I have dreamt of being a pilot since I was a child. I have all the appropriate GCSEs and A-levels, have flown solo and will graduate this summer from a UK university with a degree in aeronautical engineering.
Your article on flight training schools, Feast or famine (Flight International 2-8 April), is a sad reality to those of us who have worked so hard to get our academic qualifications and at a huge cost - after my time at university, I owe £12,000 ($17,000) to the company that provided my student loan.
To self-sponsor pilot training is not financially possible, especially with such debt. Why don't those companies offering large "golden hellos" to pilot recruits offer the same amount of cash to help fund training?
The outcome is that I will be taking a job in the IT industry when I graduate. A friend of mine in the same position is going to work for a large accountancy firm rather than going into the aviation industry.
After reading Gerry Gowan's letter (Flight International 2-8 April), it seems that I and many other dedicated and talented people (young and old) are leaving the industry, which seems very sad.
The question is, will we ever be tempted back?
Name and address supplied
Source: Flight International
