@TBM850 - Pat.You're quite clearly who Ross should be speaking with when seeking advice. I know my advice didn't show how to get to working for an airline, but it did show the common qualities held by pilots in my airline, and I dare say other airlines too.Ashley Frew.

My advice is go on a pilot course. You cannot learn to be pilot on your own. You need people whom you can lean from and be inspired by them.

@TBM850 - Pat.You're quite clearly who Ross should be speaking with when seeking advice. I know my advice didn't show how to get to working for an airline, but it did show the common qualities held by pilots in my airline, and I dare say other airlines too.Ashley Frew.

Hello Ashley, my advice was simply based on the pitfalls of trying to go the integrated route instead of the traditional civilian route in Canada which is get your PPL, CPL, CFI, before even getting the M.E. and IFR. I cannot speak for the normal civilian route in the UK, but here in Canada even if you first obtain your CPL M.E. IFR and CFI you will be starting off as a class IV CFI on single engine aircraft. Then you need get enough experience to get your Class III. Once you are at least a Class III or Class II, only then will flight schools normally allow you to start teaching Multi-Engine IFR. All I was trying to point out to Ross is that I made a mistake in trusting a new school that was boasting an integrated route that never came into fruition and as a result I got burned owing what was originally $40,000 (since I paid for my PPL) which grew into $70,000 14 years later after finally proving in Quebec Superior Court that the Ministry of Education was negligent in authorizing student loans for the program based on a promise fro the owner to promise an integrated route.I did not say that the attributes you listed were not important but simply that concentrating on obtaining an ATP as quickly as possible in a cost effective fashion is the priority. My post was partial advice, a voice from those who did not make it to a flying career. If this forum was filled only with the few who made it Ross would be getting the impression that it's fairly easy to get in the airlines!

My advice is to save your money and study to become a Doctor, Dentist etc.. I flew for 10 years as a CPL and taught as an Instructor for 8 years. I hold all training approvals and have logged thousands of hours.I joined the Public Service and now earn nearly double the previous salary :)

As stated above its all about the money! If you can throw money at a flying school they will teach you how to fly even if you are missing a few limbs (this is true, I've seen it!)CTC wings and Oxford will cost you as much as a small terraced house, so unless you are going to work for 10 years in a high paid job or have rich parents, the best route is modular. I am currently studying for the JAA Atpl theory and I have my PPl and 150hours total time. Get your ATPL sorted Ross, then start the ATPL theory whilst building time upto 150hours! Then you need to do the CPL/ME, IR and MCC then you can apply for jobs! PM me for more info, I'd be happy to help!

I saw that Colgan Air was paying their junior officer 16.000$ a year, so 8$ per hours...What will be the price of a 100$ ticket 1 hour flight if they triple the salary : 100$ and 50 cents... Make you think...Benjamin

As stated above its all about the money! If you can throw money at a flying school they will teach you how to fly even if you are missing a few limbs (this is true, I've seen it!)CTC wings and Oxford will cost you as much as a small terraced house, so unless you are going to work for 10 years in a high paid job or have rich parents, the best route is modular. I am currently studying for the JAA Atpl theory and I have my PPl and 150hours total time. Get your ATPL sorted Ross, then start the ATPL theory whilst building time upto 150hours! Then you need to do the CPL/ME, IR and MCC then you can apply for jobs! PM me for more info, I'd be happy to help!

Yes, and be VERY careful with flight schools there are alot of FRAUDULENT schools out there. Some almost openly and some very selectively. NEVER give any large amount of money up front! Pay as you go. I almost enrolled into air Ab Initio airline program in florida operatated by former US military and airline pilots. After several years they where shutdown and sued. Aircraft maintaince was a problem and sevaral deaths of students resulted for poor maintence! The school shut it's doors one day and many student whom had prepaid for their program approx. $50,000 USD at the time was all lost. Obviously lawsuits were initiated.I'm so glad it was too expensive for me to attend comfortably! I trained at a large operation in Phoenix next too Pan Am that was also fraudulent but much more careful and suttle. Like purposefully, failing students on stage checks multiple times as policy to require more training prior to checkrides, etc. Luckly, maintence was not a problem. But then again people with money sent there 18 year old kids there with no college education etc. Several of the senior instructors were very young 18-20 years old. A couple of years after I left a 4 young students died in a crash with a seminal doing steep turns with an engine out. Not exactly a mature, good judgment.

