Looking to become a pilot in Australia. How do I get funding? What should I do?

Question

I'm 29 years old, male and living in Sydney. Aviation has become an interest and passion of mine for the last 8 years, ever since I traveled to China. I love the thrill of being up there. So, I've decided I want to become a pilot.

There was an article in a local newspaper about pilot shortages in Australia. So, more and more female pilots are being called on to navigate the skies. This breaks my heart hearing the shortage of pilots in Australia, especially when for individuals like myself who really want to do it but just don't have the financial backing and support.

So, the question is, can anyone out there give me any advice on what I should do regarding funding and pursuing further my dream of becoming a pilot? I did a few lessons 2 years ago and loved it but didn't continue due to the costs.

A New Zealand flight training school initially agreed to allow me to study with them and I haven't heard back since. Is it my age? Can anyone out there help?

Thanks,

Shannon

Answer 1

I'm in the USA, but know that flying in Australia is not so different from here. You're not too old to do this and still have a good long career in aviation. I started at 25 with no money, no credit, and no backing, and I made it into a regional airline and became captain in less than 5 years of starting. I later flew as a "bush pilot" for many years, then got into Aerial Fire Suppression, and now I'm a corporate pilot. All from very humble beginnings, as you'll read momentarily.

For building inexpensive flight time, here are some possibilities if you can't borrow the money from a bank or can't get any backing from family / friends.

1) Join a flying club. Many communities have them and the rates are usually much cheaper than what a flight school at an FBO (fixed based operator) charges.

2) Join the Australian Civil Air Patrol. Put your time in (volunteer) and you will eventually be checked out to fly the plane(s) if you have a private pilots license. This can be a very inexpensive time builder and good experience too.

3) Join any aviation organization, like the Sport Aircraft Association of Australia (SAAA) http://www.saaa.com/ , and go to meetings and events and get to know people. Many folks will be happy to advise and mentor you, and eventually you may hook up with someone who will give you a little "stick time" just because they like you and want to help you out.

4) Join a soaring club, put in your time as a volunteer and try to get checked out as a tow pilot once you have at least a private pilot license. If it is a club and not a commercial gliding operation, you do not need a commercial rating to tow gliders. Also do some glider flying yourself. It is cheaper than power flying, the time is applicable to other ratings, it is excellent experience, and it is a great sport.

5) Put ads up on local airport bulletin boards or in local aviation journals saying you're willing to work in exchange for flight time, and explain why you're doing this. Things like washing/waxing/detailing airplanes, or any kind of work you are able to do as barter. If I had someone around willing to help with the gazillion projects I have around my house and hangar, I'd be happy to barter flight time and flight instruction in exchange for labor. There are surely others who would too.

6) Get a job at a flight school as "line service" or in some other capacity where you can earn free flight time or reduced rates on aircraft rental. Even if you only work part-time or weekends, something is better than nothing.

7) If you can, get a ground instructor rating. If Australia is the same as the USA in this regard, you don't need the flight ratings in order to have ground instructor privileges. Not only will teaching ground school sharpen your skills and knowledge, you can  be paid quite well for it. If a flight school will hire you as a ground instructor, you'll probably get a chance to fly on reduced rates, and when you get all your ratings they will probably hire you as a flight instructor too.

I did all the above in order to get started. I also bought an old delivery van on the cheap and lived in the darn thing for two summers (I was single at the time). After that I bought a small travel trailer (caravan) and was allowed to live in it at a small rural airport in exchange for care-taking duties and odd-jobs for another two summers as I built my flight time there.  I was eventually even able to purchase a partnership in a small plane and used it to further build my flight experience and earn ratings.

All this time - almost 4 years - I worked a low-wage restaurant job (for free meals plus income) and did other work on the side. Living "homeless" like I was for 9 months a year, I put all the rent and food money I would have been paying and put it toward flying instead. Pretty extreme and not something most people would be willing to do for that long, but if you're desperate and want anything badly enough, there's another old saying that applies: where there's a will there's a way. I'm living proof. And I probably appreciate what I've got and where I've gotten much more than anyone who more or less had an aviation career handed to them on a silver plate.

Good luck and I hope this helps, or at least inspires your imagination.