Advice for my pilot wannabe child
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Hi. My son is 11 years old but already knows he wants to become a commercial airline pilot. He lives and breathes aviation and has such a cool head on his shoulders. How do I get him behind the scenes exposure to this career path? Any advice for someone so young. Thank you.
George T. asked a question to Kate R.
Category: Career Advice
Date asked: mardi, octobre 15, 2024
Last reviewed: mercredi, octobre 30, 2024
Kate R.
Captain
Hi George.
It is great to hear that your son has a passion for aviation.
One route which many of us took was to join the air cadets where you get opportunities to fly as well as learning about aircraft. Having some flying lessons to start understanding the skills required and have fun practicing handling an aircraft may be an exciting option. While you need to be 17 to get a private pilots licence you can fly at a much younger age with an instructor. Visiting your local airfield and having a chat with Pilots at flying schools may be of interest, and perhaps doing some work experience when he is older. British Airways does offer work experience but not until he is older and is limited to grounded roles.
Encouraging him to enjoy other activities where he can develop other skills such as teamwork, leadership, and communication will be beneficial too.
I hope this helps and I hope he continues his passion and we see him on the flight deck in the future.
Best wishes
Kate
lundi, octobre 28, 2024
George T.
Thank you Kate for your reply. I never thought about the air cadets. It's something I will explore with my son and see if he would like to give it a go. Thank you so much and thanks to BA for having this platform that enables people to ask questions.
mercredi, octobre 30, 2024