From Flight Training to Commercial Aviation
FL500 Admin 
Hello all! Our team of Airline Pilots here at Flight Level 500 will now post a weekly blog, keeping you up to date with everything going on in the commercial aviation world.
The flight training industry is moving fast in reaction to the large uptrend in recruitment we are all predicting. This week British Airways have launched their campaign for non-type rated pilots which will ensure movement in the industry. Those of you looking for employment should be listing the airlines most likely to lose pilots as a result. Last week saw adverts in Flight International by Atlasjet for both rated and low hours pilots.
BREAKING NEWS -
As we type this post American Airlines have just announced the largest aircraft order in airline history. The record order is for 460 Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s for delivery between 2013 and 2022 with options on another 465, as replacements for its existing fleets of MD80s, 737-800s, 757s and 767s. This includes firm commitments for 200 more Boeing 737s, with options on another 100.
Chairman and Chief Executive Gerard Arpey said: “Today’s announcement paves the way for us to achieve important milestones in our company’s future, giving us the ability to replace our narrow-bodied fleet and finance it responsibly. This was an incredible opportunity for our company that presented itself from two great manufacturers. And, given our aggressive and ambitious fleet plans, we feel fortunate to have both Boeing and Airbus standing beside us to meet our needs.
“With today’s news, we expect to have the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleet among our peers in the US industry within five years. This new fleet will dramatically improve our fuel and operating costs, while enhancing our financial flexibility. More than that, with the power of our network and partnerships and the dedication of our people, we will be an even stronger competitor.” Those of you that are in the jobs market at the moment or with interviews looming pay close attention to the Chief Executive’s words. They give vital clues as to generically, what airlines are trying to achieve.
What’s going on at Flight Level 500?
Well as most of you will know we have officially launched our JOC course. This is being held at the British Airways Flight Training facility in Cranebank. The course is very heavily tailored towards the needs of airlines and run exclusively by trainers who are current in UK based airlines. The course was set up as a direct response to the requests of airlines and their requirement to strengthen the bridge between Flight Training and Commercial Aviation. This course will run along side our successful Pilot Mentor scheme where we educate those considering their routes to become an airline pilot and look after the commercial education of those in Flight School.
That’s it for this week. We’ll be back with you weekly or as soon as any important news breaks.
Safe flying! FL500
Getting into the Airlines – single day course at FL500 – Gatwick.
Flight Level 500 are proud to announce the launch of “Getting into the Airlines”.
This course, written by a collaboration of Flight Level 500 mentors, airline executives and recruitment managers will give you all the knowledge you need to find the airlines likely to recruit, source the best way into that airline and present yourself most effectively at interview. So far this course has seen its graduates find employment in a number legacy, low-cost and charter carriers.
You will arrive at our state of the art selection centre at London Gatwick dressed as you would deem appropriate for interview. We will spend the morning looking in detail at covering letters and CVs. No longer is a presentation of your information sufficient to succeed in this highly competitive industry. We teach you to sell yourself on paper giving you the very highest chance of beating the other thousands of applicants typically seen at application stage. In the morning you will also receive handouts detailing contact details for every UK and Ireland AOC holder and together we will define a structure and prioritisation for your application sending as well as teaching you how to get your CV in front of the right person.
After lunch we look in detail at interview questions and give you a structure for answering the toughest of competency based questions. We’ll help you to see exactly how to deliver your characteristics that the interviewer must see. After mock interviews for the class we will hold a critique ensuring none of us fall in to some of the interview traps we will have seen in the afternoon.
Following a full day on Flight Level 500’s Getting into the Airlines course you will feel thoroughly equipped with a firm structure to break your way into the ‘closed door’ world of commercial aviation. Of course, your mentor will be there to guide you all the way.
email: will.swinburn@FL500.com to reserve your place on our March course.
FLYER Professional Flight Training Exhibition 2010
The Professional Flight Training Exhibitions is the essential career exhibition for anyone considering a career on the flightdeck and is not to be missed. Visit the Flyer Show website for more information.
Demand for pilots is ’set to soar’ as plane travel grows.
