The first thing I will say to you is you're not alone! I too asked myself this very question over and over again. It's also quite a common question for many blog readers who send me emails. Worrying about the risk of pilot training is perfectly normal and even L3 Airline Academy / CTC Aviation Careers Advisors will tell you that -- or at least they did to me. The fact is, pilot training is an incredible amount of investment in to your dream and one in which you've held for quite some time no doubt.
The thing is, there is no easy answer to this question and I am in no way qualified to give you an answer to this. The decision to embark on an unsponsored pilot training program is incredibly risky and for most people nowadays involves more people than the trainee themselves. It's something you and any supporting family members must truly buy in to.
The holdpool
I'm not going to sit here and lie to you, the market for pilot recruitment at the moment is booming and i've personally spoken to cadets who have finished their training at CTC one week and been placed less than 14 days later. The holdpool is very small at the moment, if not non-existent. As an example of pilot demand, easyJet want 800+ pilots by the end of 2018 alone and that's a single airline! New airlines have recently taken from the pool, including Norwegian and AirTanker so things are looking great, currently. What's fuelling the demand you ask? Well, it's the retirement bubble and fleet expansion among other things. But, take the blinders off for a second and appreciate other things too, as below.
The industry
This market is incredibly volatile, employment can not be 100% guaranteed although L3/CTC certainly strive to place you if you complete their entire program and all it would take is fuel prices to rise, politics or a disaster to change outlooks. For example, Brexit is fast approaching us Brits whether we like it or not and who knows what effect this may have on CTC's largest partner airline, easyJet's ability to operate. No one knows really, and it's this uncertainty that you should think very carefully about.
The cost
Repaying finance for the training is another aspect. When repayments start I'll owe £540 a month (Years 2-4) and £740 a month (Years 4-12) before even considering a Type Rating on top. Everything is resting on this journey being a success, even the home of family members. The decision was certainly not taken lightly I can assure you of that. L3 Airline Academy / CTC Aviation had to convince my family as much as they did me.
My reasons
Now, enough of the doom and gloom and more to the reasons I, and my family, decided that L3 Airline Academy / CTC Aviation's Whitetail program was the best for me alongside reasons I can provide to you for why you should consider it, based on my experiences here so far.
Conclusion
So there you have it. I hope you found my view on the Whitetail program a fair, and valid one. Ultimately, don't go into this journey just because it's what you've always wanted to do. Step back, review it in it's entirety with a level head and with family to help guide you, and when you think you're ready, jump in at the deep end a start the ball rolling. I'm loving my time here so far and long for the day I can finally push that throttle lever forwards and jet off in to the clouds.
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