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cost of becoming a pilot is a significant limitation factor for many aspiring pilots. To train with the L3 Academy or CAE Oxford Aviation Academy costs up to £120,000. The second major issue is the low number of female pilots. There are now women only schemes at flight schools to encourage more female pilots, but Cornelius feels that airlines are not doing enough to encourage them. The intake is still very low. Being a pilot is more of a lifestyle than a normal job. The ability to cope with stress is key. Quite early on in his career Cornelius had an incident when a pushback tug, the vehicle which manoeuvres an aircraft on the airfield, became stuck under the plane after the engines had started. Due to his extensive training, he was able to resolve the incident swiftly. Pilots have to deal with situations like this in a quick and calm manner. Despite the drawbacks, Cornelius reiterated that being a pilot is a rewarding career, and one that he wouldn’t swap with anything. He’s very excited about his very near future career progression to a captain – left seat! I drew so much inspiration from talking to Cornelius and I hope to follow in his footsteps, perhaps one day I will take off in a BA plane from Heathrow and fly over Dulwich College – the school which enabled my passion to turn into reality. I am so grateful to Cornelius for coming to speak to us future pilots and giving us priceless advice. We are forever thankful for his time.
I was very fortunate to interview Cornelius Wilson (01-08), who gained his flying licence from the L3 Airline Academy, one of the world’s best flight schools, and now works as a pilot for British Airways (BA). Cornelius joined the Dulwich College Air Cadets in Year 9, just like me, which gave him a taste for aviation. His interest continued at university where he joined the Air Squadron. Similarly, my first Cessna flight at the age of 14 confirmed my passion for flying and I just could not get enough of it. I truly recommend this experience to anyone who is thinking about becoming a pilot – it’s an eye opener. Cornelius also suggested that I join the Air Squadron at university to further my knowledge of aviation and give me an opportunity to exercise my love for planes while doing my degree. After university, Cornelius chose to participate in the integrated two-year aviation course at the L3 Academy. He applied for the British Airways Multi-crew Pilot Licence (MPL) programme, which is the top-ranking training course, but was unsuccessful the first time. He then reapplied and got in on his second attempt – which goes to show that you should never abandon your dream if one route doesn’t work out. Cornelius advised that any aspiring pilot should do thorough research and visit different flight schools before applying to them. Furthermore, if you plan to study abroad you should make sure you take a course that’s licensed for Europe, in order to work in the UK. There is constant demand for pilots. EasyJet, BA and Ryanair are expanding at exponential rates, and according to Boeing, by 2037 we will need almost 800,000 pilots. However, there are two main concerns the industry needs to tackle. Firstly, the
Weddings and Celebrations The Terry Walsh Pavilion
A nostalgic setting for your big day
Words by Ammar Al-Kahachi (17-19) pictured below
Tel: 020 8299 9284 Email: events@dulwich.org.uk www.dulwichevents.co.uk
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