Demand for pilots is ’set to soar’ as plane travel grows as published on www.bbc.co.uk
The global aviation industry will need to train and employ almost half a million new pilots over the next 20 years, according to the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
In addition, more than half a million new maintenance staff must be found, the aerospace giant said.
Currently, some 233,000 pilots and 100,000 mechanics and engineers work for airlines worldwide, it said.
About 40% of the extra demand would come from Asia, Boeing said.
Limited training capacity
Some 466,650 newly trained pilots and 596,500 newly trained maintenance staff will be needed between 2010 and 2029, Boeing predicted.
With demand set to rise particularly fast in Asia, especially in China, some 180,600 of the pilots and 220,000 of the mechanics would be needed there.
Adapting training regimes is a major challenge for the industry, said Roei Ganzarski, chief customer officer at Boeing Training and Flight Services.
“The infrastructure right now in the Asia Pacific is not necessarily on a scale that can address this entire requirement,” he added.
Recovery in the air
Passenger numbers have rebounded well since a downturn in demand for air travel that accompanied the financial crisis and recession in several countries.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said passenger traffic rose 9.2% in July compared with a year earlier. The strongest performance was in the Asia Pacific region, where growth rose by 10.9% year on year.
However, in Europe and North America, fragile consumer confidence could result in a slower pace of recovery, IATA’s director general Giovanni Bisignani warned.
‘A lot of new engineers’
In China, demand for pilots in could be twice or three times as great as the number going through current and planned training facilities, according to Mr Bisignani.
This might result in Chinese airlines recruiting pilots abroad, he predicted.
Boeing’s forecasts are consistent with industry predictions of a doubling in air passengers by 2030, according to Jon Ostrower, a blog editor for the Flightglobal website.
By then, the skills airlines will require its staff to have could be drastically different, he said.
“You’re going to need a heck of a lot of new engineers, at a time when a large proportion of engineers, certainly in the US, are retiring,” he said.
“The focus for these skills will move to places like Brazil, home of [the aircraft manufacturer] Embraer, where the engineering workforce is significantly younger”.
See our feature in the Flight Training News
Student recognition for Flight Level 500 members
Flight Level 500, a research, mentoring and networking club for student pilots, has achieved student recognition for its members through the National Union of Students (NUS).
According to Flight Level 500 co-founder, Will Swinburn – a first officer with British Airways – the organisation has secured NUS Extra cards for all of its members. Now, for the first time, students who are in flight training and not studying a government recognised academic qualification, will be elegible for the student card, allowing them access to certain student-only venues as well as hundreds of discounts in high streets and Internet-based stores.
Flight Level 500, launched last year, already has some 300 members. The organisation offers dedicated pilot mentoring to assist individuals who are looking to embark upon professional flight training – from initial help looking for a flight school, to mentoring during a student’s training, and ultimately to support a pilot’s progress into a flying career. www.FL500.com
FL500 welcomes BCFT students.
Flight Level 500 would like to thank everyone at Bournemouth Commercial Flight Training for their hospitality yesterday (22 Jul. 2010). Will Swinburn was given a tour of a most welcoming and approachable Flight Training Organisation and met with a full turnout of students for an informal lunch and chat about the industry. Will was most impressed by the set up at the FTO where there was a real feeling of support and comradery amongst staff and students. The employment statistics at the flying school were also impressive. For those of you in research, Bournemouth Commercial Flight Training carry out flight training and ground school at their facility on Bournemouth International Airport, the same commercial airport used by a number of British airlines. Go to www.bcft.org.uk or see the FL500 forum for more information.
It’s our pleasure to welcome the students of BCFT as members of Flight Level 500. Your mentors will be in contact with you via email very shortly and your NUS student cards en-route.
Flight Level 500 take off with Connexions!
Flight Level 500 are proud to announce the first of a series of events to be held along side Connexions Oxfordshire. Together they will educate students from 16 to those in university on the career of an airline pilot. The aviation profession is one that can be seenas under represented in the careers advisory arena and together FL500 and Connexions plan to increase it’s profile.
The series will begin on October 13th 2010 where teaching staff and careers advisors from Oxfordshire will be invited to attend an evening titled “My student wants to be a pilot!” It will be a two hour session from 4pm until 6pm led by Will Swinburn. The emphasis being to keep the evening fun and light hearted yet also giving the staff a good grounding as to how the profession works, what’s required, what it entails and most importantly, giving them an armoury of resources to use if ever needed!
