So You Wanna be a Pilot?:YES!!

This is an article that I got from online. His story is same with me! My father is not a rich man!!! Please read it! It's an inspiration for you guys!

By Kenneth on Apr 30, 2009

When I first saw this blog, I remembered Florida's song -- "Oh hot damn, this is my chance! Keep me partying till the a.m. Y'all don't understand? Make me throw my hands in the ayer, ay-ayer, ayer- ay-ayer!!" I can definitely raise my hands in the air right now!
My name's Kenneth Teng Ngee Lun, currently 18 years old who had just received my SPM results and waiting for my King Scout Award examination. First and foremost, I would like to thank Dato' Anthony Francis Fernandes and Airasia for giving me and other aspiring pilots the chance to blog their feelings and reasons to become an airline pilot. So you wanna be a pilot, you ask? And YES is definitely my ONE and ONLY answer. I believe not only Airasia, but any, anyone in the world that ask me the same question will only get the same answer --- YES!!
So why?
Well, if not, I would not be here blogging and answering Airasia's call. Not only me, but other aspiring pilots will also do the same and take up the challenge. This is the place only for people who dream to be a pilot. I still remember my childhood experience when I am up in the sky. Every time I board a plane, I'll have airsick. And I mean it, EVERY TIME. However, that doesn't stop me from boarding a plane of course. I'm determined to get over my airsickness. So I tell myself when I'm on a plane: "GET OVER WITH IT. WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S A WAY". I tried and tried. And yes, repeated exposure to the flight environment decreases my susceptibility to subsequent airsickness. Airsickness never comes again. I enjoyed every flight I had back then.
I never thought of becoming a pilot when I was young. I just knew I enjoyed my flights in the plane. Taking a view of the surroundings outside when I'm in the plane, that really excites me. Thinking back, I was happy to successfully overcome my airsickness. I knew that if I hadn't keep on my will to do it, I wouldn't be enjoying my flight as I would now compared to the old times. The feeling when I'm in a plane is totally indescribable and I cherished my every moments in a plane. What makes me more enjoyable are those smiles... Every time I see pilots and flight attendants, their faces will be lit with generous and charming smiles. They must be enjoying their career a lot to be able to give those smiles.

See those smiles? =)
I remembered watching "Triumph in the Skies" which is a Hong Kong drama television series. I never knew this drama was such memorable to others until I read their blogs. They all love it as much as I am!. It's really a great drama. It shows the story of several people who are in the aviation industry. Oh my, how nice those pilots look in their uniforms! This drama is probably the best drama I've ever watched in my life, and my favourite. I learned a lot about the life of pilots from it. I can watch it over and over again!! The drama also shows flight training in Adelaide. That was the time when I took a step closer into the life of a pilot. I read aviation stuffs and articles about pilots' life and career on the internet. And I finally knew what I wanted ever since in my life and as my career. Yes, P-I-L-O-T.

Is it their uniforms, their hats, their ties or their epaulettes that make them admirable? NO, it's their job, their job as a PILOT!!
Ah, another thing I finally knew was filling in the "cita-cita" columns in school with the job I really wanted to be. And I filled all 3 with P-I-L-O-T. It was the first time I filled up the columns from the bottom of my heart (I always copied my friend's as I don't know what to fill, hahaha). My parents did asked me what I wanted to be in the future.
Mum: So have you decided what you wanted to be in the future?
Me : Yes, I wanna become a pilot. Mum: Are you sure? It's a dangerous job.
Me : Yes, I've made up my mind. Piloting is what I really wanted to be and I'm sure about it.
Mum: What if you can't be one? What other jobs you have as your second choice?
Me : There's no second choice. I just want to be a pilot.
Yes, you see it. I just want to be a pilot. Nothing else is my dream. I worked hard studying in Form 4. You may ask why. What's the requirement to be a pilot?
Passed a Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) or equivalent qualifications with credits in five(5) subjects including English Language, Mathematics and a Science subject.
Getting good academic results is the first step in ensuring I achieve my dream as a pilot. Besides, I limit my time watching television programmes. I wanted to maintain a good eyesight as that's also one of the requirements to be a pilot. I also exercise regularly to keep myself fit.
Well, hard work does pay off. I got straight As (8A1 3A2) for my SPM. I scored A1 in English 1119, Physics, Additional Mathematics and Mathematics which are the subjects required. My first step in becoming a pilot is successful! What's more to come? Airasia's opening cadet pilot intake!! Of course I'll never let the chance slip by. I applied it straightaway after completing my National Service. I also wrote a letter to DCA to get my DCA's approval letter for professional pilot training. Sadly, my father doesn't have enough money to finance my pilot training. 250k will add his burden as he's heading his retirement age in 2 years time. Furthermore, he's to pay housing loan and my elder sis is still studying at overseas at the meantime. Being a private pilot is not an option anymore.

