INTERVIEW 2 OLLIE MERES
Professional Pilot Studies Degree at Tayside Aviation
Q
What Made you pick Tayside as your choice of flight school ?
A
Personally I knew that modular would be the better option for me as it suited my circumstances and training closer to home , well , all the better too . Tayside Aviation in particular appealed to me because of the progression from working as a flight instructor gaining a great deal of Pilot in Command time into a role flying the Logan Air network as a First Officer . That alone gives me a great deal of security when it comes to my graduate prospects . Furthermore , Dundee Airport itself is fantastic as it ’ s controlled and has a relatively long runway for general aviation operations . This allows the student to really consolidate on their general handling and radiotelephony . The extended time for the ATPL ground school also appeals to me as it allows to push myself even better and get a much higher average .
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Q A
Q A
How is Tayside as a flight school ?
Summarised , fantastic . Generally speaking the Tayside network is small and on a day to day basis you ’ re always bound to bump into someone you know . It ’ s got a ‘ family ’ feeling to it and is beyond welcoming . On a more technical note , learning to fly in Scotland comes with many challenges . The student pilot ’ s judgement and decision making skills are tested somewhat as the weather can be very dynamic . In Scotland you get 4 seasons in one day ! In addition , the high ground to the north ( 3000ft +) allows for some very testing navigation details to be flown so the student pilot must always be prepared and have plenty of backups . To the south there is the controlled airspace around Edinburgh and Glasgow and the military airspace around Leuchars with again strengthens the student ’ s radiotelephony . I must say , it ’ s very cool being on frequency with a Qatar 787 ! Learning to fly with Tayside Aviation is challenging and incredibly exciting and for me , nothing beats flying to the west coast of Scotland with friends for a spot of lunch . That ’ s what hour building is all about .
What would you say to an aspiring pilot who ’ s thinking of doing a degree course ?
Be prepared to work very hard as an ATPL does not come easy . The degree course in particular requires a great amount of self-discipline and motivation , but if you have that then you ’ ll be absolutely fine . It ’ s an incredibly dynamic career to work towards and the rewards are spectacular . On another note , give yourself time off otherwise you ’ ll burn out , while the course is demanding it ’ s also vital you give yourself down time and take yourself away from aviation . Spend time with friends and family , you ’ ll really appreciate it in the long run . In regards to attaining a place on the course , the assessors are looking for solid technical skills with maths and mechanical aspects but also will look for people skills and a huge amount of motivation . In particular you will be assessed on your communication skills , teamwork , leadership and many other factors . It ’ s an incredibly exciting time to be getting into aviation , get stuck in and hopefully one day I ’ ll have the privilege of flying alongside you !