Following the teaching staff evening we intend to deliver a very similar seminar to students who dream of a career in aviation. FL500 and Connexions would like to add that the flight training and aviation information evenings will be completely free for all to attend. Do you want to be a pilot? Not sure the exact route to follow to become an airline pilot? Contact Flight Level 500 using the contact page at www.FL500.com for more information.
See our feature in BALPA’s – The Log Magazine.
How much do you love being a pilot? In these hard times you may have mixed feelings about your response but, chances are, despite the current economic climate and changes to the profession, you still love to fly. But do you love it enough to pay in excess of £65,000 for the privilege? Ask yourself, honestly, if you had to fork out that kind of money for your training – and with no guarantee of a job at the end of it – would you still be a pilot?
This is the question that any young man or woman wanting to become a pilot today needs to ask themselves. As while you probably came into commercial aviation via the military or a sponsored scheme, the majority of young pilots will have paid for the privilege of sitting in the right-hand seat, via an integrated course with an academy. Cheaper modular courses are still available, which can be done alongside another job, but as the majority of cadets are straight from school, or college, this isn’t always an option. Plus, it’s the integrated courses that the various academies really push.
The cost of a dream “I went through the long-defunct BA selection scheme at the College of Air Training in Hamble,” says one captain with Monarch. “All I paid for were accommodation and subsistence costs, so there was no question of having to take out loans. It was a gruelling two-year intensive course, culminating in a ‘frozen ATPL’, so if I’d had to pay I would probably have given up.”
However, according to Will Swinburn, who qualified in 2006, the high cost of training doesn’t put many cadets off, as they’re “not thinking about the immediate financial gain, but just want to do the job of their dreams.” To pay for his training Will’s father took out a £25,000 loan to be used as deposit for a further £50,000, which his father guaranteed against the equity in his home. At the end of his training, Will needed to find another £25,000 to fund his type-rating, so he estimates his total costs in the region of £100,000. Will is currently paying off his colossal loan at the rate of £1,500 a month over the next 11 years.
Surprisingly, it’s not the debt that really bothers Will, but the lack of useful information available to those wanting to become a pilot. “If you tell a careers advisor that you want to be a pilot, they just laugh – it’s like saying you want
to be a pop star,” he says. “You can’t get advice from anywhere, so you have these uninformed 18-year-olds visiting training schools, and the first people they speak to are sales people selling £60K courses, with no independent advice, which really wound me up.” In his frustration he set up FL500 (www.fl500.com), with the aim of promoting piloting and making more people aware of the route to joining the profession. As such, for a fee of £10 a month, students are provided with a mentor, in the guise of an operational first officer, who will offer advice on training, finances and the job itself. They also receive a membership card, similar to a student card, which entitles them to discounts, as trainee pilots currently don’t have any student status.
Information gap Someone else frustrated by the current system and lack of information, is Jane Desforges, whose son, Ollie, was offered a place on a part-sponsored scheme with Flybe. This meant that Jane and her husband would have to pay for Ollie’s training at Flight Training Europe (FTE) but, on completion, Flybe would keep him on and pay for his jet orientation course, plus upset training. Jane had just six weeks to find around £65,000 and it was only then she discovered that without student recognition, cadets aren’t eligible for any financial support from the Government – indeed, they can’t even open a student account with a bank.
The bank of mum and dad “At the time, in my naivety, I just assumed that student status was given to pilots,” says Jane. “We had six weeks to find the money for Ollie’s training, so I started looking at Government websites but nobody would tell me directly that we would get no help. I only found out when I called BALPA.”
In order to fund her son’s dream, Jane and her husband took out a second mortgage; however, during Ollie’s training the recession hit and the euro went up against the pound, which meant she was £15,000 short for the remainder of the course. Rather than pull Ollie out, her retired parents “dipped into their pension fund”. The economic crisis affected Jane’s family in more ways than one, as she runs an estate agency and, as sales dramatically slowed, her husband had to work a seven-day week to fund the extra mortgage.