My DCA Approval Letter
My parents asked me to apply for JPA scholarship after I received my SPM results. I had to do so and it was really difficult for me to fill in the course as there was no PILOT! So I put engineering and 2 weeks later I was called up for an interview. In mid April 2009 I was offered Engineering (France) by JPA. I thought of getting an engineering degree at first before becoming an airline pilot if I didn't receive a reply from Airasia cadet pilot intake. My heart sank when I was told I have to study Engineering in France for 7 years and bonded for another 7 years. 7 years in Engineering isn't a big deal, but another 7 years for bond? I'll be 32 years old by that time and I won't be eligible to apply for either MAS or Airasia's cadet pilot intake anymore as the age limit for Airasia is 28 and it's 26 for MAS. It was the biggest decision I have to make in my life. In the end, I decided to reject the offer and study locally.
My reason?
After completing my engineering and bond I'll be 32 years old where I'm not eligible to apply for cadet pilot anymore. Because private pilot is not an option for me, I can only put my hopes on cadet pilot. Moreover, they only offer Mechanical, Chemical and Electrical Engineering. Where's Aeronautical Engineering?? So if I study locally, I'll still have the chance to apply for cadet pilot intake if it's open every year. I'm not willing to give up on my dream to become a COMMERCIAL AIRLINE PILOT.




My dream office, an office that travels with breathtaking view
Why me? How will I make a good pilot?
Passion is the word
I believe every aspiring pilots blogging here will have the same thing, that is PASSION. Passion is of utmost importance for one to be a pilot. A pilot with great passion will love his job. It helps to remember why we are there in the first place. Every second in the plane matters to a pilot. If I didn't love it deep down it would simply become just another job that requires extraordinary sacrifices. That's why I choose to be a pilot because I love it deep down in my heart. Becoming a pilot is about enjoying flying as our career and part of our life. And I'm sure I'll enjoy flying as my career. I'll take up whatever challenges ahead and overcome them to be a pilot. I'm willing to fly for my whole life!!
Attitude
The skills of flying an airplane is only a small portion of what it takes to be a pilot. A pilot's attitude can be his or her most valuable asset. Every decision made is influenced by attitude. I have the attitude to become one.
1) Leadership. I'm very active in school's co-curricular activity as I joined various clubs such as Chess and Carom Club, Leo Club, Taekwondo, English Club, Kelab Bimbingan dan Kaunselling and Scout. I held the positions of class monitor for several times in primary and secondary school. I was also the Assistant Head Prefect in primary school. Besides, I'm the President of my school's Scout Group. During my year as the president, my Scout Group received the Chief Comissioner Quality Scout Group Award. There's only 3 Scout Groups in Sarawak to receive the award that time. I also held the position as Platun Sarjan when I'm in National Service.
2) Teamwork and communication. A good pilot communicates and works well in a team. From large team such as Airasia to a small team of cabin crew in a plane. As an active scout member for 5 years, I value teamwork and communication. Communication leads to teamwork and without communication, there won't be any teamwork. Captains, co-pilots and air traffic controllers need communication among themselves. Even when we are in the position of the captain of a plane, we can't be ego and deny the advices from our co-pilot about possible mistakes in the decision we made. Pilots need to communicate and work in a team in order to ensure a safe flight. Thus, a pilot's attitude decides his or her flying altitude.
3) Discipline. 5 years in a uniform group has instilled good discipline within me. Why is discipline an important criteria to become a pilot? Nowadays, it's a common thing for people to drive over the speed limit on the road or continue driving their car in very heavy rain. Both of these activities elevate the risk associated with driving. But, if we as pilots carry this same attitude into the cockpit, we are NOT GOING TO LAST LONG. Flying an airplane is nothing like flying a car. If I'm a pilot, I'll put great emphasis on flight safety and do my best to ensure that the passengers fly and land smoothly.
4) Responsible. Being ultimately responsible for the safety of the plane, passengers and lives on ground, becoming a pilot means putting tonnes of responsibilities on one's shoulders. It's important that pilots do not scare their passengers or does anything people might not understand without first making sure all passengers understand what they are doing and why. I lead my Scout Group so I know what is it like to take up responsibilities.
5) Decisive. I have the power to determine an outcome. Characterised by decision and firmness, I never hesitate to make decisions. Besides, I have good judgement. What is good judgement? It is the ability to make an instant decision which assures the safest possible continuation of the flight. I believe pilots strongly need that as pilots are always prone to situations that requires them to make the best decision in the shortest time.
6) Cautious. A pilot cannot afford to take risks because the lives of hundreds of passengers are in his hands. I'm the kind of person who doesn't take risk and able to evaluate risks and make decisions. With a cautious attitude, the probability of a safe flight increases.
7) Health-conscious. Pilots need to undergo strict medical examinations. I do not smoke or drink alcohols because I know pilots must maintain a good health in order to be eligible to fly an airplane.
When we think of our dream, we think of someone who can take us there. That someone to me is Airasia. Despite the global recession we're facing now, Airasia's still hiring pilots. If I'm selected as an Airasia pilot, I'll do my part in Airasia's vision, that is "To be the largest low cost airline in Asia and serving the 3 billion people who are currently underserved with poor connectivity and high fares" by providing the passengers safe flights with happiness and satisfaction. If I'm not selected, I'll never give up and knock the doors of Airasia and Malaysia Airlines until I become a commercial airline pilot. Why? Because I'll never take NO for an answer! Lastly, I would like to thank Airasia again for giving me the chance. Make this first blog I write in my lifetime the best.

