Since September last year AERO ALLIANCE has received on average 2 unsolicited job applications per week. Of these applications over 95% came from integrated courses where students had completed their course with nowhere to go. Although we are a small but rapidly expanding organisation, AERO ALLIANCE felt that it needed to at least offer some kind of apprenticeship to the industry where we could offer experience to a pilot to bring on his/her career.  

After a selection process (without charging the candidate) and rigorous interview for the position, AERO ALLIANCE made its selection and now welcomes Mike Parsons to the team. AERO ALLIANCE is very happy that Mike has accepted the AERO ALLIANCE pilot apprenticeship offer which will give him about 200 hours this summer in the right hand seat of our charter aircraft. AERO ALLIANCE obviously hopes that after the summer he continues with us whilst he completes his commercial training in order that he can build up his hours to the required JAR OPS 700 hours and eventually become one of our charter pilots.

During this selection process AERO ALLIANCE found it increadibly disturbing that 95% of those who sought flying experience with the AERO ALLIANCE charter service had accepted questionable advice from some of the main players in the aviation training market. In the last two years the industry has persuaded a significant number of young and inexperienced students to gamble very large amounts of money with the desperate hope that they would walk straight into their dream career. These young graduates are now saddled with high levels of debt with nowhere to go and no job to pay it off. AERO ALLIANCE view this kind of culture within the industry as totally irresponsible with no duty of care taken by the providers to protect these young individuals (other than guaranteeing the students a money back promise that they will pass a qualification valid for one year).

AERO ALLIANCE is firm in its belief that as a pilot, your human factors must exhibit "stable and extrovert" behaviour. AERO ALLIANCE sees nothing stable and extrovert about promoting a gambling and reckless culture in what should be a secure minded industry. From a pilot's individual perspective, even a reckless career plan is certainly not something which AERO ALLIANCE wants to be associated with.

After some consideration AERO ALLIANCE has decided to open up a Pilot Apprenticeship Scheme to cater for pilots who are about to embark on Modular training. AERO ALLIANCE wants to promote the part time, non risk taking route to becomming a commercial pilot. AERO ALLIANCE firmly believes that you should undertake an apprenticeship and gain real world experience as opposed to buying yourself a place in the right hand seat of an airliner, then paying for the seat (that's if there's space !!!). 

Mike comes to us at the point of just completing his PPL, he has paid his own way to complete this milestone (as opposed to relying on wealthy parents) and he has a flexible full time job which AERO ALLIANCE has encouraged him to maintain whilst he does his commercial training and continues the AERO ALLIANCE apprenticeship pilot scheme with us. Mike lives locally and is an extremely hard worker with clear business skills. He has that bit more to offer is not a risk taker and fulfills the category AERO ALLIANCE require by being stable and extrovert. 

AERO ALLIANCE has every confidence that when it comes to making his first commercial flight, Mike won't risk proceeding below his minima unless he can see the runway. Likewise AERO ALLIANCE will not advise on throwing money at an integrated course without seeing a clear job offer at the end of it - i.e. not just a stable pilot but the hallmark of an intelligent individual.

AERO ALLIANCE congratulates Mike on his new position and AERO ALLIANCE hopes he will enjoy his time on the AERO ALLIANCE Pilot Apprenticeship Scheme.