An unequal playing field “We aren’t a wealthy family but I have no regrets about what we did, it was entirely my choice and I am not complaining about that,” Jane states. “However, it made me realise that we were lucky to have enough equity in our property to do that – what about other student pilots from less fortunate families or even families that don’t own property? They’re being eliminated from the profession on money alone.”
For these potential pilots there are few options available. According to Roger Davies, Director of BALPA Financial Solutions, it was possible in the past to get a career development loan from the likes of HSBC and Santander, but with
the credit crunch things have got much tighter. “For unsecured loans it’s just a case of having to shop around with the banks to find what’s best,” he says.
Many training schools have arrangements in place with banks to secure loans for their students, such as Oxford Aviation Academy (OAA) which can offer a loan scheme with BBVA – one of the largest banking and financial services providers in the world. However, the very first stipulation on its list of requirements is ‘guarantee required’.
“This presupposes that the individual has a property, or parents that can afford to help and are benevolent enough to want to help,” says Charles Henry, Chairman of Cabair. It was the “unfairness” of the system that led Jane to set up Fairplane (www.fairplane.org.uk), a campaign that aims to ensure access for everyone to loans or funding that will enable them to follow their chosen path. Furthermore, she wants to highlight the inequalities for student pilots – particularly the fact that on top of their inordinate training costs, they are charged VAT. To help her tackle these issues Jane has formed a committee comprised of Carolyn Evans (BALPA), Jeremy Diack (Flight Training News), David Laws MP, Lembit Opik (former MP), Charles Henry (Cabair), Paul Cooper (Oxford Aviation), Will Bruton (who works for Lembit Opik) and Will Swinburn (FL500).
Together they are targeting Westminster and to date have gained the attention, and support, of many people. It’s because of Fairplane that the airline industry now has a representative from The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (GAPAN) on the forum for the social mobility movement, as set up by fomer MP Alan Milburn.
Bad time for a tax break While David Laws has recently resigned as the new Chief Secretary to the Treasury he continues to work as Jane’s local MP in Yeovil. Prior to his appointment Laws was very supportive of the campaign, but in light of the £6bn cuts still to be made by the Government, now is probably not a good time to ask for tax breaks. However, Jane remains optimistic: “I’ve written to him requesting another meeting and hoping he will still be as keen to help, but we shall have to see when I get his reply.”
According to Charles from Cabair, tax on training all stems from the UK’s interpretation of the European Union VAT system. “If you look across the EU, many countries aren’t charging VAT on professional training.” It is for this reason that so many integrated training schools have moved offshore – as by doing so cadets save in excess of £11,000. FTE where Ollie trained is based in Spain, and if he’d had to find the extra 17.5 per cent, he may never have been able to complete his course. Similarly Oxford Aviation offers training in Arizona, while Cabair takes its cadets to Florida. So while the Government is making money by charging cadets VAT in the UK, they are losing far more to those academies that move abroad.
This anomaly has been recognised by the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee, which has written a report, where it states: “We believe that all pilots should be given incentives to undergo training and, accordingly, recommend that VAT should not be charged for appropriate training courses.” In response, the Government explains that, “pilot training supplied in the UK is liable to VAT at the standard rate because it is provided by fully commercial, profit-making concerns. This does not provide problems for companies sending their pilots on courses as they can reclaim the tax charged as it relates to their business activity”.
What this fails to recognise, however, is the fact that there are virtually no companies paying for student training, and as very few cadets are VAT registered they can’t claim back the VAT themselves. The report does go on to state that “one or two instances have been brought to Customs and Excise’s attention that involve individuals undertaking pilot training who are not registered for VAT, so they have to bear the tax for the industry”. One or two? Exactly what country – never mind planet – do they live on? What’s even more worrying is that the responses given to the report come from the Government in conjunction with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Taxing Times
According to Charles from Cabair, it is “within the gift of government” to reduce – or abolish – VAT on pilot training. Universities are zero-rated, and while this is what Jane ultimately hopes for, Charles says that in the current
economic and political climate, he’d be happy with a concession, such as five per cent. “Right now the Government has so much on its plate, that what it perceives as a minor matter, isn’t top of its list,” he says. “But to us it’s desperately important as a principle and we will continue to push it politically.”
