Just this morning when i was travelling i heard a interview on the radio with the British Airline pilots Board Director.They were commenting on how BMI is loosing pilots and less people are becoming them.Me, Like other young boys in this place may want to be pilots.It was today until i had heard this interview that it changed my mind.£80,000 for all the training and lessons, no one has that sort of money lying around(if you do, sod off ) and they wonder why the numbers are declining....

Your views...

- very very very costly training, with no guarantees of a lengthy and wealthy career

- once you DO get started, most jobs aren't very well paying. I read that FO's starting out at regionals make no more than about $20,000, if that. That's just...dispicable. It's sad, it's depressing, and it's really almost offensive to think that you could make more money than that being a manager at a retail store or something.

- Just by the nature of the job, IF you are able to withstand the training, IF you are able to get through the long earley years, there will always be missed birthdays, missed ballgames, missed ballet shows. You will often be away from home.

- Job security. If your airline goes down or you want to reloacte and join on with another, you have to start over as far as seniority, no matter your age or experience.


There's just alot more money, job security, and "regular lifestyle", if you will....in other professions. Takes alotta hard work, alot of training, alot of skill to be a pilot. There's less and less people willing to do so much for so little in return unless you are that tiny percentage of the population who knew from the moment they first saw an airplane or airport or worked with an engine or flew for the first time that you wanted to work with, around, or in airplanes. I say: kudos to those who persevere and are lucky enough to do with their lives what they yearn for.

why not join the raf, or the army air corps?
and also i would like to add that its not just boys who want to be pilots lol theres a few girls here who are, and want to be pilots!

Bleh. I'm joining the RAF anyway.

Anyone can be pilots, male or female!

Sure don't hear anyone complaining as they pay that cheap $100 fare to Las Vegas, Orlando, New York, Girona, Stanstead...etc. Do you think that the management is taking a pay cut?

Well i'm going to join the RAF even though I like civil better. Hopefully I'll then be able to join an airline or start up some aviation company of my own.

Many of you are talking about going into the RAF. To become a pilot in the RAF you need to go through officer training at RAF Cranwell, which is no easy task. You spend around 9 months training to become and RAF officer before they even let you near an aeroplane. It is very difficult even after officer training to become a pilot in the RAF, so don't bet on it.

Then even if you do get to train as an RAF pliot you spend years training to fly and aeroplane and you will need to spend at least 10 years flying the RAF after training, going to wars here, there and everywhere. So being a pilot in the RAF isn't easy, but if you do, then you get alot of respect from the airlines when you retire from the RAF. Also to be a pilot you need to be the perfect human being. You need to be able to fit in the plane, not the plane fit you.

I'd say that there are lots of opportunities out there to learn how to fly and the airlines will realise in the near future that they need to train pilots as they will have a shortage. But in the UK airline pilot is the 6th best job with the average salary at over £61,000. Once you get to captain you can be earning alot more than that, and I'd say the vast majority of pilots do get to become a Captain in their 30s and 40s in todays world.

Hopefully they'll realise it within the next 3-4 years! Free training, o yeah! Speaking of which, was there not a similar situation in the late 70's early 80's where airline companies trained all of their new pilots ab-initio?

Cheers,
Ben.