Pilot Careers Live London last Saturday was the biggest and busiest careers event that Seager Publishing has ever staged. More than 2,100 visitors attended, flocking to the exhibitors of flight schools and related businesses.
For first time exhibitor, low-cost airline easyJet, one of the biggest employers of newly qualified pilots, “PCL was a great success!”
And the launch of a new area within the show, Aerospace Careers Zone (ACZ), also went well, attracting the attention of many visitors looking for a career outside of the flightdeck.
Careers such as aero engineering, air traffic control and flight operations were all represented in ACZ, alongwith The Air League which took the opportunity to launch its 2018 pilot scholarships.
PCL London was also the launch of Aerospace Careers Zone for aviation jobs outside the flightdeck
PCL London was an opportunity for anyone to ask all the questions they might have about flight training and the options available. From the moment the doors opened at 10am until late afternoon, exhibitors were kept busy.
One new trend for this year’s show was the number of flight training organisations pairing with a university to offer a three-year course which led to an ATPL and a degree in air transport.
Charlotte Cole and Aurelia Farrell, in the second and third years on a Leeds University course identified the reasons why the degree route appealed to them. Top of the list is money, because not only can they access a student loan to pay for the course, but there’s also unlimited use of the university’s flight simulator. They also believed that a a degree in air transport would demonstrate a broader knowledge of the industry and would be useful when it came to applying for an airline pilot’s job.
Among the industry exhibitors was Hiscox Insurance offering insurance against the possibility of paying out a lot of money for training, possibly going into debt, and then being unable to complete the course or pass the exams.
Most of the flight training organisation stands were staffed by not only the school instructors and management but also many of their past trainees – now qualified pilots and working for an airline. These included Airways Aviation, CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, FTA, FTEJerez, L3 Airline Academy, Stapleford Flight Centre and the Wings Alliance, representing a number of flight training organisations offering modular courses.
Pilot Careers Live London was a chance for would-be airline pilots – mostly in their teens – to meet top flight schools.
The day-long series of seminars were so popular that some were repeated
All sides of the flight training industry were represented
