I'm dying for an answer!!!! Help please!!

[redprada]

I'm 15 this year, female. I want to be a pilot, but well, I don't know the basic requirements and all that. Besides, its rare for them to hire females right? So I'll have to be really very very good right? Maybe its really naive of me, but i've been trying to push myself further, fitness wise. I'm trying to reach boy standard. Am I being real silly? Becoming a pilot has become my motivation lah. It's like everything I do, I link it to the atributes of being a pilot? Like teamwork, quick reaction, discipline, responsible. Yeah, and all that. I think I'm really silly. Haha, anyway I really want to be a pilot. I need advices and answers please.

So I'm taking my O levels next year. Then I'll be moving on to a JC or a Poly. That's the problem. I don't know which one to go. Should I go to a poly and study about aerospace, or should I go to a JC and have higher chances of getting into a Uni? I know its a minimum 9 years down the road thing, but it isn't too early to start planning now right? So should I go to a JC or a poly?

Also, can I know what's the height limit for pilots? I've been getting different answers here and there so I'm not exactly sure.

And, I know my current height 158.5 is totally unacceptable so anyone knows how I can make myself grow taller? :p

My eye degree is left eye 100 and right eye 50. Can I still be a pilot?

Thanks in advance!!!

[Plavt]

On the question of hiring females; it very much depends which airline you approach, while, as far as I know, SIA still has none British Airways at the last time for which I had figures had twelve, two of which were captains. United has or did have a number of female pilots. As for basic requirements, I take it you mean academic qualifications? From what I have seen nothing beats having a good degree, although the basic requirements are usually something less. Here is an old example relating to the UK airforce; the minimum entry requiirements are or were 5 GCE 'o' levels including maths and English plus a science subject. However, the majority of successful applicants held a degree but do be aware times have changed in thirty odd years (showing my age again. ).

As regards your intend qualification, I would say go a degree which need not be aerospace bearing in mind you could fail the medical, you don not know what might happen between now and then. In addition you could change your mind in which case you would still have your degree to fall back on.

Maybe our pilot poster will fill you in on the height issue, I am sure I have seen a pilot shorter (sms is I think 5'2" and he was a pilot). No you cannot make yourself grow taller (try platform shoes).

Don't know about the eyesight.

[jencrs]

If you don't know the basics, start with the SIA website and the CAAS website. That will answer most of your questions.

Just some quick answers:

1) You don't need exceptional fitness, you need to be healthy.
2) Generally the majority of recent cadets are university graduates. So my opinion would be to go the university route.
3) The biggest problem I see is your height. If you don't meet Silkair's ht requirement, you don't become a silkair pilot.

[Lucille]

go join youth flying club. sia i also never heard before, but in the Air force yup. one or two female.. if u intend for air force den pm me..

[redprada]

wow if no one said anything about my eyes, does it mean that its OK? i thought it was gonna be my biggest problem. though now i think my height really is the biggest problem.

you mean they allow them to fly planes in the youth flying club? when they're still teens? thats like WOW.

what are platform shoes?

you mean its OK if my degree does not have anything to do with aerospace? would it help if it did? cause i saw on captain lim forum that they asked some geography questions (OH NO I'M A HISTORY STUDENT) and some technical questions on the first interview. is it better if i had aerospace degree?

what's silkair height requirement? i can't find an answer...

oh and i'm flat foot. does it matter? oh god, i do have a lot of problems huh.

should i go and take geog lessons outside? just for some general knowledge? cause they'll ask something on geography right? or am i being too kiasu? is it too early to be worrying about this now?

omg its really hard to become a pilot huh? even if you have lots of passion and interest, its still quite useless huh..

[Plavt]

what are platform shoes?

They are detrimental to your feet when worn too much.

you mean its OK if my degree does not have anything to do with aerospace? would it help if it did?

There is more to a pilot's life than simply being familiar with the technical aspects of an aircraft. Science and engineering degrees are useful but the ability to retain and use information along with making spontaneous and correct decisions is the art of flying.

what's silkair height requirement? i can't find an answer...

Read post above by jencrs.

oh and i'm flat foot. does it matter? oh god, i do have a lot of problems huh.

Easily corrected; a therapist can give you some exercises, lots of people have been flat-footed at some time in their life.

should i go and take geog lessons outside? just for some general knowledge?

