To CPL or not to CPL

SaadSaeed · Post by **SaadSaeed** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 9:14 pm

This is an offshoot of inducedrag's post on pilot shortage.

This idea has been lingering in my mind over several months now and ive been thinking of posting it here. I would appreciate input on it. I know salary wise, PIA isnt the best in its industry, but amongst other employers PIA pays best. Ofcource you only reach there if you take care of 11Lac for CPL and set aside 2 years of your life.
So is it a good time to go to pak and get your CPL given that in 2 years there will be a bigger demand for pilots in PAk as both PIA and Airblue expand? Is it worth it? Id appreciate a discussion on this issue.

Also how good is Walton compared to the institutes in karachi? Ive read its possible to train on dual engine there but not at Walton. PLus dual adds additional costs to the already big budget.

Adnaan786 · Post by **Adnaan786** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 9:41 pm

You can do it in one year if you work hard enough.

If it's something you really want to do, and have wanted to do for as long as u can remember then I say go for it. However don't just reply on PIA offering you a job at the end of it. The Pakistani market is full of unemployed pilots. Look at alternatives, look at perhaps doing your training in other countries, where the licence will enable you to work in numerous countries. I personally think a Pakistani CPL is limiting in terms of employability. I may be wrong.

SaadSaeed · Post by **SaadSaeed** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 9:47 pm

Yes i could do it outside but here are my arguments against it: (plz prove me wrong)
- It costs higher to do it outside
- Licence may not be acceptable in PAK
- May need to learn language (i.e. Dutch since im in Holland)
- Doing it cheaper in US or Canada is out of question since im asking for trouble there. I don't think i will even qualify for a visa if i put the reason for visit as 'learning to fly'.

Adnaan786 · Post by **Adnaan786** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:55 am

Well, most training organisations use english as the main language. So as long as you're comfortable with that you should be fine.

About doing your training in the States - don't let that stuff put you off. Give it a try at least. There are some forum members who are based in Canada and the US, I suggest you ask them about what the situation is like over there.

Having said that, the big markets for pilots in coming years are the middle-east, southeast asia (mainly India), and chinese markets. A FAA licence is widely recognised, so it is a good investment I think.

I forgot to mention, in Pakistan you will only need to attain a CPL/IR to be eligible for PIA. This is the bare minimum required to become a commercial pilot. An ATPL is regarded more highly, but this includes having to take numerous groundschool exams (around 14) on top of the CPL/IR. These can be quite tough. Attaining a CPL/IR rating involves just passing the flying exams, ie no written exams.

AbdulAziz · Post by **AbdulAziz** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 2:56 am

Asslam u alikum

What about getting trainning at Walton ??? Is it good ?? recognatized ?? enough at least to apply for PIA??

A.Aziz

Valkyrie · Post by **Valkyrie** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 3:40 am

AbdulAziz wrote:Asslam u alikum

What about getting trainning at Walton ??? Is it good ?? recognatized ?? enough at least to apply for PIA??

A.Aziz

I guess so. The F/O of the all women Fokker flight was from LFC.

umar.islam · Post by **umar.islam** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 2:59 pm

Yes, LFC.

Babushka99 · Post by **Babushka99** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:25 pm

I've been pondering of learing to fly - PPL. I was wondering how long does it take? and what does it costs (I'm based out of Karachi, so I am assuming Schon Air would be the ones to contact right).

My quest to learn to fly is purely for lesuire purposes. Can anyone provide a little pointers/guidance.