I wanna be the man who flies a multi-million dollar machine in the sky ─ Pilot
Thank you.

Airbus A319

The A319 is one of the smaller members of Airbus' highly successful single aisle airliner family currently in service, and competes with Boeing's 737-300 and 737-700. 

The A319 program was launched at the Paris Airshow in June 1993 on the basis of just six orders placed by ILFC late in 1992 and the predicted better prospects of the commercial airliner market, which were certainly realised. The first A319 airline order came from French carrier Air Inter (since merged into Air France), whose order for six was announced in February 1994. Since then Swissair, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Northwest, United, US Airways and British Airways are among the major customers that have ordered more than 500 A319s (all also operate or have on order A320s).
The A319 flew for the first time on August 25 1995 from Hamburg in Germany. European JAA certification and service entry, with Swissair, took place in April 1996. 

The A319 is a minimum change, shortened derivative of the highly successful A320. The major difference between the A320 and A319 is that the latter is shorter by seven fuselage frames, while in almost all other respects the A319 and A320 are identical. 

Like the A321, A330 and A340, the A319 features Airbus' common two crew glass cockpit with sidestick controllers first introduced on the A320. There are significant crew training cost benefits and operational savings from this arrangement as the A319, A320 and A321 can all be flown by pilots with the same type rating, meaning that the same flightcrew pool can fly any of the three types. Further, the identical cockpit means reduced training times for crews converting to the larger A330 and A340. The A319 is said to have the longest range in this category of airliner. 

Like the A321, A319 final assembly takes place in Hamburg with DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus. Final assembly of all other Airbus airliners, including the A320, takes place at Toulouse. 
The A319 forms the basis for the new baby of the Airbus family, the A318 100 seater (described separately), and the Airbus A319 Corporate Jetliner (also described separately). 

Powerplants

Two 98 to 104.5kN (22,000 to 23,500lb) class CFM International CFM56-5As turbofans or

International Aero Engines IAE V2500-A5s.

Performances

Speeds similar to A320. Range at 64 tonne (141,095lb) takeoff weight 3391km (1831nm), range at 75,500kg (166,450lb) takeoff weight 6845km (3697nm).