There are a number of universities, such as Kingston, London Metropolitan and Salford, offering combined training, which provides graduates with their ATPL and also a bachelor’s degree. At first glance, these courses look like a real step forward for aviation, as they give cadets student status and also allow them access to loans for tuition fees and living expenses. However, the degree syllabus written by Kingston University costs £3,290, and this is in addition to the fees with the associated flight school.
A better training solution
“To get the degree the student still needs to do the same flight training,” explains Jane. “So these students are putting even more money and effort into becoming a pilot because they think the extra qualification will give them
the edge in the job market. Besides, a grant for £3,500 is hardly going to make much difference against fees in
excess of £60,000, and it certainly won’t achieve the aim of my campaign which is to enable students from any financial background to become a pilot if they have the aptitude for it.”
It is this elitism that is the real concern, and with the Government constantly talking about social mobility, isn’t it time that ministers put their money where their mouth is? Until they do, many talented, but financially disadvantaged young people will be unable to follow their true vocation. Jane’s son, Ollie, says that his career would never have been possible without the help of his parents – and realises how lucky he is to now have a job with Flybe. “Would I have been able to pay for my training without them? God no!” he exclaims. “It’s indescribable how much I owe to my parents, but not just in terms of money, they’ve given me so much emotional support.”
A lack of students able to pay their way, isn’t just a matter of social inequality, it could become a national concern, as the pool of potential pilots shrinks down to those with money. According to Marsha Bell, Vice President of Boeing Training and Flight Services, airlines will need more than 17,000 pilots each year for the next 20 years to support fleet growth and retirement, which the current training model cannot provide.
“The world needs a better training solution for those pilots,” she says. David Learmont, Operations and Safety Editor of Flight International, agrees that a skills shortage will soon have to be faced by airlines. “There is a case for saying governments cannot afford to ignore it any more than the carriers can,” he adds.
Investing in the future Flybe is one of the few airlines aware of this threat and the airline is working with the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and GoSkills, the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for passenger transport, as well as a number of colleges and universities to create vocational courses that cover a whole range of occupational skills within commercial aviation. In doing so the airline hopes to attract vocational skills training subsidies, whether via college funding or tax breaks. It has already achieved this with cabin crew training and trainee maintenance engineers, and it now hopes to do the same for pilots. As such, Flybe is setting up its own academy and developing a multi pilot licence (MPL) programme, which will allow the airline to integrate all of its training on one site for the first time.
Under this system cadets receive airline-subsidised training, a type-rating for the Bombardier Q400, base training, line training and line acceptance checks. “The combination of a £20,000 direct investment in the MPL course by the airline, plus direct progression to line flying, makes the airline rare,” says David.
Until more airlines are prepared to invest in the future of their pilots, students – and their families – will be continue to subsidise the industry. And all the time the Government refuses to acknowledge this fact, it is only those willing to put their homes on the line that will be able to pursue a career as a commercial pilot.
Pilots. 50 Years Ago and Now
Graduating from flying school with a commercial pilot’s license has got to be one of the finest moments for a pilot. But how will life as a commercial pilot compare with that of 50 years ago? Are we facing possibly the most rewarding decade in commercial aviation, or were the 1960s the golden age of flight?
Well, 50 years ago flying was still a luxury. Tickets were relatively expensive and passengers were better dressed – few people traveled in jeans and T-shirts. With fierce competition for the business market traveler, airlines tried to better each other with sumptuous foods and a dash of glamour. read more
An Upturn in Pilot Recruitment?
Are we about to face an upturn in pilot recruitment?”
A successful period at flight school should place newly qualified pilots in a fantastic position. Keen to get into the exciting world of commercial flying, there is, however, always the pressing issue of uptake and recruitment.
Like all industries, aviation has felt the aftershock of the global financial downturn, with aircraft manufacturers and carriers directly affected.
Also, people are increasingly aware of environmental debates; fuel costs continue to fluctuate, and customers remain cautious with their cash. read more
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Recent Posts
- From Flight Training to Commercial Aviation
- Getting into the Airlines – single day course at FL500 – Gatwick.
- FLYER Professional Flight Training Exhibition 2010
- Demand for pilots is ’set to soar’ as plane travel grows.
- See our feature in the Flight Training News