Kieran’s Story

Kieran’s Story

Firstly, I would like to thank you for your financial support, it was really appreciated.

I started my pilot training on 12 February 2019 and it has certainly been intense. I live in a flat with 4 other pilot cadets and am part of an intake of 14. We live in student accommodation near West Quays in Southampton. We are a real mix of backgrounds ranging from students straight from A’ levels to someone who worked as security on cargo ships. I had worked for British Airways for 18 months prior to starting pilot training.

A bus collects us from our accommodation at 7.15 every morning and delivers us to L3, the pilot training centre. We start our lectures at 8.00 and study until 5pm. The bus then takes us back to the flat where the expectation is that we will continue to study in the evening. In between this I have managed to go the gym once a week and on a Friday night a few of us play badminton. I spend most of my weekend studying with the rest of it catching up with tasks like washing and ironing!

The learning programme is broken in to modules with exams at the end of every 8 weeks. So far, we have studied Meteorology, Human Performance, Performance of Flight and Mass and Balance. In total over the next six months I must pass 14 exams to complete ‘ground school’ in Southampton, after which I will be sent to the next phase of training which could be in either New Zealand, Portugal, UAE or Bournemouth! This phase is where we learn our flying skills and spend time practicing these as we build our hours (something I’m really excited about).  I would really like to go to New Zealand but have no say in this as we are allocated locations based on operational availability. I will spend 6 months on the second stage of training before returning to Southampton for the final training and will then, hopefully, secure employment with one of the airlines.

I have always worked hard and in addition to my academic studies have been working in restaurants and shops since I was 13. This is the first time in 7 years I have not earned my own money and it is strange to be relying on others. As part of the contract I signed with L3 I am not allowed to work during my studies and to be honest I wouldn’t have time anyway. The pilot training is £98000 in total which is a significant investment.  I have been so lucky that members of my family have taken out loans to help me and my parents are paying my weekly living expenses. The financial gift from the Sir Samuel Mico fund was much appreciated and I was able to put this against some of my payments for my training. I have quickly learnt to budget my money and spend a few hours on a Sunday night preparing my meals for the following week.

I have also applied for and have been accepted to study for a Professional Aviation Pilot Practice Degree with Middlesex University and L3. While it has been my dream for many years to be a pilot, employment in this sector is subject to stringent health requirements. Should anything medically happen to me and I Iost my license, I thought having a degree would give me other career options.

I hope you have found this information of interest and thank you again for your support. Please see attached a photo of me in my uniform at L3

Kieran