Weight

Operating empty 39,884kg (87,930lb), standard max takeoff 64,000kg (141,094lb) or optionally 75,500kg (166,450lb).

Dimension

Wing span 33.91m (111ft 3in), length 33.84m (111ft 0in), height 11.80m (38ft 8.5in). Wing area 122.4m2 (1317.5sq ft).

Capacity

Seating for 124 passengers in a typical two class configuration (eight premium class and 116 economy class). High density single class layout can seat 142 passengers.

At late 1998 total orders for the A319 stood at approx. 541 with 108 delivered.

Airbus A318

The Airbus A318 is the smallest member of the Airbus A320 family, a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie. The A318 carries up to 132 passengers and has a maximum range of 3,100 nmi (5,700 km; 3,600 mi). Final assembly of the aircraft takes place in Toulouse, France.

The aircraft entered service in July 2003 with Frontier Airlines, and shares a common type rating with all other Airbus A320 family variants, allowing existing A320 family pilots to fly the aircraft without the need for further training. It is the largest commercial aircraft certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency for steep approach operations, allowing flights at airports such as London City.
Relative to other Airbus A320 family variants, the A318 has sold in only small numbers with total orders for only 83 aircraft placed at 28 February 2011.

Background

The first member of the A320 family was the A320 which was launched in March 1984 and first flew on 22 February 1987. The family was soon extended to include the A321 (first delivered 1994), the A319 (1996), and the A318 (2003). The A320 family pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire flight control systems, as well as side stick controls, in commercial aircraft.

The A318 was born out of mid-1990 studies between Aviation Industries of China (AVIC), Singapore Technologies Aerospace, Alenia and Airbus on a 95- to 125-seat aircraft project. The programme was called the AE31X, and covered the 95-seat AE316 and 115- to 125-seat AE317. The former was to have an overall length of 31.3 metres (102 ft 8 in), while the AE317 would be longer by 3.2 metres (10 ft 6 in), at 34.5 metres (113 ft 2 in). 

The engines would be supplied from two BMW Rolls-Royce BR715s, CFM56-9s, or the Pratt & Whitney PW6000s; with a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 53.3 tonnes (118,000 lb) for the smaller version and 58 tonnes (130,000 lb) for the AE317. The thrust requirement were 77.9–84.6 kilonewtons (17,500–19,000 lbf) and 84.6–91.2 kilonewtons (19,000–20,500 lbf), respectively. Range was settled at 5,200 kilometres (2,800 nmi) and 5,800 kilometres (3,100 nmi) for the high gross weight versions of both variants. Both would share a wingspan of 31.0 metres (101 ft 8 in) and a flight deck similar to that of the A320 family. Costing $2 billion to develop, aircraft production was to take place in China. 

Design phase

The aircraft was first named A319M5 in as early as March 1995, as an A319 derivative with fuselage shortening of 0.79 metres (2 ft 7 in) ahead of wing and 1.6 metres (5 ft 3 in) behind. The final proposal was for a 107-passenger two-class layout, and a range of 3,350 kilometres (1,810 nmi), or 6,850 kilometres (3,700 nmi) with upcoming Sharklets. The aircraft production took advantage of laser welding, eliminating the necessity for heavy rivets and bolts. Overall, the A318 is over six metres shorter and around 3 t (6,600 lb) lighter than the A320. To compensate for the reduced moment arm it has a larger vertical stabiliser, making it 75 centimetres (30 in) taller than the other A320 variants. Pilots who are trained on the other variants may fly the A318 with no further certification, since it features a common flight deck and the same type rating as its sister aircraft.

The A318 is available with a variety of different maximum take-off weights (MTOW) ranging from a 59 tonne, 2,750 km (1,500 nautical mile) base model to a 68 tonne, 6,000 km (3,240 nautical mile) version. The lower MTOW enables it to operate regional routes economically while sacrificing range and the higher MTOW allows it to complement other members of the A320 family on marginal routes. The lighter weight of the A318 gives it an operating range 10% greater than the A320, allowing it to serve some routes that the A320 would be unable to: London-New York, Perth–Auckland and Singapore–Tokyo, for instance. Its main use for airlines, however, is on short, low-density hops between medium-sized cities.

