Ivy4u- very interesting story. Thanks for sharing.


I heard people can train in South Africa, but I always thought you have to come from an extremely rich family before you can train as a pilot, because the fees are so high.

ok Pilot. I just talked to my relation who saw the documentary with me and he confirms AIT reported 7 million naira.

ok Pilot. I just talked to my relation who saw the documentary with me and he confirms AIT reported 7 million naira.

ok Pilot. I just talked to my relation who saw the documentary with me and he confirms AIT reported 7 million naira.

ok Pilot. I just talked to my relation who saw the documentary with me and he confirms AIT reported 7 million naira.

ok Pilot. I just talked to my relation who saw the documentary with me and he confirms AIT reported 7 million naira.

Ha ha ha ha ha
Bros wetin happen na. . . . .u want to take the whole page?

@ digiman, am type rated in the ALPHA JET, started full ground school in my 5th year in NDA, (20yrs) but b4 now as Airforce cadets they just give u the basics from ur 3rd year. after ground school i moved onto the AIR BETTLE(ABT-18) which is used for Ab-intio training. then i moved onto Kano for L-39 also a figther trainer ac, from there i went to lackland in the States for 1yr were i flew the T-37, wanted to move on to the T-38 but men i no go lie u, that is a mac 1 trainer ac n i guess u know how difficult it is, but i got back 2 9ja n remained with the ALPHA JET, more like the T-37. so u see i didnt have to spend any money but rather i was paid to fly. AND MEN I LOVE TO FLY now espacially low level aerobatics or low low level max speed.

@PILOT955

You fly Alpha jets !, kudos to you, that's one of the coolest fighter jets I have seen and heard, I remember seeing one do a low level pass just a couple of feet above the runway at Ikeja airport during a NAF day celebration in the 80's it was awesome .

Your training seems to have geared towards fast jets from the onset, you must be pretty good then.

Hopefuly one day Nigeria will aquire some supersonic jets then you'll get the chance to go MACH 1

na God oh, u watched n air show in the 80's boy, so what plane do u fly?

@PILOT955,
Thanks for the info. I believe with my determination,i will mek it.
Am from Isoko too. Where are you based?

As for the fees for pilot training in nigeria, from what they have on their website, Professional commercial pilot is 7m and is 4 18months. Thereafter, you will complete the last 3 months outside the country. I read an artiocle on thisday newspaper some months ago, the article says, presently,they have no stimulator which in turn does not enable their student complete their training in the school.

@house,
anyone with an idea of how much nigerian airlines pay their pilots. I heared from a source(not too reliable),that they earn up to 800k per month, though i dont know if it is the pilot or co ,or captain. can any body confirm this?

virgin on entry 650k n then u go for some courses it then increases 2 920k n dependin on how ur experiences r u make up to 1.4 to 2m, all these depends on ur flying hours, let shock u a little my sister if u r going into flying cos of the money hmmmmm. u have to rethink ur plans thru but if u r going there cos of the zeal den go n train n forget how much they make ok? especailly when u r fly(MOLUWE) transport plane, we call them that cos of the speed relative to ours, n frankly i can fly n be concern with pple in the plane, so i can do my aerobatics, i actaully went for the virgin stuff just to know how much am missin n then i had over flying hrs n they were looking 4 150-200hrs pilots, but am not flying what am flyin cos of money it because i love it, so dont worry bout what u make n worry bout ur wings, make us proud girl just like i have, once again good luck. u can sleep with both eyes close cos i got ur skies this pilot955 over n out.

sorry bout my location am base in KAINJI but am outside the country now for futher training sorry cant tel u which country, just try n understand that.

Thankz dear. I understand pretty well. Nice time on ur training.

