When to apply for a cadet scheme

Steph applied for a Cadet Scheme with a cargo airline during the time she was working as a Night Coordinator for an Air Med AOC 8pm‑8am for every 5 nights in 8, in addition to working half‑day weekend shifts as a receptionist for a flying club. This rolling pattern was less than ideal. She survived by meal‑prepping for days in advance, having sets of uniform ironed and lined up ready to go and by making the most of every single minute to sleep around the crazy days. She would also plan annual leave in advance using single days here and there to sleep.

A Night Coordinator working on her own she organised complete ground and air transport for surgical teams, transplant organs and patients. Duties included liaising with local transport coordinators, activating company drivers and arranging meeting‑point handovers, calling pilots from standby, arranging ground‑based services for the aircraft and planning blue‑light urgent transfers. It was here in this role Steph came to understand the term Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and who the companies, or airlines, are who hold them.

She became familiar with the names and voices of those in the industry and years later met many of these pilots. In the flying club she would take bookings, manage the diary, refuel aircraft, launch and liaise with customers. She was actually so low‑paid here that it wouldn't have been worth driving there for the work, except that she got a phenomenal discount on flying hours and as a trainee pilot that made it a job worth its weight in gold.

Steph applied to the Cadet Scheme at this time knowing she'd done and was doing everything she possibly could. She was flying as much as she could afford, learning as much as she could, armchair flying whenever she had the chance, volunteering in schools, mentoring and inspiring students across the country, as well as working through the ratings - PPL, night, aerobatics, tailwheel and towing.

She was still gliding too and had bronze, X‑Country and silver height gain. Basically flat out doing absolutely everything she could and she desperately needed the help to get the scholarship. After a few earlier cadet applications years earlier she finally applied for the cadet scheme she really wanted. The scheme would allow her to use already‑learned skills in Ops, then get to fly a really exciting round‑dial turboprop commercially.

How can you get a sponsored cadet scheme?

Steph was offered an interview for a sponsored cadet pilot scheme (a cadet that works for the company whilst hour building and completing the theory exams before the company would fully fund the CPL ME IR MCC TR*). However, the only way she could make it to the interview was after a 12‑hour night shift, half‑day shift, 5‑hour sleep, another night shift then shower, change and then a 4‑hour drive to Coventry from Darlington.

She arrived at the hotel room and ironed her shirt before the interview mid‑afternoon, exhausted and not sure how she'd survive the day through to the early hours.

After the technical interviews, we were taken by the cadets to a simulator where it was agreed we'd draw straws to decide who was next. The sim was a circuit in a 737. After 4 people had flown I asked the instructor if I could go next. I was so sleep‑deprived already and could stay awake much later. Fortunately the group took pity on my night shifts and I was next, running on empty and close to collapse. Little did I realise then, but learnt later on the day of my base training, that I'd done a good job in the sim. The instructor was also impressed that despite everything I'd saved plates of food from the buffet for the two instructors and also cleaned and put away the dishes at the end, which they would have otherwise had to do.

My interview prep beforehand involved brushing up all on my PPL theory, memorising some common conversions, learning all the GCSE‑level formulae, brushing up from the Pilot Operating Handbook of the aircraft I was currently and had previously flown (including gliders) and reading everything I possibly could about the Lockheed Electra and BAe ATP (their two cadet entry aircraft).

My preparation didn't just take hours but weeks of making lists of things to study and carefully working through the list.

I had a few books with formulas, my original PPL study books were annotated and highlighted to death. I looked up the company financial documents on the website and learned a little about the costs that the company would incur for my training.

*Commercial Pilot Licence, Instrument Rating, Multi‑Engine, Multi‑Crew Cooperation and a specific aircraft Type Rating.