During the design process, the A318 encountered several problems. The first one was the decline in demand for new aircraft following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Another was the new Pratt & Whitney turbofan engines, which burned more fuel than expected; by the time CFMI had a more efficient engine ready for market, many A318 customers had already backed out, including Air China and British Airways. America West Airlines, which had selected the Pratt & Whitney engines, amended its A318 orders, opting instead for A319 or A320 aircraft. 

Trans World Airlines cancelled a significant order for fifty A318s after being acquired by American Airlines, which does not operate any A320 family aircraft (although neither did TWA when the order was originally placed). While Airbus was hoping to market the A318 as a regional jet alternative, laws in both the U.S. and Europe have kept it in the same class as larger aircraft for calculating charges such as landing fees, meaning regional operators have avoided it.

The aircraft is powered by two CFM56-5 or Pratt & Whitney PW6000 engines with thrust ratings of between 96 and 106 kilonewtons (21,600 and 23,800 lbf). Launch customers Frontier Airlines and Air France took deliveries in 2003, with Frontier receiving their models in July of that year. The list price of an A318 ranges from $56 to $62 million, and operating costs are between $2,500 and $3,000 for each flight hour.

Orders for the A318 have been relatively slow, but better than for its direct competitor the Boeing 737-600. At 31 January 2011, Airbus had received 83 orders for this model compared to 69 for the B737-600. The sales pace has been influenced by the strong sales of the Bombardier CRJ900 and Embraer E-Jets series. Notable A318 customers are Air France, 18; Frontier Airlines, 10 (+ 1 order); LAN Chile, 20 orders; and Mexicana, 10 orders.

Further developments

On 10 November 2005 Airbus announced the A318 Elite. The Airbus A318 Elite is aimed at the medium-range market for flights of up to 4,000 nm (7,400 km) range, with a choice of two cabin layouts seating up to 18 passengers, and will be powered by CFM engines. Comlux Aviation became the launch customer by ordering three A318 Elite aircraft.

In September 2010, Airbus confirmed that from 2013 the Airbus A318 would become available with Sharklets, wingtip devices which reduce lift-induced drag and improve efficiency through reduced fuel consumption. The optional devices, which will also be available on other Airbus A320 family models and are manufactured by Korea Aerospace Industries, will increase the range of the aircraft to 5,930 km (3,200 nm) – an increase of 185 km over a standard A318 with 107 seats in a two-class configuration.

Design

The Airbus A318 is a small, narrow-body (single-aisle) aircraft with a retractable tricycle landing gear and is powered by two wing pylon-mounted turbofan engines. It is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a conventional tail unit having a single vertical stabilizer and rudder. Two suppliers provide turbofan engines for the A318: CFM International with their CFM56 and Pratt & Whitney with the PW6000 engine.

Specifications

Airbus A318
	A318-100
Cockpit crew	Two
Seating capacity	132 (1-class, maximum) 117 (1-class, typical) 107 (2-class, typical)
Cargo capacity	21.21 m3 (749 cu ft)
Length	31.44 m (103 ft 2 in)
Wingspan	34.10 m (111 ft 11 in)
Wing area	122.6 m2 (1,320 sq ft)
Wing sweepback	25 degrees
Tail height	12.51 m (41 ft 1 in)
Cabin width	3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Fuselage width	3.95 m (13 ft 0 in)
Operating empty weight	39,500 kg (87,000 lb)
Maximum zero-fuel weight (MZFW)	54,500 kg (120,000 lb)
Maximum take-off weight (MTOW)	75.5 t (166,000 lb)
Cruising speed	Mach 0.78 (828 km/h/511 mph at 11,000 m/36,000 ft)
Maximum speed	Mach 0.82 (871 km/h/537 mph at 11,000 m/36,000 ft)
Maximum range, fully loaded	3,100 nmi (5,700 km; 3,600 mi)
Take off run at MTOW (sea level, ISA)	1,355 m (4,446 ft)
Maximum fuel capacity	24,210 L (5,330 imp gal; 6,400 US gal)
Service ceiling	12,000 m (39,000 ft)
Engines (×2)	Pratt & Whitney PW6000 series or CFM International CFM56-5 series
Thrust (×2)	96–106 kN (22,000–24,000 lbf)