Sincerely,am not into it 4 the pay. I have always loved flying and wanted to be in charge,hence i choose been pilot as a career. Ofcourse, the pay aint worth the risk. I watch aircrash investigations on nageo channel,you know what am talking about. If it were just for the pay, that would scare me to death. Rather, i get encourage that i can mek it cos i see caps/pilots doing it.I also learn from their mistakes.
Am really going to be proud, a lot of our folks thinks females are not capable.

Chao.

IVY4U

It is good to see/hear Niger deltans reaping the benefit of their God given oil.

ivy4u may the lord guide you through.

ivy4u , i am sure now u know the world got ur back this is the only way u can know God is with u in stuffs u do, evryone has one or 2 nice things to talk bout. but we thank God most especailly for ur life once again i say good luck to u

PILOT955:

na God oh, u watched n air show in the 80's boy, so what plane do u fly?

I don't fy professionaly, I fly as a hobby and I am still working towards my PPL . So far I have flown  a Cessna 140 and  currently train in a Piper Warrior.

When I was much younger I wanted to train as a pilot but could not get funding, NAF was an option then but things did not work out, I also  did the NDA thing  - SSC but was'nt too keen on the prospects in the  NA,  I much preferred  the NAF.

Fastforward several years  later I earn enough to be able to sponsor myself and I am enjyoing it !. I hope to qualify as a Flight Instructor  then I can continue flying in my spare time, I also have the oppurtunity to get into uniform at some point but only as a non combatant , then I'll get the chance to fly in some military aircraft .

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,

its very nice to see so much interest and constructive advice about becoming a pilot, here on nairaland. I hope that I can help those of you seriously seeking information.

I too was like many of you once, seeking all the info I could find on my dream career. I was lucky enough to have colleagues with the same dreams in secondary school, and we all got together and exchanged any info we had, and encouraged and supported each other. Not everybody made it, for one reason or another, but most of us now occupy what we call "the office in the sky".

It is not an impossible dream for anyone, regardless of your finances, gender, academic ability, tribe, etc. With dedication, determination and hard work, it IS possible. Listen to any positive advice you get here, and ignore the negative and sarcastic.

I am now a Captain with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, but sadly I did not do any of my training in Nigeria. I have friends that did, so I know a little about the training there. If you are looking for info on the steps and alternatives possible, I might be able to help.

Post your questions here, and I will try and reply as quickly as possible.

@ DIGIMAN, its a good thing u tried than never to have tried, I love the aerobatics n my wish is that i can do a formation aerobatics in one of these air shows outside the country, i did in the STATES b4 graduation but my heart was in my mouth cos we were flying at high speeds n close to each other 5meters apart, even if u r so careful u never know how careful ur wing man is n @ diff intervals we switch, in loops,8 rolls in one flickroll etc.although we do ALOT i mean ALOT n i repeat ALOT of training on ground but its not same up there cos u keep wondering was it left or right but we thank God for the comms system, it was one of the requirements of the training though. @ RVD i think u r the right guy for IVY4U, pls tell her bout the commercial flying cos i cant FLY one of those heavy birds with over 200 pple cos dem go just seize my license(though i dont have one)cos i go just use dey know the world most power force, GRAVITY

@RDV
I guess you must have read some of my post. ofcourse, am desperately wanting to have my office up there like you too.
Please can you tell me what ratings qualify a pilot to fly internationally. Apart from PPL,instrument,multi engine and CPL, what other ratings can i do to boast my qualification as a pilot? I will be training with us filght academy, big-spring, texas and i am expected to finish my training with a total of 350 flying hrs, how about that?
Please, if you don't mind tell me all i need to know to make my training easy for me. I really don't know much, am just leaning and i would appreciate if you will be my mentor. Thankz.

@ house,
Thanks for all the encouragement,it feels good.

Cheers.

@IVY4U

For an idea of what Virgin Nigeria requires follow the link below

http://www.virginnigeria.com/en/ng/jobs/Flight_Deck.pdf

@IVY4U

Yes, I have read all of your posts, and am very impressed by your enthusiasm. I will do my best to give you good info and encourage you. I am in the middle of a 4 day trip right now, so this is just a very short reply to let you know I have seen your last post.

