How to Prepare for a Pilot Cadet Program: 10 Key Steps

Key Points:

• Prepare well in advance for the KEDA program
• Understand eligibility requirements and have necessary documents ready
• Pay attention to your CV and seek professional review
• Research the airline thoroughly and understand its culture
• Familiarize yourself with aviation competencies and customer service standards
• Prepare a motivation statement and review math and physics concepts

Let's talk about the 10 important things you can start doing in preparation for a KEDA program. Because for most of the programs that will be opening up early next year, you literally have say about less than a month for you to prepare. So I hope that you're already doing your preparations.

Like I always say, you don't prepare when the program opens up. You prepare well in advance of the program. That would often ease stress, and generally, you perform better during the selection processes.

So if you're new here, welcome. If you're a returning Subscriber, thanks for clicking on this video. I thought I should make this video pretty quickly because I am going back to work today, and as you know, it gets busy.

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The first thing that I would like to say is that if you haven't thought about the eligibility requirements for the program, of course, you should know that already. Be very familiar with it. Look into the documents that you will need in order to apply for the program.

When I say requirements you need to have, I'm talking about maybe grades, age requirements, and things of that nature. Maybe even where you live or the right to live and work in the area. So please pay attention to those things so that you don't waste your time and resources in preparing.

If you don't meet those requirements, it will often work against you by the time you get through the stages. And trust me, you will think some of these automated systems will catch it. Sometimes you slip through the cracks, and you end up getting to the final stage and you get denied the opportunity because you haven't met the requirements through the program. So pay attention to those things.

The second thing will be the CV and resume requirement. Please pay attention to your resume and CV. Watch out for errors, and make sure things are written in a way that is inviting and easily understood by a stranger. Just because you prepared it doesn't mean that every other person will understand exactly the format and style you've used.

So use something that will be pleasing to the eye, but at the same time easily understood without making it cumbersome for a stranger. It is worth getting your CV or resume reviewed by a professional.

There are so many things that you are likely to miss that a professional will not miss. Also, there are some ways in which you would write your resume that a professional might be able to give you more insight on how to present it in a more easily understood manner. Just as you are unique, your resume will be unique as well.

And that's why you need to pay attention to your resume and maybe get somebody to check it out for you to make sure that you cover all grounds.

The third thing that I'm going to recommend to you is to do airline research. It is very important to research the airline properly. So study the business model of the airline. Understand how the airline operates, the challenges it might be facing, understand the values, and maybe mission statements if they have one of that airline.

Think about the growth plans of the airline as well. And don't forget the culture of the airline. Those things are important. Now, in talking about the airline, you know, you should pay attention to if they have bases that are opening up or closing.

Understand the pilot group itself. Maybe if you have friends in that airline, they could give you some insights about the airline that could help. And of course, there's always the websites on the Internet that you can check for information. So do your airline research—understand the airline very well. That will do you a lot of good, especially as you get through different stages when it comes to the interviews and the likes.

Okay, so keep that in mind. The next thing will be aviation competencies or pilot competencies. Now, I talk about this a lot. That is because when you go in for your interviews or through any pilot selection program, there are competencies that have been tested.

Whether it’s situational awareness, resource management skills, team management skills, knowledge, or flight skills—all these various competencies have been tested. If you're not really into the aviation world yet because you have no experience but are really interested in the career, then being familiar with these competencies will strengthen your candidacy or your knowledge and could prove to be very important during these assessments.

By the way, I have a competency guide below. You can check it out in the description section of this video.

The next thing, in relation to aviation competencies, will be the importance of customer service. You see, when it comes to flying, it's all about customer service. It's all about safety. Of course, safety is always number one, but customer service is key because those are the people that are paying you for that flight, in some sense, alright?

They're paying you to get from point A to point B safely. So of course, safety is always number one. But it is very important to have some sense of customer service in dealing with customers, managing their fears, and helping them out in different ways.

If you have experiences in this area, it could be beneficial, especially in relating your experiences to a potential interviewer. So something to keep in mind: if you are not well-versed in providing customer service, then I would say maybe do some reading about it to understand what excellent customer service means, especially in the world of aviation.

In relation to aviation competencies, it is also important to understand the qualities of a professional pilot. If you intend to be a professional pilot and you are asked, "What are the qualities of a professional pilot?" could you give some qualities of a professional pilot and discuss them in a way that demonstrates your understanding? If you can do that, then you have a good start because that would help you in presenting yourself in the right way.

Whether it's confidence, knowledge, addressing, or the way you speak, the list goes on. Just do your research on this. I'm not trying to make these videos very long; I'm trying to put the ideas to you to help you understand the things you should be working on right now.

Number five will be to prepare your motivation statement. It is important to have a multi-pilot motivation statement because you're likely going to be asked this question somewhere along the way—whether through an essay you have to write or during an interview.

These things will come up, and they will likely want to know why you want to be a pilot. If you don't have this down, it can come out the wrong way or, if you haven't thought about it well in advance, you could struggle presenting your ideas in the right manner.

So your goal is to be able to be honest about why you want to be a pilot while also showing the passion, determination, and tenacity needed to succeed as a pilot.

Now moving on to number six, review math and physics concepts. These are things that you probably have done in high school. And if it's been a while since you've left school and you've been doing other things, well, you may need to start reviewing those concepts again.

Trust me, when you do them, your speed and accuracy increase. The more you spend time practicing, revising, and reviewing these things, the better you're likely to perform during a test. So spend some time to review basic math and GCSE level maths and physics to refresh your knowledge.

Number seven will be to start practicing various aptitude tests. If you are familiar with the aptitude tests you will be taking, then this is the time to start reviewing them regularly to stay sharp in dealing with those types of tests, especially performing under pressure.

That is the key thing. Because you're timed, your ability to perform well really comes through the practice you've done and how recent you've practiced. Check out pilotassessments.com for various resources on how to start preparing for GET programs.

Number eight will be to learn about pilot responsibilities and duties. If you are trying to get into this role and make it a career, then you're likely going to be tested on your knowledge about the industry.

So learning about the duties and responsibilities of a pilot will benefit you greatly. Number nine will be to gain some experiences. Now, I have made number ten kind of similar to this, but number nine is, hey, if you have Microsoft Flight Simulator or some form of simulator that lets you practice flying, then I would encourage you to do so.

Especially, you're able to practice your scanning techniques and work on multitasking. These programs do help with those skills.

This leads us to number ten, which is to get a Discovery Flight done. If you are able and have the funds to do so, I would encourage you to get a Discovery Flight done.

Doing a Discovery Flight really puts you in an airplane where you get to fly with an instructor, shows you what a training environment looks like, and helps you determine if this is really what you want to pursue before committing a lot of money whether through a sponsored program or a partly sponsored program.

The point is, a lot of money will be committed to the program, and you want to ensure this is something you truly want to do without a doubt.

So if you have found value in this video, please don't forget to drop a like on it. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel; I would really appreciate it. And of course, let me know your thoughts in the comment section. What are the things you are doing that I have uncovered in this video? Please share so that others can also benefit from it.

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