[UK] Speedbird Pilot Academy application window open until 23rd April 2026

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iHowlett@reddit

Good luck to everyone that is applying.

I found that there was A LOT of reflective questions asked during the pre-application that forced you to use 100 or 150 words minimum in your answer. It made the pre-application take longer for me than the actual application.

I completed the Situational Judgement Test and Math Test on 14th, only managed to finish 15 of the math questions and thought i ruined my chances, but 1 hour later I received an email to complete the detail checking test. Completed that yesterday on 15th, so I guess now we will wait and see

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mazzynatska@reddit

Do they only invite you to the next test if you pass? After the maths it said they I might not hear from them for a while but I got an email this morning to do the listening test...

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iHowlett@reddit

The message I received after the checking test told me "This is the final assessment of the first stage so you may not hear from us for a while"

I didn't know there was a listening test, first time hearing about it, guess I'll wait and see

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Whisky-Pilot-972@reddit

You had a listening test? I’ve only done the SJT, the Maths and the error checking… does the listening come after these?

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mazzynatska@reddit

I got an email for it, I haven't done it yet and ues jt comes after maths and error checking

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Whisky-Pilot-972@reddit

Damn, i did the error checking last night but still not heard about the listening. How long did it take for you?

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mazzynatska@reddit

About 12 hours

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EmbarrassedPotato148@reddit

Hey how did you find the detail checking? What sort of questions are there and did u prepare?

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iHowlett@reddit

I felt it was much easier than the math test to be honest...

For each question it's just a table of data and then underneath they will have a line of data that almost matches but has some errors, you just have to look between the line of data and the table and see what matches and what doesn't match.

For example; the table with having maybe one line like this:

A320 4368 Miles LGW G-BA45 216 Passengers 16 Years

And then your line of data will say something like:

A320 4368 Miles LGW G-BA45 261 Passengers 16 Years

You then have to choose where the mistake is, but bear in mind, some have multiple mistakes, and some have zero mistakes (from what i could see).

I didn't prepare anything, it's 7 minutes for 12 questions, just give it a go and read each line carefully. Good luck

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0xPonder@reddit

This is accurate! I just completed all 3 of mine also. Good luck to us all!

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astraios_094@reddit

Where did you do the tests? I applied and have only got asked to do the online assessment so far? Nothing about maths?

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Consistent_Wonder975@reddit

How did you find the maths? Are there any equations I should know before doing it?

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alfieyates1414@reddit

I’ve just completed the digital checking online assessment. From what I’ve seen online the next stage of successful is a Passenger Announcement, does anyone know what this consists of and how long it’ll take for me to hear back regarding my results from my digital checking?

The first two online assessments I heard back within the hour, I finished the digital checking about 20 minutes ago so I know I’m early but just curious what others have experienced.

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Glittering-Win-1047@reddit

Hey I got invited to a listening one after this. Hope this helps

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Cherrycokepanda@reddit

Did you complete the maths exam yet ? How many questions did you manage to answer in the time window ? I only managed 8 but i definitely got those 8 right.

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Euphoric_Local_455@reddit

how long did u get for maths? was it just speed/distance/ratio questions?

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Cherrycokepanda@reddit

Not allowed to say exactly but it’s that kind of stuff yeah, it’s allot of questions and not allot of time

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missionnilpossible@reddit

can anyone give insight or any details on the maths test?

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MyPilotInterview@reddit

I find the questions a bit obnoxious - did you go to private school, did you qualify for the free school lunch program, describe your parents job.

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Apprehensive_Cost937@reddit (OP)

They're likely looking to get people, who have the aptitude for flying, but could have never even dream to being able to afford it in any other way.

All others things being equal, would you sponsor the full training (plus some other stuff) for someone, who's have to overcome a lot of adversity and who can't afford training, or someone, who could have easily afford the flight training without breaking the bank?

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Insaneclown271@reddit

They should be choosing the best applicants who will fly their planes without stacking it…

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CessnaBandit@reddit

Your background doesn’t matter in the process. Being form hardship will not put you at an advantage. Whether or not you can afford flight training doesn’t matter. They aren’t doing this out of the goodness of their heart, it’s high risk investing so much money with no guarantee they’ll be successful in training. They want well rounded people with strong educational achievements.

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Fast-Government-4366@reddit

Tbh that’s a privileged ass position.

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NodeTrasher@reddit

Whilst that would be the nice thing to think, I’ve met previous classes on the Speedbird program and at least 1/2 of them have parent(s) who fly for BA! Absolutely mad

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kesterrice@reddit

In reality the ratio is nowhere near half… certainly there are some but I believe it’s only reflective of the inherent advantages the having a BA pilot parent would give you? (growing up around aviation, insight into what BA look for during assessments, genuine connection to the brand etc.) They do well at selection for the same reasons as current/previous BA employees tend to do well also. There are also many sons/daughters of BA pilots who have repeatedly failed the assessments…

To others reading please don’t let this discourage you from applying

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flyingwithfish24@reddit

Can’t allow the filth of a commoner in his majesty’s airline! That’s what Jet 2 is for!

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kesterrice@reddit

Those questions are purely for data collection and demographics, the answers have absolutely no bearing on the success of your application.

The cadets met come from a huge range of backgrounds - the majority of which certainly could have afforded to self-fund by saving for a few years or getting a loan from parents.

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CessnaBandit@reddit

It’s an obnoxious airline.

To be fair, collecting that data is useful in understanding the demographics applying and can also be used in further research to see if there is any correlation between the answers and how successful someone is on the job.

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AnarchyCan1@reddit

Has anyone ever heard of someone applying who already has FAA and Canadian CPL, professional flying experience but not ATPL or airline experience?

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TobyADev@reddit

No chance

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kesterrice@reddit

You are not eligible to apply if you’ve ever sat an EASA or CAA ATPL exam, not sure if that’s the case for FAA/Canadian…

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yyz_barista@reddit

Technically no. Canadians (and Americans) are not required to write EASA or CAA exams, we write Transport Canada (or FAA) exams.

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SATSewerTube@reddit

What about UK right to work?

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AnarchyCan1@reddit

I'm originally from the UK. I hold multiple passports.

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Apprehensive_Cost937@reddit (OP)

This is not who the program is for. If you've already hold a CPL, and assuming you can work in the UK, you are pretty much ready for an airline job, following a licence conversion.

This program is generally intended for people with zero or minimal previous experience.

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CessnaBandit@reddit

You absolutely can apply but you won’t get it if you have much experience anywhere else. You’re not the kind of person they are wanting