You are already on the right track. The absolute minimum you need to be a commercial pilot, i.e. to get paid for flying, is a CPL. To be able to fly aircraft with more than one engine, you need the 'mult-engine' rating. To fly in less than perfect weather conditions, you need an 'instrument rating'. Put all these together, and you have a "CPL/IR/Multi" licence. And that is the very basic you will need to get a job with an airline, but only as a Co-Pilot.

When you start working for an airline, and you undergo a 'type rating' course on a particular aircraft type, your 'type rating' will replace your IR/Multi, unless you also decide to keep that current by flying small cessena type aircraft in your spare time.

After you have accrued a certain number of flying hours on your CPL/IR/Multi, you can upgrade your licence to an 'Airline Transport Pilots Licence' or ATPL, and that will also include your type rating.

The ATPL is tha minimum you need to be "Commander" of a passenger aircraft, i.e. the Captain.

So, as you make enquiries with the various flying schools, make them aware that you are seeking a 'professional' licence. They will enroll you on a course that should graduate you with a CPL/IR/Multi, and with that you can already start applying to airlines. The professional licence course is also in many cases cheaper than doing all the various ratings step by step.

Do you have any study material you can be looking at already? That will help you a lot, if you can do some studying before, then you can free our mind to concentrate on the flying training. Let me know if you have anything already. If not, I will see what I can send you.

Hope thats helpful for now.

@RDV,
This is more than helpful for now. Hope you are enjoying your trip.
I dont have anything that am looking at presently. Infact all i know is from the internet and you know it doesnt tell much. I will be more than appreciative if you can send something. I will be expecting more when your get back from your trip. I need all the encouragement i can get,you know it will go a long way.
Thankz mentor, i more than appriciate. Do enjoy your trip.
Sorry to pry, Are you a niger? where did you do your training? how many years/ hrs experience do you have? I hope you dont mind, i can be very inquisitive sometimes.

@Digiman,
Thankz for the link. it sure did help.

Cheers.

@ IVY4U no thanks to the fighter pilots , lol anyways we r use to it, we do all the dity jobs in the skies n no one ever thanks us, am sure u r on ur way to become a good pilot, i can just imagine myself travelling n hearing u as the captain, (remain blessed woman of God)

@IVY4U

Here are links to some online resources I have used in the past, although its just theory it will help you with understanding a lot of things you'll come across wheny ou start you training.

http://pilottutor.org/tutor_content.aspx


http://www.start-flying.com/fixed_wing_intro.htm


http://www.aopa.org/learntofly/index.html

@IVY4U,

Yes, I am Naija. I did my training in Atlanta, USA and Oxford,UK.

I will be back home on saturday morning, and will contct u again then to arrange sending u some stuff

@PILOT955,

All thankz to you. You are a mentor too. Thankz for helping to build my dreams. Just let me know when you are on board my aircraft,, till then. Chao.

@Digiman,
Thnkz a million. I downloaded into my system and taking my time to read them. I really dnt know what to say, but you all have been 1derful. I hope will get to meet one day.

@RDV,
Cool one, i mean the training. It must have been all fun.
I will be looking forward to that. am always online at night, because my system is connected to the internet for 9pm -9am.
Cheers.

@PILOT955,
Thankz to you 2. You are my mentor too. Thankz for joining me build my dream. Just let me know when you are onboard my aircraft,hmm, till then. Chao.

@Digiman,
Thankz. I downloaded into my system so i can take my time.I dnt really know what to say, but thankz to you. you are just 1derful. I hope we met one day. Cheers.

@RDV,
Cool one, i mean the training, it must have been fun.
I will be looking forward to hearing from you. Am always online at night,cos my system can access internet only for 9pm-9am.
Chao.

@IVY4U,

how now? hope you had a good weekend.

