Q&A Aaron and Ashleigh
Viewpoints from two training pilots (Leading Edge Aviation and CAE).
What did you do for flight School Preparation?🤓
Ashleigh: For me, I had been out of education for a fair few years so most importantly it was brushing over all my GCSE maths and physics again. I did however already pass all the PPL theory exams due to my previous flying experience so this was a help for starting the subjects (even if you do get taught some of it slightly wrong 😅). I would suggest watching some Met Office videos if you wanted to be better prepared, however, try not to look into your subjects too much as you could teach yourself the wrong understandings. I have more information on '5 Tips to Prepare for Flight School'.
Aaron: For the flying side of things, I’ve always said that before even considering joining a flight school go and fly! Do a trial lesson or a couple of hours with a friend, family member or whoever. It’s so important before you commit the massive financial and emotional investment that you are 100% sure it’s what you want to do. This will also help with some of the theoretical knowledge!
Finally, to help you prepare for the assessment process I’d recommend (as awkward as I know it is) doing some fake interviews with parents or teachers etc. This will help you improve your confidence and prepare some answers for the common questions they are likely to ask. This way when you go for the real one you will smash it.
How did you fund flight school?💰
Aaron: Flight school is a massive financial investment for absolutely everyone. Costing in the range of 90-110k for an integrated ATPL course it’s a massive hurdle for most. This is something all schools are always trying to bring down to make it more accessible to everyone.
In my case, I’m very lucky in having parents who are able to provide the funding so that I can fulfil the passion and dream career I’ve always wanted. However, this isn’t the case for everyone. In my course at CAE, there is a mixture of self-funded, family funded, loan funded students who all have their own stories of how they have made it work. There are so many ways of doing it and it shouldn’t be the reason not to want to be a pilot. If the hurdle looks too big, step back a few more steps and take a longer run-up. You will jump over it one day! Every flight school has ways of helping students with finances so please contact them and ask, they are always happy to help and will have your best interest in mind.
Ashleigh: For me personally, I don't come from a wealthy background at all. It took me calling ATOs and discussing my options for over a year as well as life savings to figure out a way to fund the course. Fortunately, the school I had chosen comes with a degree that allows you to apply for two years of funding for tuition fees and maintenance which was a HUGE help. I also had to take out a loan which isn't ideal but was my only option.
🧑✈️CAE vs Leading Edge?👩✈️
Ashleigh: A common question! Both are the top schools with huge job potential. Of course, I'd be biased toward Leading Edge 😉, but really what I say to potential students on open days/events is to go and visit all the other schools. Find what school you get a good gut feeling with and speak to the students! They're the best insight into a school, I messaged students from many different schools and found it gave me a huge indication as to where to go.
Aaron: This was definitely the most asked question from the list. But one that is not simple and doesn’t have an overall answer. Both schools have their own positives and drawbacks like every school, organisation or company in any industry but they are all working towards the same goal. Getting aspiring pilots to their dream of working at 38,000ft every day for the rest of their working careers. Each school will have procedures on how they do things. For example, CAE has the ground school split into 3 phases of exams over 9 months whereas Leading Edge have there’s over 3 modules in approximatley 6 months. Not that one is better than the other it’s just different in its operation. It’s also a very personal thing. This is why going to open days and events to meet the teams is so important. It will help you make a decision on who to choose, who meets your requirements as everyone is different
There really is no answer to the question. We would put CAE and Leading Edge in a class of their own though, in terms of flight training schools in the UK they are both simply excellent and know how to get you smoothly and efficiently into the flight deck!
How difficult is ground school?📚
Aaron and Ashleigh: There is just no way of sugar-coating ATPL ground school. It will be most likely the most difficult part of your training, maybe even your whole career! However, do not let this stop you. Get stuck into it and make it your life for the relatively small time that it is. Walking talking and breathing knowledge that you have learnt. With 13 subjects to pass, it will be stressful at times but the main thing is staying motivated! Find works for you. Whether it’s hitting the gym, catching up with classmates, Netflix or watching aeroplanes at the local airport (yes you can probably guess which one I did 😅 - Aaron) you need to have a good work-life balance in the process. We can't stress this enough!
Remember once you get through the theory the rest is your dream come true. You're doing what you came here to do...FLY!✈️ Flying 2,3,4 times a week in the flight phase is what we all want to be doing but we need to get through these exams first. There are so many ways to help you with this including your instructors, question banks, YouTube videos and most importantly your fellow students will all help as you all have the same goal and want the same thing …. to pass these exams!
Random questions:🤪
Does having a pilot Instagram make me a better pilot? This is a topic a lot of people are split on but frankly no it doesn't. The reason I myself have made an Instagram account to follow my progress (@aviation.with.aaron) is for my own personal memories but also to help others also fulfil their dreams. “Instagram pilots” can get a lot of criticism for their content but if you want to express your dream and journey on social media. Be yourself and do it!
I’m scared of flying can I be a pilot? If I’m honest this doesn’t seem like the best combination of things. Maybe this Career isn’t the one for you and you will be better suited to a career with your feet firmly on the ground.
How do planes fly? Now, this is a question that can go two ways. If you asked our principles of flight instructor, buckle up for a few hours of diagrams, lift graphs and strange-looking formulas. However, the other path is also something an instructor once said, PFM. No not the airbus system. Pure F*cking Magic.
If you have any questions feel free to pop them in the comments!✈︎
Aaron (@aviation.with.aaron) and Ashleigh x
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