Should I Start Flying Training in 2020?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions I have recently received.

Please note: everything within this blog post is solely my opinion.

Firstly you need to ask yourself the question; why do I want to start flying training?

Do you want to fly for fun as a private pilot?

Do you want to teach people how to fly as a flying instructor?

Do you want to serve your country in the air force?

Or do you want to fly for an international legacy airline?

These are the types of questions you should ask yourself before embarking on the pilot training journey. Your answer to these questions will help you decide whether 2020 is the best time to start flying training. For example, if you want to fly for fun on the weekends as a private pilot, then nothing should hold you back. 

I am not here to sugar coat the devastating impact the recent global aviation shutdown has caused on all airlines and their employees. I personally know of many highly qualified wide-body jet pilots with over 5000 hours now competing for pilot positions that 200 hour pilots normally compete for.

However, if you are truly passionate and driven to succeed as a pilot, the events of 2020 should not hold you back. But you need to have the right expectations and realise that you will be competing for jobs with highly experienced and proficient pilots. 

I am not in the flying training nor airline recruitment business, so I am not writing this to profit from your decisions.

I am writing this blog because I have experienced first hand what it's like to be in the midst of a global crisis when starting out in aviation.

I started my flying training on the 16th of February 2008, just before the Global Financial Crisis and worldwide economic meltdown. Akin to COVID-19, the events of the GFC in 2008 also had a devastating impact on aviation. 

I have seen my friends work for free for years just to get a small amount of flying experience. I personally have answered phones, weeded gardens and swept hangar floors for years. I spent five years doing these jobs with smaller operators to build up enough experience to finally be offered an interview at an airline. 

Was it hard work? Yes.

Could I have timed it better? Yes.

Would I do it again? Absolutely! 

Why? Because I achieved my goal.

Don't let the events of 2020 deter you from chasing your dreams, just like I didn't let it stop me in 2008.

No one can predict the future! But you will never achieve your dreams if you give up at the first sign of hard work. 

Work hard, save your money, invest in your education and training, put yourself out there, grind it out, and never give up! However, you must have the realistic expectation that this will not be a walk in the park.

But nothing worthwhile in life comes easy!