Breakthrough Awaits Those Who Persist

"Keep going. Two words that have carried me through every setback, every rejection, every storm. I hope, as you read my story, you’ll find your own reasons to keep pushing forward."

Hi! My name is Ivan Looi, and at the time of writing this, I am proud to be an A320 First Officer.

On a layover in Okinawa with my mother and sister

When the Sky Called

The desire to fly for a living didn’t strike me as a child, but in my mid-20s. Inspiration can strike anyone, at any time. For me, it began on an unforgettable day as I sat in the cockpit of a Boeing 777 simulator at the SIA Training Centre, hands trembling with excitement as I took part in its 70th-anniversary event. In that moment, I glimpsed a new future for myself.

I had just finished university and was already searching for work. That experience made me stop and really consider what I wanted to do with the next 30 or 40 years of my life.

Setbacks and Stepping Stones

I started applying for cadetships seven times: three with Singapore Airlines, three with Scoot, and one with Jetstar Asia. Seven rejections. Each one stung. Each one felt like a door slammed in my face.

But every “no” forced me to dig deeper. I learned that disappointment hurts less than regret, and that every setback could be a stepping stone, not a stumbling block.

I refused to let disappointment close the door on my dream.

Changing Course

In 2018, I discovered a self-funded CPL MEIR programme at the now-defunct ST Aerospace Academy (STAA). I applied and was accepted, excited to take the next step. But just a few months into ground school, everything changed, and it turned into a difficult experience for my coursemates and me.

This was when we found out about Revion Ground School and reached out to Youhao. Honestly, there wasn’t a single defining reason for trusting Revion. After meeting Youhao, I could tell he was genuine. At the same time, things at STAA were clearly going downhill, and it became obvious that I couldn’t rely on them. Even though Revion didn’t have a track record or proper facilities at the time, switching felt like the right choice.

Therefore, we decided to withdraw from STAA and join Revion. We completed our ground school there, then continued to L3 Airline Academy in New Zealand in 2019 for flight training.

It was the beginning stages of Revion, and classes were held in Youhao’s room. Despite the humble environment, Youhao proved to be a very effective instructor. I learn best by making sense of things, and he always explained topics clearly and answered questions in a way that made sense to me.

As Revion grew, we moved midway through ground school to a proper classroom at WingsOverAsia near Seletar Airport.

Visiting Airbus Asia Training Centre

Unlike my previous experience at STAA, where we juggled four subjects a day to maximise instructor utilisation, Revion’s lesson structure allowed us to dive deep into each topic and truly understand the material before moving on. The focus was always on understanding, not just rote memorisation to pass exams.

Youhao genuinely cared about our progress. He would even answer questions outside of classroom hours if we needed help while studying at home in the evenings or over the weekend.

Training in NZ was great; it was a beautiful country, the weather was amazing, and the sense of camaraderie within our Revion cadet group made the experience truly special. We gathered for big steamboat dinners, shared stories, and built friendships that made our time there unforgettable.

Family came over for a visit while I was in NZ

Circuits in a DA42 (Diamond Twinstar) over Rotorua, New Zealand

An Open Door—and Another Test

Back in November 2018, we heard Revion was working on a collaboration with a local airline. The idea: cadets could be recommended for their Direct Entry Second Officer scheme.

When the collaboration was finalised in July 2019, all of us in the flight training phase were given the chance to apply for Direct Entry Second Officer positions with the airline. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it through the interview. It was another hurdle in a journey already filled with setbacks. Even so, it stung at the time. It’s never easy to watch a significant opportunity slip away.

The World Paused

I was scheduled to graduate in early 2020, but then COVID hit. The country went into lockdown, and I was 90% done with my training. My next flight would have been my CPL test. Suddenly, everything was on hold. I returned to Singapore, thinking the wait would be short. But borders closed, schools shut down, and my plans quickly unravelled.

A deal between L3 and AAPA (Australian Airline Pilot Academy, acquired STAA) was reached, and we were transferred to their flight school in Wagga Wagga, Australia, to complete our training in 2022.

Those of us transferred were put in a completely different environment, with new aircraft types (Piper Seminoles in AAPA vs Diamond Twinstars in L3), with only a handful of flights remaining and after not flying for over 2 years. It wasn’t easy learning a lot from scratch, with most of our flying skills rusty, but we had great instructors.

Chi, the best instructor in Wagga Wagga

It was such a huge difference in environments between NZ and Australia. NZ was a feature-rich place with so many landmarks you could use for visual navigation, while Australia, Wagga Wagga to be specific, was a featureless desert. I recall that the only feature on the 50-nautical-mile leg of my CPL test route was a small crossroads midway along the leg.

It was almost impossible to spot at 4,000ft in the air; I recall having to circle for a few rounds before finally being able to find it.

I was spoiled with the modern DA42 back in NZ, with its push-to-start engines, much like a car. Switching over to the Piper Seminole, with its comparatively long startup process and manual propeller pitch trim controls, was a struggle.

I slogged it out with 2 sims and/or flights per day, sometimes having to ask my friends to keep meals for me at the school cookhouse because I didn’t have time to eat during the allotted meal times.

I passed both CPL and IR tests on the first attempt, got my licence, and came back to Singapore, but no one was hiring. I got a job as an operations coordinator with Universal Aviation at Seletar Airport, handling private jet operations. It was a little painful working closely with pilots who got to do what I wanted to do daily. There were a lot of nice crew members that I met along the way, who knew I also had a CPL and would constantly check in on how my applications were coming along when they met me.

Obligatory handshake photo with flight examiner after passing the flight test

The Call That Changed Everything

Eventually, in 2023, Scoot, Singapore Airlines, and Jetstar Asia began their post-COVID hiring for direct-entry second officers. I applied to all of them. Finally, in August 2024, the day came.

I received a call from one of the airline's HR staff telling me that my application had been successful and I was scheduled to start soon. This is probably the happiest day of my life so far.

From 2017 to 2024, my journey was a rollercoaster of setbacks and disappointments. Yet every obstacle became a reason to dig deeper and push further. When the journey felt endless and the pain of setbacks was real, I learned that strength is forged in adversity and hope is born from persistence.

There were moments when the journey felt endless, and the pain of setbacks was real. But those moments revealed a truth: strength is forged in adversity, and hope is born from persistence. Every time I considered giving up, I found a new reason to carry on.

Flight crew on a layover in Jeju

Giving up was never truly an option. The dream ends only when you stop believing and trying. If you’re facing your own mountain, trust this: every challenge is shaping you, every step forward is progress, and your story is still being written.

"Keep going. Your breakthrough could be one step away."