Easyjet - inside the cockpit.

Missed it last week but watched tonight, very interesting programme, agree about some of their ages though as young as 20, as another thought were do they get their money from for the initial training at such a young age.

The good old bank of Mum & Dad it seemed last week. A couple of others got bank loans 

OH is enjoying the programme, now feels old 

One of my son's financed himself through 2 years commercial pilots training at Cranfield but never went into the airline business. He flies privately more as a hobby but does instruct, primarily instrument flying and examination while still in full time employment. I expect he would find the program very interesting.

peedee

A

Aren't these companies lucky not to have to finance training even at apprenticeship rates? I don't want to start anything political just remarking. 

Not sure I want to watch as a nervous flier.... but remember going to sit beside Stansted airport on a Sunday afternoon occasionally to watch circuit and bumps.

We have a pilot captain in the family, now in or reaching his 50s, must ask if he had to self finance his wife who went to uni and then as air hostess didn't, her BA training was free. Never occurred to me you'd pay for your own training. Younger brother of one of son's friends got his pilot licence at 16 I know that was paid for - his parents made him a loan!

Back in the day, British Airways used to have a cadet scheme where they would train you to be a commercial pilot. Used to be based in Hamble in Southampton. I wanted to be an airline pilot but they stopped recruiting due to the oil problems in the 1970's. Never had the money to pay myself

Interesting programme, OH wanted to train as a pilot, but back in those days they wouldn't take anyone who wore glasses, which he did.  He was very disappointed at that; went into engineering instead and took up radio-controlled model aircraft flying!  So still a pilot of sorts.

Even the training which I think was actually at Eastleigh, the intake preferred those who had pilots licences obtained on light aircraft or in the RAF or in the case of my father in law while flying for the Fleet Air Arm.

peedee

her BA training was free. 

Interestingly enough, some of the low cost airlines make the cabin crew pay for their training nowadays, They don't charge an upfront fee but take it out of the wages over a period of time.

As for pilot training the only way to get free initial training (without joining up) was to do what I did and join your local University Air Squadron while studying. It was an amazing three and a bit years ,but looking back how they trusted us spotty 18 year olds was a little scary looking back. In my time if you passed the medical you were in, not sure if they have tighten up now?

SELL, Whilst I agree that some of those trainees looked a bit young, Its worth remembering that between about 1942 and 1945 our young men of that age were flying Stirlings, Halifax's and Lancasters to Germany, and their young men of about the same age were tying to kill ours!

Many RAF officers then, learned to fly aircraft before they could drive cars!

My only concern about the training regime was that seemed to foster a very easy discipline on the flight deck, and that has been shown to be a frequent cause of some accidents in the past.

TF

And before that too TF, although in not so many numbers. One of my particular heroes is Geoffrey 'Boy' Wellum, called Boy as he was only just 18 when he joined the RAF in  August 1939 and only 18/19 when he took part in the Battle of Britain as a Spitfire pilot. There's a very good book written by him and a tv dramatisation a few years back.

He's still alive at 96, and who knows, may even be reading this. If you are my best salute to you!