By RoxanneB 20 Dec 2021 2 min read

3 Tips for aspiring pilots from a First Officer

Aviation Job Search spoke to a senior first officer for Aer Lingus, Brian Mullen, who kindly shared 3 key tips for aspiring pilots. Brian also shared his path to becoming an aviation professional and more here

 

3 Tips every aspiring pilot needs to know:

 

1) Research flight schools 

Firstly, before applying to any pilot jobs, I would recommend that you research your flight schools carefully and speak with anyone you know in the aviation sector. Don’t be afraid to ask people questions because most of us have been in the exact same position before and would be delighted to help. 

Once you’ve found the right flight school for you, I would recommend going up and visiting it and taking an hour introductory flight to see what you think. If you come back down and feel like you belong in the sky and want to go straight back up, then you’ll know it's for you!!

 

 2) Begin your training 

Secondly, once you begin your training, you will have to complete an aeromedical and will have a choice of Class 1 or Class 2. If you feel you would like to go down the commercial avenue at some point, I would recommend going straight for a Class 1 medical.

It is more expensive but it is a very thorough medical which certifies you for becoming a commercial pilot and at least you know that you are medically fit instead of finding out later on that you may not be able to continue training for whatever reason. A Class 2 medical is also suitable for private pilot licenses and general aviation and is a bit cheaper.

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 3) Education 

Finally, don’t be worrying if maths and physics aren’t your strongest subjects in school. They were never my strong points and it all works out once you have a passion for aviation. Also as I mentioned before, I would recommend possibly doing flight training alongside a college degree or after completing a degree.

A lot of airlines now also do have a preference for people with college certificates or degrees.

 

*Bonus tip 

One final thing, when you are searching for your new job, keep a close eye on the aviation job search websites such as Aviation Job Search as they have everything from future recruitment information and any current jobs on the market and are also a one-stop shop covering all the important things like CV preparation and writing and information on interview preparation. 

 

Images provided by Senior First Officer, Brian Mullen

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