Brindisi and Almeria which is basically a 90 mile final that allowed us to hug the coast of Italy (great views at night). Vs Almeria which is basically on the beach so again, great views during the approach.
8) What is the biggest misconception that people have about your job?
That we have an easy job.. Working 12 hour days starting at 4am. Turning planes around in 25 minutes is no easy task. It's hard work, especially with challenging weather, aircraft defects, ground handling issues, etc..
There are so many external factors that can make a day even worse and we can't control that..
9) Was there something you wish you did prior to starting your flight training that would be beneficial for aspiring pilots to do?
Not that I can think of. I went straight out of college, having worked in a fish and chip shop for 4 years. I had no aviation experience prior to applying to CTC which became my downfall in my first application. Between finishing my training and beginning at Ryanair, I worked at Southend Airport for 4 months which helped with my interview.
So if I had to suggest something it would be: get some knowledge in aviation, even if if it's just working in an airport, every little helps! I pushed wheelchairs, checked people in and boarded flights for 4 months. It helped! Also definitely have atleast 1 flying lesson prior to commiting to any training course, make sure you like it, especially if you're going to the integrated route!