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CPL or ATPL theoretical exam

I have two friends in their forties who have got into airline positions in the last six months.

Congrats to your friends!
No offense intended – out of pure curiosity: has the pilot labor market turned that dry nowadays? In my experience companies would be rather hesitant to hire a 42yr old junior… How does the pilot market work; is it mainly based on seniority, i.e irrespective of age, etc. and thus mainly based on years in service (as a pilot for the specific airline)? That would mean a 42yr old pilot with 1yr in service would be paid as low as a 24yr old pilot with the same duration in service?

Which one you want to run a 42 km or a 35km marathons?

Fair comparison! Also agreeing with Peter on why one would voluntarily inflict himself with pain… In my case it must be some sort of masochism….;-))

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts!

LSZF Birrfeld, LFSB Basel-Mulhouse, Switzerland

Btw, there are only 13 ATPL exams in Sweden if you already have a PPL. VFR comms are “grandfathered” from the PPL.

ESME, ESMS

wingless wrote:

BTW the 14th ATPL exam is IFR comms. This may become irrelevant shortly, the word is they are going to combine VFR and IFR comms into one exam.

But IFR comms requires so little study (if roughly the same as for the CBIR) that It’s likely not worth changing any plans because of that

BTW the 14th ATPL exam is IFR comms. This may become irrelevant shortly, the word is they are going to combine VFR and IFR comms into one exam.

United Kingdom

Which one you want to run a 42 km or a 35km marathons?

Unless you are a specialist in 34km-36km just go for the full 42km run, on the long term it should be good?

But agree with Peter, you don’t have to run that much in the first place if your plan is to commute by train later, in my opinion, few will do ATPL exams for the fun you get in them (this excludes, those who like self inflicting pain, enjoy climbing the intellectual ladder, or don’t know their long term plans)

CPL vs ATPL is a matter of personal choice and your long term planing, both exams are painful and will cost load of money and effort (CBIR is a different setup)

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

I know two people in their mid forties who got airline jobs in the last 12 months.

However as things stand I don’t know of a single FI who wants to the airlines who hasn’t made the jump. In my area I can’t think of a single FI that hasn’t been hoovered up.

Perhaps more worrying is that I know fATPL/IR holders that I wouldn’t let go solo in a C150 and yet they have had no problems finding emplyment either.

I have two friends in their forties who have got into airline positions in the last six months.

EGKB Biggin Hill

You were young then… It is different for someone in their 40s or older to be considering getting into the transport jet line, in today’s market, and bizjet work is reportedly even harder to get into (unless one is really good, and no doubt previous experience of “flying around” is a big help).

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

What did you use the ATPL for, and when?

HS125 command 1990s

EGKB Biggin Hill

The ATPL syllabus is “fatter” than the CPL (and IR if done also) syllabus for most of the questions. This is why if you do the 13 CPL exams you don’t get 13 exam credits if you later do the full 14 ATPL ones. I will leave it to those current to know what credits you get but it is something like HP&L and 1 or 2 others.

The material (I have seen it close-up) is mostly irrelevant to aviation especially modern-day aviation, so why learn even more of it? There are more worthwhile things to learn in life… I take the p1ss out of bits of the JAA ATPL QB here. It really is horrible and unfit for the purpose, with the main purpose being to sort the men from the sheep, or more accurately to make sure that only really determined people reach the cockpit.

If you are 20 then all you need to do is position yourself on the airline pilot pipeline and eventually you will get a job. It might take years but you will get it unless you have “social issues” at the interview and/or cannot actually fly in the sim check. However, if in your 40s, you won’t get an airline job unless you are outstanding in all relevant areas and it might take you a few years too. And then you will be facing the work timetable screwing up your family life, which didn’t matter when you were 20+ because you probably saw Catch Me If You Can and thought this will be a great life as one of perhaps just two straight guys in the whole crew, and let’s face it the majority of the female cabin crew don’t want to be waitresses in a metal tube full of virus-laden air for 40 years and having to wear the prescribed full “mask” makeup, and are really looking to get out of the job with a nice life and marrying a pilot is the obvious route. I see so much of this where I live, near Gatwick

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom
19 Posts
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