Pilot Isaac Shenoy:
Hi everyone, my name is Isaac Shenoy. I'm 20 years old and have recently graduated from FTEJerez.
Having lived in 4 countries, I've been surrounded by planes a lot of my life! Travelling to and from different countries to visit family, and to explore the world on a variety of holidays whilst growing up. I always loved playing with toy planes and trains, and so I guess it became a natural path for me to follow aviation into a career.
After completing my A-Level studies in England, I started to apply to several flight schools both in the UK and abroad. One particular scheme caught my attention was Flight Training Europe's cadet programme. I applied to it and was fortunate enough to pass the assessments and get a place which I took.
Over the course of 18 months (which includes a 3 month break due to the closure of the school) I completed my frozen ATPL training with first time passes in all theory and flying examinations. It was certainly a challenge... Countless hours of study, both in the classroom and alone, for the 14 theory subjects were very mentally challenging and draining. However with perseverance, I believe that anything is possible!
Flying in Spain was absolutely incredible! Gorgeous views, lovely weather and great instructing made it an enjoyable experience. The 35-45°C temperature in the summer was certainly interesting. Whilst at the pool or beach it can be extremely nice, however inside the mighty Piper Warrior, or even the air conditioned DA42, it was still far too hot! Not only were all the aircraft seats absolutely soaked in sweat, the PA28 does not want to climb! With 100fpm climbs in the peak of summer, it definitely added a new challenge to flying.
The twin engine part of training was brilliant. The high speed and performance meant that the DA42 was great fun to fly! Although it did involve the CPL and IR exams, it was still a amazing. With a handful of ECU and alternator failures, it added some really valuable experience and learning into my training.
The APS MCC course was by far my favourite part of the course. Partnered up with my classmate and friend Ines, we worked great as an "airline crew" and performed extremely well in the course. All the hours of flying on FSX had finally paid off as I understood the A320 well and was familiar with the cockpit. It was a brilliant opportunity to learn multicrew ops and fly as a crew.
As for now, I've recently started working at a local supermarket as a delivery driver. A job that I'm very grateful for at the moment given the current economic situation that everyone is going through. Whilst it isn't flying planes, at least I get to drive around and keep busy. Hopefully within the next 10 years I'll be in an airline and in (or in the process of going across to) the left hand seat!
Good luck to those who are looking to pursue a similar career, and if you have any questions then please feel free to contact me on Instagram @flightpath_aviation. See you in the skies!