Andrew Cook - To Be an Airline Pilot

First published in 2006 by
Airlife Publishing, an imprint of
The Crowood Press Ltd,
Ramsbury, Marlborough,
Wiltshire, SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book edition first published in 2012

Andrew Cook 2006

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ISBN 978 1 84797 410 5

When I was young, I would sit in the back garden of my familys home in Sussex, whether it was hot or cold, dry or wet, and watch the aircraft on their approach into Gatwick. At the airport, the smell of the fuel, the bustle of the people, the flow of aircraft around the apron and the roar of the engines were exciting and ignited the spark that has driven me since. No matter how you have caught the flying bug, I am sure that, like myself, you will settle for only one thing a career in aviation.

I managed to talk my dad into paying for a trial flying lesson when I was fifteen, and it was a day that I will never forget. Initially, I was shocked at the small size of the aircraft, especially when my dad got in the back and ten minutes later we were pulling it out of the mud by its wings! Once settled, I forgot about everything except the task in hand, learning to fly. I didnt understand a single word that was said over the radio and I could not believe that we used a grass runway, but it was so peaceful and calm, the views were incredible and we were flying!

Flying is not cheap; I had one more flight and then it was around two- and-a- half years before I flew again. In the meantime, I studied for my A-Levels and tried to decide whether or not to go to university. I opted for a gap year, aiming to work and save enough money to obtain my PPL, and hoping that I would be successful in getting into a commercial pilot sponsorship scheme. I had a part-time job in a supermarket already, so I threw myself into it, working my way into a management position for the experience and extra money. At the age of eighteen, it takes a lot of effort to save money, especially when your mates are having nights out and buying cars, but perseverance and my passion for a flying career helped me stay focused. Within a year, I had the money I needed.

One day, while I was still saving hard and had just completed an application form for an airline pilot sponsorship, some terrorists flew aircraft into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. Like many, I was shocked and angry at the senseless acts, but I did not immediately realize the problems that they would cause for the airline industry. It did not take long, however, for pilot recruitment and pilot sponsorship schemes to cease, passenger numbers to crash, airlines to go bankrupt and pilots to lose their jobs around the world. It was a frustrating time, but even then I never thought of giving up.

Getting my PPL was a fantastic experience, which I will never forget. I chose to do an intensive course in Florida, and I had my licence within twenty-four days. It was hard work, but thoroughly enjoyable. There is nothing like getting up at sunrise, cycling in the early-morning heat to the airport and being airborne by 07.00, in the calm, warm air, with the golf courses, swamps and lakes of Florida spread out below, then landing at an airfield run by an old man in a rocking chair, who greets you with a cold drink. If I had had any doubts about my career choice, they would have vanished straight away.