BAA Training launched Wizz Air Cadet Programme only last year, but the first group of aspiring cadets has already succeeded in completing the first stage of training by mastering their theoretical skills.
In the blink of an eye the students shaped their wings enabling themselves to move to the long-awaited part of training – flying, and have already gained some experience as aviation professionals.
Our WIZZ cadets Matthieu from France and Lukasz from Poland have satisfied our curiosity by enthusiastically revealing what it feels like to be a cadet-pilot, sharing what lies behind their career choice and expressing their impressions about the training process in general. Feel yourself a student for a while!
What is it like to be a cadet-pilot?
Lukasz: “It is like being a part of a team, the team of your dreams. Studying and training in order to become a professional pilot reminds me of sports. You spend a lot of hours training, practising and getting to know the rules. You have to work hard and devote a great deal of effort to be ready to perform.
With flying it is the same. I am training hard because my goal is to take a place in the Airbus A320 cockpit. In sports sometimes you train to become a professional, but still do not know the team you will play for, while being a WIZZ cadet already makes me a part of their team. I study, try to do my best, and I know that my team is waiting for me. That is a really amazing feeling”.
How did you find out about this training programme?
Matthieu: “After a lot of time spent searching for cadet programmes, I just saw an advertisement from BAA on Facebook. I visited BAA’s website to get more information about training and cadetship at Wizz Air. Since I found out about this opportunity and became extremely interested in it, I contacted the school, first by email and then by Skype. A few weeks later I started the selection process”.
Why did you choose this training programme in particular?
Lukasz: “It is much easier to change your present life when you know that at the end of the new path you do not have to make a choice, there is an office of your dreams already waiting for you – the A320 cockpit. That is why I decided to participate in the cadet programme. Why Wizzair? When you are changing your life, you are looking for a partner which gives you an opportunity to have a good and stable working environment. I believe that working for Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, is a warranty of a good future”.
Why did you choose BAA Training?
Lukasz: “BAA Training is a part of Avia Solutions Group. I knew that I can trust people who are a part of the aviation industry, have big experience in this field, are open and helpful. Just like I am thrilled about working for Wizz Air in the future, I am glad that I have a professional support which helps me to achieve this goal. That is why I have chosen BAA Training”.
What are your impressions of the prescreening process? Which part of prescreening was the most challenging for you?
Matthieu: “Like in any aviation school, the prescreening process is long and divided into several steps. It is very important to assess the motivation and skills of the future pilot to see how he or she can cope with training demanding a lot of determination and time. With a good preparation nothing is impossible and the process is clearly explained by BAA communication team.
The most challenging prescreening test for me was the logical reasoning test, with series or special logic laws to identify… Some of them were really mysterious to me”.
What did you find the most impressive/challenging about the selection stage?
Lukasz: “Personally for me, the most challenging part of the selection was the last one – the interview with the airline representatives. It was the final moment which had an overwhelming influence on the rest of my life. I have always been feeling sure that I am in the right place and I am meant to be a professional pilot. I knew that if I was invited to the last stage, it would mean that my dream may come true, but still, even at the last stage it was possible to be rejected. So, being calm and relaxed at that moment was really challenging”.
Since you have already done your theory part, what is your opinion on this stage of training?
Matthieu: “The theory is very intensive. As I am an engineer, the content is not too hard to understand for me but there is a lot of information to take in. However, the subjects are really interesting; and this is what gives me a lot of motivation to study”.
Is Vilnius, and Lithuania in general, a convenient location to have your training done in? Are you satisfied with the country?
Lukasz: “Vilnius, and Lithuania in general, are very similar to my home country, Poland. Prices, weather, condition of roads, food did not cause any problems during the adaptation period. It is important that a lot of people speak English, so communication is not a problem either. There is plenty of beautiful places to visit, a lot of sport clubs and places to spend time with friends after studies”.
What are the key factors that make you love aviation in general?
Matthieu: “What I love about aviation most is the fact that it is a community of people who share the same passion. The job of an airline pilot is about teamwork and it is the opportunity to meet very interesting people. Of course, the fact that each flight is different from the other, with different destinations, weather conditions, crews, etc. makes the airline pilot job even more exciting”.
Lukasz: “When you see the industry from the passenger’s point of view, you see the world full of mystery. Big machines, people who know how to operate them, travelling to many countries. It is an amazing feeling to be a part of this world. That is why I wanted to do it, to do my work and be so proud of what I do”.