I looked at the website of US Flight Academy. Looks like you have made a good choice. They seem to have all the courses and programs you will need, and they also seem to have experience of international students, which is a very important thing.

Which program exactly are you planning to do there? I saw 3 professional programs - P/CFI, P/CFII and P/MEI.

Depending on the agreement you have with them, and the visa you get from the US Embassy, your choice would vary.

If they are able to guarantee you employment as an instructor after your training (make sure your I-20 and visa cover this) then the p/CFI is the option for you. It will cost the least initially, and as time goes on you can upgrade to CFII and then MEI.

If you will purely be there to complete the course, and not work as an instructor afterwards, then go for the P/CFII but tell them to EXCLUDE all the instructor ratings. You do not need those, and will actually be better off putting whatever you save from there towards a type rating (Boeing 737, Dash 8, Embraer, etc will be most useful in naija)

If you already have a breakdown of the course they are offering you, let me see the details.


The best books for you right now, are:

1. The complete private pilot
2. The complete advanced pilot
3. The complete multi-engine pilot

I have old editions of 1 or 2 of them that I can probably send you. I will look for them, and if I find them I we will take it from there. Doesnt matter that they are old editions, its just background reading for now, at the school, they will have their own specific book list.

Thats all I can think of for now, regarding your main questions.

For the rest, Yes I am Naija. (My name is Olumide). I have been flying professionally for 10 years / 7000 hours, and am a Captain at KLM.

Take care for now,

OLUMIDE why RDV? anyway u r lucky oh 10yrs with 7000hrs, boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i just have 1200hrs n i was fully winged in 2006 sha. n we dont fly regularly except to keep the aircraft in perfect working conditions and special requests by the fed Govt. am so happy that u can help IVY4U, i felt bad i couldnt help her, i see female fighter pilots in the US, young girls n i just wish we could have some 9ja female pilots n as i saw her it touched me, @ IVY4U i have told u b4 it all up to u find out from RDV u have to really keep up with the classes(lessons) read as much as u can, @ RDV i have always wanted to find out during ur solo flight on the boeings where u d only guy in there? cos it bugs me how 1 guy can take off n land in the boeing,

@RDV,

Am cool. I had a very luvly weekend. But my weekdays are usually bored. Nothing to do,am not working presently and all my friends go to wrk, i dnt get to see them until weekend. I really dnt like it, but i dnt have a chioce now. Maybe when i get the books, i would occupy myself with reading. Least i forget, hope your enjoyed your trip?

I am going for a professional commercial pilot course (Private Pilot, Instrument Pilot, Commercial Single and Multi-Engine Instrument). Though they have an advance course(The course includes Multi-Engine Instrument, Certified Flight Instructor and Certified Flight Instructor Instrument Certification. The initial instructor is Multi-Engine Instructor, followed by Certified Flight Instructor Single Engine Airplane and Certified Flight Instructor Instrument Airplane). I could change my course if it means doing that,

They dnt gaurantee employment,they said one's performance would tell if they would employ you or not,but they do assit their graduate get jobs after training. I intend going for just my training. They are to issue an M-1 visa, is it OK? The P/CPL is for six months, while the Advance is 2 months. what do you think?

Do i need to do all advance courses, if not which do i choose?

How far with jobs out there, good chances for my likes? I would love to go international,How's that? when/where do i do type rating?

Yea, thanks a '000000. I dnt mind the edition, all i need is somthing to read so i can get an insight of what i will meet during my training. As for the school, they have their books, infact, my fees include books, marterails and charts required for the training.

Woo! 10yrs/7000hrs, hmm, I respect oh. My name is Ajiri.

Am more than great, ful. Am looking forward to the books. Hope i dint bore you with too many quest?

Luvly week. Chao.

@PILOT955,

Thankz mentor, I will do just that. How far with your course? u don finish abi u still dey dere? Hp u dnt mind my langua, I grew up in warri.

Cheers.