Is It That Hard To Become An ATP?

By Omar Josef

I wanted to write about one of the consequences of flightsimming: wanting to become a real pilot. I'm sure that I'm not the only one in this situation. I've been an aviation lover since I was a little child. I remember my first flight as if it was today. It was on Iberia (Spanish airlines), but I cannot remember which aircraft it was. I was little and it was SOOO BIG. I enjoyed the flight more than the whole vacation. But being realistic: it was a little boy's dream. But then I got older and moved to Chile. Lucky me, we moved into a little city with a beautiful airport. Full of LanChile's baby Boeings. On summers, I spent whole days at the pad watching landings and takeoffs and staring at the pilots as if they were GODS. As I made friends there, I got closer to real aviation. At one of my birthdays, my father bought me a two-hour flight in a Cessna Skyhawk II, just to make me happy. I realized that becoming a pilot was what I wanted. One of my friends gave me Microsoft's Flight Simulator 5.0. FS5 is my mentor. I have to admit it: I didn't pay for it, OK? (Sorry). I don't even know why I liked it, the sound was bad and I didn't know how to read instruments. Anyway that's how I started. (just the same as a lot of you).

FS98 came out. WOW. That was it for me. Infinite aircraft on this site to download, maps... From this version I learned a lot of what I know. I can say that I felt like a real pilot, and I was only 16. I made up my mind: I HAVE GOT TO BECOME AN ATP!!!

This part of the text is dedicated to South American wannabe pilots. I'll talk about what happens if you have this crazy dream we all have. A lot of people have told me that it was impossible for me to become a pilot. DON'T BELIEVE THEM. THEY KNOW NOTHING. The main arguments they used are the following: (I'm sure you are familiar with these).

I WANNA BE AN ATP!!!

1. IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE: Well, that's true, but here is a solution. I need 9.000.000 pesos (almost U.S. $20000) to study here in Chile, and the instruction lasts less than 2 years. That makes monthly costs of 1000 dollars. My father told me that he won't pay that much money if it is not for the university. So, I needed to get that money all by myself. I needed a job but not a normal job. I needed a well-paid one. Lucky me again. I discovered that a lot of people were having that same problem, and guess what solution they found. They where working at LanChile as flight attendants and at the same time they were studying to become a pilot. It's possible to do, and the pay is enough to pay for the pilot formation. There you go, if you have problems with your parents, on paying this fortune, DO IT BY YOURSELF. In two weeks I start working. Oh god, the hostesses are so beautiful, they pay me for flying, and meanwhile I get automatically introduced to the airline world and in my favorite airline LanChile. When I finish my ATP certification I'll be just one step away from the pilot's seat. I've been told that pilots are sooo friendly with the rest of the crew, they even help you to become one of them (remember they passed trough all this before us, so they understand).

2. WITH THAT LITTLE PROBLEM IN YOUR EYES? I DON'T THINK SO: Once again, don't listen to them. I have already my medical certification and I have a problem with my right eye. Astigmatism. For all of you with any physical problem, there is a special exam. As long as you demonstrate that you can handle an airliner with it, you'll be fine, and if you wear glasses, they'll tell you that you have to use them while flying. Believe me, the guys at the aeronautical hospital told me so. I have seen a lot of pictures of 747 pilots, yeah, those with more than 20000 hours flight time and white hair, that can write bibles full of flight stories, and they had glasses seated on their nose, and I'm talking about Lufthansa, those guys are serious. Another barrier destroyed.

Believe me, it's worth the effort. One day you will be sitting on the pilot's seat making 6 grand a month, and you will remember this day as the day your eyes opened.

I hope this was useful for all wannabe pilots in my situation. DON'T GIVE UP, WE LIVE FOR THIS STUFF!!!

P.S: Thank you, aviation, and thank you, ATP's that have helped to stay strong and never give up to this odyssey.

P.P.S: I'm Spanish, and I love Chile. I know that they have fame for being thieves. Believe me they are not. This goes especially for the guys in Europe that think so. THEY DON'T STEAL! (and they have beautiful women).

Omar Josef
omar_josef@hotmail.com

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