I saw that Colgan Air was paying their junior officer 16.000$ a year, so 8$ per hours...What will be the price of a 100$ ticket 1 hour flight if they triple the salary : 100$ and 50 cents... Make you think...Benjamin

There are also good stories. A friend of my brothers became a FO at Horizon Airlines (Regional) and within a couple of years he got a job as an FO with UPS (PRE-911). USP and Frieght operations were generally unaffected by 911 in strong contrast to US Major airlines. He was never furloughed and quickly systematically progressed. Last I heard he was a B767 CAPTAIN flying KSFO to KHIO working 12 days a month making $170,000 USD/year. Not a bad life.

There are also good stories. A friend of my brothers became a FO at Horizon Airlines (Regional) and within a couple of years he got a job as an FO with UPS (PRE-911). USP and Frieght operations were generally unaffected by 911 in strong contrast to US Major airlines. He was never furloughed and quickly systematically progressed. Last I heard he was a B767 CAPTAIN flying KSFO to KHIO working 12 days a month making $170,000 USD/year. Not a bad life.

Some kind of feary tale... maybe 0.01% succeed like your friend...

Some kind of feary tale... maybe 0.01% succeed like your friend...

Yes, but it true. His father wanted to be an airline pilot badly, but had poor eyes. So he bought his son an old multiengine Apache after he got his commercial and MEI and built up 1200 hours multi PIC within about 2 years instructing, instruction paid for the gas, then got regional FO job.

So he bought his son an old multiengine Apache

Do you think I can be adopted ?Benjamin

I'm younger than the poster of this comment but, I'm taking classes, I really want to fly for American Airlines ...Does Diabetes affect your ability on becoming a pilot?

I'm younger than the poster of this comment but, I'm taking classes, I really want to fly for American Airlines ...Does Diabetes affect your ability on becoming a pilot?

The short answer is maybe, depending on the type and whether your are insulin-dependant. Here's the link to the FAA's guide to medical examiners:AME guide to Diabetes

Luckily because you can either control blood glucose by diet alone, or by medication, even Transport Canada approves you medically fit for a licence. Here are the guidelines for Canadian pilots: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/publications/tp13312-2-diabetes-menu-2155.htmThe fifth and last point pertain to pilots.

For a little background, right now, I'm a CFI who used to use FS a LOT. I hope to get into an airline pretty soon. Here's my take on the matter:1. Know WHY you want to be a pilot. If there's anything else you'd rather do, go for that instead. The profession requires a LOT of sacrifice. You will face difficulties at every turn and you must be willing to deal with them.2. Get a degree in something NOT related to aviation. An aviation degree won't help you get into an airline, and it certainly won't help you outside the industry.3. The money isn't what it used to be.4. Talk to pilots and see what they have to say. You'd be surprised how different the FS world can be from the real world. In FS, you do what you want, how you want, when you want and if you want to. Doesn't work like that in real life. You'll be given SOP's and expected to follow them exactly.I'm going to leave you with a quote from another forum. The original poster is a Captain for a US carrier.--------------------How to make Virtual Airline Flying more realistic: Show up one hour prior to take-off for a :30 minute flight. Empty all your pockets of metal as you go through the door to your PC. For extra credit, have your teenage offspring search your flightcase, shoes, wallet. Take the one-page flightplan you generated for your flight, get all 8.5 x 11 inch papers from your waste-basket, mix them up and spend ten minutes looking for the critical page, then spill coffee on it. Put seatbelt/shoulder harness on your office chair. For that extra GOOD MORNING feeling sit on the buckle. If your flying out of Grand Forks ND in January, turn your house air conditioning full till it is about 10 degrees F. Then, when (if) you get the APU running turn the heat on. Once you get ready to fly, get up, go outside and do a complete walk-around of your house, rain, snow or shine, in a $300 suit. Wear a white shirt with a fresh coffee stain. A tie is a must (no clip-on) Eat a half-cooked TV dinner while flying. Try explaining the concept of “sterile cockpit” to your SO (significant other) If your pet comes to visit, explain the instruments to it. Ask it if it likes ‘Gladiator’ Movies Never accelerate the sim clock no matter how boring the ocean or Nebraska is. When flying at night, turn off the lights. If flying into a dawn or sunset, shine a 120 watt bulb into your face. If you SO complains, do informational picketing, then “walk” if that doesn’t work. If you fly with a co-pilot, determine who’s senior and dump the radios, walk-around and second meal choice on the junior crewmember. If your co-pilot leaves the flightdeck and you’re above FL350, place a mask over your nose/mouth till they return. If your flying a new Boeing, throw a blanket with fuzzy surface on your chair. This should leave lint on your clothes like real Boeing flight deck seatcovers do. If you fly a “Glass cockpit” a/c, type at least 40 wpm. (old steam gauge pilot’s joke). Find the lumpiest bed in your house, pretend it is a hotel and sleep for EXACTLY 8 hours before the alarm. Enjoy your Sim Session----------------