Becoming pilot
I was 16 when I first started learning about the airline pilot trade, in 1999. I had flown 5 or 6 times in my life, although I would be unable to tell you on which planes exactly. But then, why did I want to become a pilot? There was the image I had of flying drawn from the collective imagination : traveling, being on a staggered schedule, not knowing the routine, making a good living. And there was a desire to be part of a changing world and to meet people from all around the world. I quickly caught the aviation bug, which I haven't lost since.
We didn't find as much information on the internet at the time. I then tried to meet my grandparents' neighbor, Eric Parvery, who was already a captain in a company that has since disappeared : Air Méditerranée. He told me about the different licenses that I had to acquire to fly an airplane, fly with instruments, be paid and work as a crew member (I will detail this in future blogs). Without forgetting the theory of course with the famous ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot License) certificates. To be honest, it looked blurry to me, but he ended the conversation with "You're young, try ENAC (National Aviation School) and the Cadets (Air France Training), you'll have time to think about the rest afterwards." And also, "Think about putting your ass on a real plane once in a while – make sure you actually like flying!.” The next week, my mother offered me a first flight in Lognes. 20 years later, I still remember this takeoff!
Tip # 1: You are passionate about aviation, but remember that flying involves various situations: dealing with bad weather, fatigue and jet lag, a turbulent passenger and a series of difficult flights. Before you get there, make sure you enjoy sitting in a small plane, feeling the airframe vibrations and the endless turbulence ...
2001, when I passed my high school diploma with honors, I started a preparatory class in St-Louis in Paris. Superb prep, among the best in France. One afternoon, on the way home, I discovered the news. It was September 11th ... Some would have stopped there and changed direction. But despite the global shock, I was convinced that pilots would still be useful and I knew that my training would still be long, sufficient to absorb the crisis.
Tip # 2: With the current covid crisis, a lot of young people are asking me if they will ever get a chance to achieve their dream of becoming a pilot. There is no answer, there are just choices. When you choose your orientation, you are making a bet. A bet on your life, on your career. Like all bets, you can win everything and lose everything. The great satisfaction if you succeed will be all the more flavorful. The failure will be formative, and this learning opportunity will also be the result of your decision. Our elders speak of cyclical crises. They experienced the oil crises, the Gulf War, September 11 and the financial crisis of 2008, always with a return to normal and even growth. That of covid is roughly 10 times greater than all these crises… combined! Global transportation will continue to transform, not to mention the advent of artificial intelligence. It is above all your decision. A pilot must make decisions all the time, stick to them and look ahead. At 900km / h you don't have time to look behind.
Quite quickly, I left the preparation course, realizing that it is more suited to young people aiming at elitist French superior education institutions such as Polytechnic, Normal Sup or Arts-et-Métiers. Although prestigious, these schools would not have allowed me to realize my dream in the short term. I then discovered a scientific training course at the University of Paris 7 which, in addition to having a program similar to that of the preparatory exams, offered a "flight mechanics" module. This module was led by Patrick Huet, emeritus mathematician and passionate about aviation. The icing on the cake : the second semester offered practice with glider lessons every week at Mantes Chérence airfield. My first hours of flying were under the instruction of Denise Cruette, she who would teach me the finesse of piloting required in a glider. Then there will be those times when you are happy in the air. Where, past the stress and adrenaline of the first towing take-offs, you know it's a pleasure. One more freedom.
On a glider, you won't have class, but you will live your best aeronautical experience.
First take off
Subsidized in large part by the university and the City of Paris, this was a unique opportunity to be able to fly and to be able to obtain my glider pilot license. It is 2002, I am juggling between university and a job at Decathlon to pay the rent for my 17m2 flat at Gare de l'Est. I failed the Enac exams the first time, probably because part of the curriculum was taken more slowly at university. Then I tried the Air France Cadets where I failed the psycho-technical tests even more miserably. Indeed, I was called 10 days before and it fell almost at the same time as my exams. So I revised both at the same time.
Tip # 3: in wanting to be everywhere, we are often nowhere. You've made a decision and you should stick to it. Set goals, focus on the essentials, and try to eliminate whatever is preventing you from doing so.
The final decision was firm: I was eliminated from Air France selections. We had a debriefing at that time, and I still remember this sentence: “You will have the right to come back after 3 years with 1000 flight hours, unless you pass the ENAC exam, which will clear this condition. You know what you have left to do ? ", "Yes sir". Then I understood one thing : if this is what I wanted to do, if I really had the ability, I didn’t want to miss my chance. I had a few months left before the Enac exams: I quit my job at Decathlon and I spent my days at the university library where I found the holy grail : the annals of all the Enac exams. I also prepared as best I could for the other tests, interviews and English.
On the day of the exam, I was ready. I had no regrets.
More in the next blog.
September 2017, first landing in Tokyo at the controls of an Air France Boeing 777-300. It has been a long way to get there.