So, the big day had come. Time to move away from home, and start my adventure to become a pilot. After many months of waiting, preparing and signing forms, I chose the day before I moved out to pack my bags… big mistake! Having managed to locate everything I needed, I said my goodbyes and packed up the 2 cars we were taking and headed off down the M4 for the 2 and a bit hour drive. We stayed overnight in the Dale Farm House B&B again, although I got a lot more sleep than I did for either of my assessment days!
Suited and booted, I made the short drive to CTC’s Nursling training centre, filled with both excitement and nerves. When I arrived, I parked up and immediately found one of my course mates, who, like me, was trying to work out where we went in! We decided to wander round the building, and found the reception. We were escorted into the presentation hall (via the Sim hall, all I can say is WOW), and were then given our name badges and some information for our families. After a couple of us had spoken to the chief flying instructor, we all ended up gathering in a circle and getting to know each other. Once everyone had arrived, we were treated to a presentation by some of CTC’s top brass, then we were split into two groups; my group went to collect our accommodation keys, then we were taken to collect our uniform - all very exciting! Whilst this was taking place, the parents were taken on a tour (including having a look around the sims, lucky!). After everyone had regrouped, it was photo time! This took place whilst the other courses already in ground school took pleasure in staring at us like we were, well, the new kids at school.
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| Meet and greet |
Now was the interesting bit; getting to our new accommodation. As the rooms were on a first come, first choice basis, I aimed to be the first person arriving at our flat… and I was, but by the time I’d managed to unlock the door, Connor had arrived. We both made our room choices (I think I got the best one). I was pleasantly surprised by our flat, as the building its in doesn't look the nicest from outside; once we got into our flat however, it was lovely! Nice new carpet, a huge communal area with brand new leather furniture, a big double bed and a bathroom you could play football in (also a tiny toilet that is basically unusable, which has been named the hobbit toilet). We started the long process of carrying all of our stuff up the 3 flights of stairs (we’re in the penthouse). This took a while, as I brought quite a lot with me (not as much as Connor, who needed to borrow a van). Everyone had arrived by this point: Me, Connor, Jake, Matt and Mattia. With everyone’s goodbyes completed, and after a quick shower, we decided to go out for dinner and get to know each other a bit better.
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| The kitchen |
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| The lounge |
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| My (slightly messy) room |
An early start and a pre arranged shower schedule led to a smooth start to our first day, and gave us all time to take some selfies in our uniform. It didn’t stop us from getting stuck in the traffic though, something no one had warned us about! Very excited, and somehow on time we arrived at CTC, and proceeded to get lost inside the centre. We found our way to the classroom, and then settled in for the fun that is APD1 (Airline Preparation Day). Throughout the day, we were reminded constantly of how we were now airline pilots, and that this should reflect in our behaviour and standards. We were also reminded of how much work ground school would be, and given effective tips on how we should work and revise. We were given free lunch too, which is always nice! So after a long day, feeling more apprehensive about the coming months than we did before, it was time to go home, and prepare for our last weekend of freedom.
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| First day in uniform selfie |
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| Cliché photo in front of the sims |
P.S. I know I’m posting this about a month too late, but I’ve been very busy! Hopefully I’ll be updating this a bit more frequently now that I’ve settled in, although exams are only a month away now - more about this in my next update!
Adam
