For some reading this diary, this will be the first you have known about it, and I'm sure that it will be a bit of a surprise. It has certainly been the reaction of most people I've told; so I thought maybe I should explain myself.A career as an Airline Pilot was something I wanted to do from the age of about 12. Being in the Air Cadets gave me the flying bug, and I knew from then on that a career in aviation was for me, albeit I wasn't sure whether the military or civilian route was the best for me. Being on the Gliding Squadron, and having a taster for the RAF way of life was enough to convince me that I wanted to join and fly. I always knew that I could do military flying first and still have a second career in the airlines when I left the forces.
Having been not eligible to be selected as a pilot because of my eyesight, I accepted the offer to train as a Navigator. 3 years of training passed and I was approaching the end of the Hawk course after which I was due to go to the Tornado GR4 OCU at Lossiemouth. The airline pilot bug had never gone away though, and the desire to make the career change earlier than originally planned got stronger and stronger.
Eventually, I decided to make the jump and leave the RAF to embark on training to be an airline pilot. I applied to CTC Aviation's Wings Cadet Program, which offers very good prospects of a job at the end. The selection process was very rigourous, taking place over 4 stages, testing aptitude, maths, teamworking, motivation; the list goes on... Fortunately I was lucky enough to be in the 2-4% of applicants to get selected for the scheme.The training takes place in New Zealand and Bournemouth, over 18 months. I leave for New Zealand in a week and a half. This blog is my story...
