Will an Aeronautical Engineering degree help me become a pilot?
May 15, 2010 by
Filed under online engineering degree
I’ll be going to university next year in the UK and am wondering if an aeronautical engineering degree will help me get a job at one of the major airlines, I’m talking BA or Virgin. Obviously I’ll go to flight school after I get my degree, OAT and I will have my ppl before I go to university.
I have read many conflicting reports about it not helping people on bit, but surely this degree would set you apart from the other applicants without it?
Danke!
If it ends up not helping you to become a pilot, it would help you get a job as an air traffic controller, I’d bet.
No more so than any other degree. Although you will have a head start on learning to fly. Good luck.
Logically it should.
The candidates that usually go to the top of the list are those who flew heavy haulers in the military. Thousands of hours of experience and flight time.
Your degree will probably place you right behind them, and above the rest.
All an aeronautical engineering degree will show is that you think you like the aviation field, and that you have the ability to achieve in a field as hard as engineering. These are a plus but, of the many pilots I know flying the ‘majors’ very few have gone this direction. I personally have one in aerospace engineering. I’ve flown with fine arts degrees, accounting, management, almost anything you can degree in.
The degree is just a first step. In shows that you can think and complete what you start. The period of time to complete the degree, in most cases is as important as the ‘type’ you choose. The resume reviewer thinks: Are you serious or just playing at school?, because if your selected you are in for a lifetime of training and re-training. In this field you never stop learning and practicing.
I love it..but I enjoy the challenge.
You bet it will….go for it
Best advice would be, do your Aeronautical degree first and work as a engineer for a few years. pay for your flying as you go, this shows the employer that you have the commitment to stick with it through the tough money times. Over somebody who has had it all funded by parents or student loan as this is seen as bit of an easy ride by most in the industry. Anybody can get a licence by student loan or a parent paying. Saving and paying as you go shows you really are keen. Hey you might as well take advantage of the aeronautical degree at the same time.
Not necessary.
You need to understand aerodynamics but you are not building the plane- just flying it. In fact, unlike the United States, a degree isn’t a requirement to getting hired as an airline pilot by an airline in the UK.
I suggest posting at this forum- http://www.pprune.org
You will get MUCH ELABORATION on what I have posted here. That forum is pretty much THE source for information in the UK about airline pilot careers, getting hired and pilot cadet schemes.
You should investigate a “cadet program” or “cadet scheme” to get hired. From what I understand, that is pretty much how airlines recruit over there. There are hundreds if not thousands of posts about that on the forum above.
This site, http://www.oxfordaviation.net/ is also one of the foremost places cadets are training over there. They also have a message board for questions and advice.
Good luck!