Do you feel you lack the intelligence? Lack of funding? Or is it your age that sometimes holds you back in becoming a pilot?

In this blog I really hope to inspire and motivate you to think otherwise. I will use real-life examples of inspiring comments and people I’ve spoken with that are the epitome of grit.

What is Grit?

Grit is your passion and relentless perseverance. Angela Duckworth the author of ‘Grit – The Power of Passion and Perseverance’ puts it nicely – one way to think about Grit is to consider what it is not. Grit isn’t talent. And talent isn’t grit.

Grit is your relentless resilience, drive and motivation combined with unyielding belief in your long-term goals. It doesn’t matter whether it takes a day, week, year or a decade – you push through even when you can’t see the light nor the fruits of your labour.

Training pilots are definitely up there on the grit scale. Particularly those who have had to work that little bit harder than the rest – whether that is working 2 or 3 jobs to fulfil your dream, learning English or even starting training at the age of 50!

Grit is an amazing thing. It’s easy to fall into the trap of FOMO (fear of missing out) or feel as though you are falling behind or that your dream is simply unaffordable! Let me tell you something – where there is a will there is a way! A few years ago I remember reading whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right! And it’s true! It really falls back onto our mindset. You are what you choose to believe.

In the next section I will give examples of Grit and Motivation I’ve seen. Overtime, I will add more examples I come across and compile a little gallery of examples.

What was the inspiration of this post?

I have to say I had something else planned to talk about today. However, I was scrolling through PPruNe (Professional Pilots Rumour Network) – a website dedicated to pilots/aspiring pilots featuring forums and chats. As I was scrolling I came across a comment that brought me great joy and inspired me. I thought I’d definitely create a blog to help inspire others.

The comment was about a British training pilot who underwent the modular pathway and launched his career a year before the pandemic… that too at the age of 36! Now a lot of people might think – well, 36 is a bit old, is it not? Or finishing just before the pandemic at 36 years is a disaster in the making. Well, you’re wrong! Now at the age of 39 he has recently secured a pilot role and will be starting his type rating in 12 days!

Well, there we go! Was grit involved for this individual? Oh yes, a lot of it! I’m sure there were times that were hard for this individual – whether that was funding or trying to absorb the ATPL content. But with the right mindset anything is possible. It truly is – and I have to admit sometimes it’s a good reminder sometimes – but we have to be of those type of people who are persistent, resilient, motivated and possess a huge amount of grit.

Another example is of an individual I met at a recent networking event. I won’t name names but I’m sure you’ll know who I am referring to (if you have read my previous posts). This individual was in a similar situation to me – an aspiring pilot looking to self-fund via the modular pathway having come from a low-income household.

An opportunity rose up – a fully funded MPL programme by Aer Lingus. Great opportunity, right? But at this point the general consensus with a lot of people is “I’ll give up now because the competition is fierce”. No! This individual stood his ground. He got through the initial stages, reaching the assessment and then the interview. At the final stage he was rejected. But he used this as an opportunity to self-assess, develop and be ready when applications open again! – Here we see resilience, determination and grit.

A few years later FTE Jerez open their applications – a fully funded integrated ATPL programme. From 2000 applicants, to 200 and eventually 2 individuals were awarded this great opportunity. One of those awarded was the same individual who failed the Aer Lingus application. The same individual who came from a low-income household. The same individual who must’ve felt disappointed to hear he was not successful even after reaching the very final stages of the Aer Lingus application to be told you didn’t get through due to fewer merits (as a result of his young age).

But the key thing is eventually he got through. Did it take relentless persistence, grit and incredible amounts of resilience? 110%. He made sure to come back stronger than ever – after having an insightful conversation he told me he wrote 85 pages just in preparation for the assessment! This is an epitome of someone who is seriously motivated and resilient.

The reason why I share this is because we have our own resilience, our own motivation and grit. We all have it. But we have to find it within us. Grit and belief make a powerful duo that can truly reshape our way of thinking and potential to achieve.

Now, I would like you all to think about your situation – you may feel ‘too old’, may not have the funding or the ‘intelligence’ to become a pilot. What will you do about it? We’ve seen real-life examples of people who have managed to become a pilot – age definitely didn’t restrict them in the first example! Nor did funding in the second example! So are the limitations really there or is this something that is overpowering you? Could there be a way to overcome this – and most times the answer will be yes.

In the next few weeks I will be adding short snippets of several examples of inspiration on this blog post to truly show you there are no limits as an aspiring airman – not even disability! I really hope this motivates you to work harder than ever to become a successful pilot. Remember, a little bit of grit… and a little bit of motivation….

Happy flying.