Well it does help if you know where countries are or you might get very lost. More important than specializing in geography is to show an awareness of what is going in the world and how it affects your life and work. For example flying Singapore to London at the time of crisis in Iraq the plane avoided the country. Hint: Consider terrorism and how travel has changed.

omg its really hard to become a pilot huh? even if you have lots of passion and interest, its still quite useless huh..

The interviews for such a position are by necessity very select; would you want the man or woman at the front to be a badly short-sighted forgetful lazy half-wit with a fondness for the botte?

[mayamomi]

as far as i know, correct me if i'm wrong, flat feet cannot be corrected by exercises.. in fact it cannot be corrected at all (don know about surgery though.. but have never seen such surgery)

sometimes people who are flat feet have pain wearing certain types of shoes and a podiatrist or perhaps occupational therapist can make some kind of an arch support to be put in the shoes...

[jpatokal]

One site with all the answers you need and then some:

http://www.askcaptainlim.com/

Written by a Singaporean pilot to boot!

[Plavt]

One site with all the answers you need and then some:

http://www.askcaptainlim.com/

Written by a Singaporean pilot to boot!

Captain Lim is Malaysian and flew with MAS until he retired.

[Plavt]

as far as i know, correct me if i'm wrong, flat feet cannot be corrected by exercises...

Not true, I had flat feet as a very small boy; a series of exercises soon rectified that.

Adding edit 17, September: see following posts just a misunderstanding; apparently two different definitions of flat feet.

[mayamomi]

as far as i know, correct me if i'm wrong, flat feet cannot be corrected by exercises...

Not true, I had flat feet as a very small boy; a series of exercises soon rectified that.

probably misdiagnosed... or late development of arches... almost all babies are born with flat feet and in most children the arches are not fully developed till they are 10 yrs old...

http://www.ucsfhealth.org/childrens/med ... signs.html

flat feet is usually hereditary according to an orthopaedic surgeon, don know how true but have seen many cases where the parents and child have flat feet... and if i'm not wrong, men with flat feet in singapore does not need to serve NS or are given clerical jobs ...

none of the websites i searched have mentioned exercises as a treatment

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flatfe ... DSECTION=6

[Plavt]

probably misdiagnosed...

The links you have read are correct but the flat footedness relating to my self was in my way of walking due to a small deformity I had and not the physical characteristics mentioned in those links.

A case of the same terminology being used for two different things; I would never have looked at those links if you hadn't mentioned them.

I believe you are right about NS; that was the case (and probably still is) here.

[mayamomi]

probably misdiagnosed...

The links you have read are correct but the flat footedness relating to my self was in my way of walking due to a small deformity I had and not the physical characteristics mentioned in those links.

A case of the same terminology being used for two different things; I would never have looked at those links if you hadn't mentioned them.

I believe you are right about NS; that was the case (and probably still is) here.

i'm confused, did the exercises rectify the deformity or the way u walked?

i might be wrong but i do not know how exercises can correct any deformities at all, flat feet or otherwise...

and how would u know that the OP's condition is same as yours, my point is u might be misleading her into thinking that exercises could rectify her problem, which we still do not know what it is except that she has flat feet, and she didn't mention how it affects her, if at all, and this condition itself, which flatly means no arch in each foot, cannot be corrected by exercises... am i making sense? or i'm out of topic??

[Plavt]

i'm confused, did the exercises rectify the deformity or the way u walked?

i might be wrong but i do not know how exercises can correct any deformities at all, flat feet or otherwise...

One foot was twisted (i.e. slanted one side). I had to wear a built up shoe for a while. As a result I used to slam my feet down 'flat' when walking and this is what they called flat footedness in my case. I wasn't aware of the type you mention in your links as I had no need to look it up. Hence the misunderstanding, I should not be misleading the OP since she would have to go for a medical at some point and should not in any case rely on information from a free forum. As you say yourself we do not know her full details and at 15 years old has plenty of time to find out things herself from those qualified.

This is a classic example of misunderstanding that can arise from simply using the web and free forums and why I always advise checking things out the relevant authorities or people. I expect you have heard plenty of rumours and rubbish in your life (have a good look around the rest of this forum you will see what I mean).

[mayamomi]

One foot was twisted (i.e. slanted one side). This is a classic example of misunderstanding that can arise from simply using the web and free forums and why I always advise checking things out the relevant authorities or people. I expect you have heard plenty of rumours and rubbish in your life (have a good look around the rest of this forum you will see what I mean).

This i definitely agree...