Originally Posted by paul4040

Firstly, welcome.

I am not a pilot and don't have a licence of any kind - though we have a couple who post on here who may steer you in the right direction.

Most commercial pilots have the "flying bug" and have had it for quite some time. It's very rare for people to just happen upon a flying career when flicking through the careers guides at school.

Most pilots who end up on the airlines will already have had some air experience, gained privately through gliding clubs and the like, or the Air Cadet Organisation (my alma mater!).

For me, at 28 I still have the bug and due to my budget will hope to go towards the microlight end of the scene in the next few years, with a PPL (or whatever the equivalent will be then). A flying career was never an option for me.

If I were you I'd ask the same questions on PPRuNe, but be warned that your audience there can be quite expressly macho. It's a forum for professional pilots. So cover yourself in flame retardant and don't take anything they say too personally - but they may be able to give you better advice than most people here can. After all, everyone here sits down the back.

If I was doing it at your age, I'd be down the local flying club. Even if you've no money to train yourself, volunteer to help clean the aircraft or hangars. Some members might take you up as a passenger and show you the ropes. And if you get the right club, you might see airline pilots pass through on their days off, taking their Cherokee up for a spin. Network and get involved.