To say that I have been obsessed with becoming a pilot my whole life would be a complete lie. Up until I was 15 or 16, I hated flying. It terrified me. The feeling of being totally out of control and no idea what was going on up front made me nauseous. What I have been obsessed with my whole life however, is travelling. A backpacking trip in China with my mum when I was 12 saw to that. The big world captivated me. It set me on a path where nothing felt out of reach and anywhere was just a plane journey away.
I was in love with the freedom that air travel gave you, but being a passenger on an airliner made me feel so uneasy. I was 17 years old when I decided that this contradiction needed to be solved. I booked a trial flight in a two-seater Piper Tomahawk out of Shoreham airport - a world away from the A320’s and 737’s I had experienced before. To say it completely changed my life would be an understatement. From that point on, my fear of flying dissipated and left me wanting nothing more but to get back behind the controls of an aircraft.
It had always been my intention to go to university, so enrolling on an Aviation Engineering with Pilot Studies course in London seemed like the logical thing to do. Here I was really opened up to so much more than that initial sensation of being in control of a light aircraft. I learned how these machines operate and how they are designed to maximise efficiency in the air. I learned more maths than you could shake a stick at and was even able to build model aircraft. The highlight of my university timetable however was always Wednesdays. These were blocked dedicated to the sole purpose of flying. My first year at university demanded 15 flying hours as one of the core modules. Those who are all too familiar with the UK weather systems, will know that this was just about achievable flying on one fixed day a week over a period of 7 months or so.
I was also able to join one of the University Air Squadrons (UAS) which are a Volunteer Reserve Unit of the Royal Air Force. My time with the UAS provided me with some truly unforgettable, once in a lifetime experiences. I was able to fly as a passenger on a low-level training flight in the back of a Chinook; start on the RAF elementary flying course with an ex-Red Arrow for a flight instructor and meet some truly incredible people along the way, such as Professor Brian Cox at the National Space Centre.
Throughout university, I continued to fly hours as and when I was able, hitch-hiking flights with friends with more experience and seeking out different airfields with lower rental rates. The cost of learning to fly had always cast a shadow over the glowing desire I had to become a professional pilot. It was in my final year of university that easyJet opened their “Generation easyJet Pilot Training Programme” for which I keenly applied. Six months, a morning of aptitude testing, two interviews and multiple group exercises later, I was informed that I had been successful and would be starting my flying career on easyJet’s integrated pilot programme. It was a dream come true. In an instant I saw everything that I’d worked for right in front of me. The final piece to the jigsaw was to sort the financing of the training programme.
The programme meant that I would be guided through my training by easyJet, and had secured myself a position in the right-hand seat of an A320 when I completed the training; the only catch was that I had to find approximately £120,000 to get there. To say that me and my unconditionally supportive family tried everything to source the funds would be an understatement. Loan applications, financial advisors and even a letter written to the CEO of easyJet in a last ditch attempt of hope. Heartbreakingly it was not meant to be. My financial situation unfortunately precluded me from joining the pilot programme and that was it.
I had foolishly and naively put all my eggs in one basket and was so enamoured with the idea that I was going to be a pilot, that I had closed off any other opportunities that had come my way. I was just about to finish university and whilst many of my course friends had lined up other jobs and graduate opportunities, I had nothing on the horizon. I ended up moving back home with my Dad and getting a job waiting tables at a local restaurant.
I spent a lot of time being frustrated with the situation but also with myself for having forced myself into the position I was in. It took a few months before I decided to look into how to get flying again. It seemed so far out of reach, now more so than ever before. How would I finance this? How long would it take me? I started researching alternative ways to become a pilot outside of spending 18 months of full time study - “zero to ATPL” and more importantly, without spending £100,000+. I signed up to a few open days and airfields that offered scholarship opportunities and what I found there interested me greatly.
Large swathes of the people attending these open days were five or ten years older than me. They too had ambitions of flying but had worked a job for a number of years, saving money, being careful with every penny with their aviation dreams firmly in mind. I was 22 and definitely wanted things to happen way too quickly.
The more I researched, the more my interest developed into intention. This slow time “modular” route into flying meant that not only could I save significant money, but also have complete freedom on when and how I learnt how to fly. The process became as exciting as the end result. Every decision I made could create a new experience and a new opportunity. I would be able to meet people from all walks of life and fly all over the world if I wanted. Sure, it would not take me 18 months; I’m writing this post now 4 years on from that point and just about to begin. But what it would give me is a path. A route map to enjoy the journey of life along the way. I would never turn down an opportunity, be open to everything and anything, and get to the end of it with one hell of a story to tell.
I wanted to share this story in real time. I am no expert in anything I intend to write about on this platform. I just want to share my experiences and inspire those who have a dream like I do, to go after it no matter what. Welcome to the story of the Penniless Pilot.
Comments