Expert: Adrian Beney - 11/13/2008

Question
i am a 21 year old kenyan based in Nairobi. i am a flight attendant with a local airline, and i have always wanted to be a pilot. however, from my research, i have found the major setback to be finances. kindly advise on how i would be able to get sponsorship for an ab-initio course. i have borrowed a few manuals and have been studying on my own. i also have flight simulator 2004 installed in my computer, and i use this to keep my dream alive. kindly advise on the avenues i would use to make my ambition a reality. thank you for your time!

Answer
Hi Benson

I'm not a commercial pilot, so I don't know a great deal about this, but I'll give it a go.  I think you've made a good start, both with your job and learning using FS 2004 and getting the manuals.  THere are more resources at http://www.flyer.co.uk/exhibitions/  I would also joing www.pprune.org which is the leading online forum for commercial piloting, and there will be people there much better placed to give you specific advice.  I should ask the same question there and see what happens.  

I know that Cabair in the UK had some deals with European airlines, and there is a shortage of pilots, but how the current financial mess will affect this is probably too early to say.

The Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators (www.gapan.org) does have one full fees scholarship for an ATPL pilot.  I don't know if it's open to non-UK nationals.

You could also contact the flight training schools in the UK: Cabair is one, so is Oxford Air Training.  They are advertise in "Flyer" magazine.

I hope that helps a bit...

Good luck.

best wishes

Adrian