They all have Flight Sim to play with. Kind of takes the mystery away Old Fart Pilots......where are the youngsters?

If you’re female and have an interest, now is not a better time to apply for an airline cadetship in Australia. Both have 50:50 quotas for recruits.

I chose the self-funded route when I was learning, which took a few years to save up and pay. To get a Commercial licence, First Class Instrument rating and Grade 3 Instructor rating cost me just on $30k in 80’s dollars. That meant going without a lot because I didn’t borrow any funds.

When I did the CPL/ATPL theory at TAFE in 87-88, there was about 60 blokes in 2 classes. Of that 60 blokes, only around 10 went on to a flying career.

Back then, you really had to have a fire in your belly if you chose the self-funded route. It’s no different today, except there are far more opportunities for those that do.