IT IS POSSIBLE TO CLIMB well up a self-improving ladder by learning on the job. Many such pilots are potentially as able as the professionally selected and trained, but their quality varies more widely
Past Master of GAPAN, training-captain Clive Elton, says that the lower end of the spectrum of self-improvers initially accepted for airline training can be innately less intuitive about their flying.
A few candidates, according to Elton, are of such limited capacity that it is possible that they could become "an embarrassment to the profession".
Commercial-pilot aspirants who are still at an early stage can apply to GAPAN to be put forward for aptitude testing. The candidates will undergo just the five tests for pilot aptitude, which take about 1h 30min. The standard RAF pre-test briefing is used, plus a short introduction and, finally, a debrief by a civil pilot.
The non-formal road to a commercial licence is not disparaged, but, to some pilots, the cost of a wasted investment is high. Some have been found to have been too dependent on rote-learning and have suffered from poor training continuity.
The cost of the GAPAN/RAF aptitude testing is only £100 ($150). It offers good advice to applicants, and is developing in consultation with the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Indeed, a high rating in this voluntary scheme might, eventually, be recognised as an endorsement and qualification for sponsorship, support and funding.
Source: Flight International
