4o years young

[CDA]

I am 40 years old and am planning a career change. Do I have a chance of having a career with the regionals and then the majors if I start my pilot training today from scratch?
I want to make sure that I will not invest time and money if there is nothing at the end of the tunnel.

 

[100LL... Again!]

Conservative estimate, assuming you have the money to do all the flight training, then enough income or savings to instruct or do other low paying crap jobs for a while.


Step 1
Earn certificates (Pvt, Inst, Comm, CFi, CFII, MEI)
Time frame - 6 months to 1.5 years.


Step 2
Become competitive for next level (Regional, Freight)
Flight instructing, usually.
Count on 1 to 3 years, depending on your location, luck, student starts in your area, etc. Yu will also earn almost NO MONEY as a CFI, unless you are VERY lucky. Plan on $8-15k per year, with no benefits.


Step 3
Get on with a regional or freight operator. Build time and get paid little.

Estimate: Definitely no less than 3 years to a maximum of the rest of your career. Getting hired at a major is a roll of the dice for many.



Step 4
Hope that the majors hire again. Let's suppose that United, Delta, and American each have 1000 pilots on furlough (realistic numbers).
Suppose they began calling them back today at a rate of 30 per month (also a realistic number for periods of economic recovery).
It would take nearly three years jst to get back the furloughs - if they started NOW. Don't expect call back for a year or two.


Basically, if you can be happy working for a nice regional flying a 50-70 seat jet for under $100K for a long time, go for it. It is a great job. If you get on with a major, great. If getting on with a major is how you define success in aviation, I would suggest that you don't have enough time before age 60 retirement to gamble on it. There are tons of pilots with lots of time and experience, and none of us are expecting to get on with a major for 5 to 7 years, as a safe MINIMUM estimate.


There will be plenty of pilot jobs in the years ahead if you really want to fly.

 

[bobbysamd]

Why did Jack Benny always say he was 39?

First off, I hope you are not Pete Moss with a different screen name.

First off, go search some of my posts. I've related my story many times in response to similar queries. I'll try it in short form this time.

To put it into perspective, I am 51. I learned to fly twenty-one years ago after wanting to learn since I was a child. I found that I really enjoyed flying and worked on ratings because I wanted to be as well-trained as possible. I earned my CFI to put it on a paying basis. All the while, I wanted to do something else for work besides what I had been doing.

I had two friends who had gotten on with commuters. One was a life-long friend; the other I had known a couple of years. I figured that if they could do it, I could do it. I also heard about a pilot shortage. I decided to change careers. I was 36. I already had my degree and just needed my multi ratings. I got them, and with about 900 hours and 35 of multi I began applying to commuters and freight. I knew very little about the business except for knowing a few pilots and from what I read from FAPA.

Finally, about a year later, I applied to ERAU and got my first full-time flying job with about 1100 hours and about 50 multi. I continued to send the commuters tons of materials. In 1990, at age 39, with about 2800 total, 600 of multi, my ATP and a type rating I finally had interviews. I was not hired. However, my ERAU peers, who were mostly under 25, were getting interviews and jobs at the same commuters to which I applied but heard nothing. I think you see where this is heading. The long and short of it is no regional ever hired me. In all, I spent six years applying to one regional or another.

Plenty of people on this message board have responded that there is no age discrimination in regional airline hiring, but my experiences say otherwise. Or that I had other problems. I don't know. I have a friend who was told by someone that he wasn't hired because of age. You hear of people in their 40s and 50s who are hired at the majors. What you don't hear about them is they are not career changers but are extremely well qualified and have been flying for years at the commuters, corporate, freight, and military.

I cannot say that my experience was typical or atypical. I would only urge you to consider it carefully and set realistic goals. You will face stiff competition from plenty of more experienced, younger people. There is plenty of other productive flying you can do as a career changer besides the airlines. As was said above, an airline career is a roll of the dice, even for those who planned for the career as young people.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[WhiteCloud]

By the time you finsih training and acquiring the flight experience necessary for the first airline job, hiring should have picked up again. Go for it [/B][/QUOTE]

Why not give it a shot? If you don't do it now when will you do it? Let's suppose it doesn't work out. What's the downside? I suggest you earn a private certificate and then make a final decision to go for a career or just fly for fun. Getting a private licence is a major accomplishment and can be satisfying in itself. Good luck. Ziggy1

 

[WhiteCloud]

Hope that the majors hire again. Let's suppose that United,
Basically, if you can be happy working for a nice regional flying a 50-70 seat jet for under $100K for a long time, go for it. It is a great job. If you get on with a major, great. If getting on with a major is how you define success in aviation, I would suggest that you don't have enough time before age 60 retirement to gamble on it. There are tons of pilots with lots of time and experience, and none of us are expecting to get on with a major for 5 to 7 years, as a safe MINIMUM estimate.
There will be plenty of pilot jobs in the years ahead if you really want to fly.

The regionals are growing and the job will get better over time too. Some of the "majors" may not continue to be the "majors" and the some regionals may well take their place. Once you become a Captain with a good regional at around age 48+ and have a decent schedule you might have to really think about taking a paycut AND being at the low end of a long seniority list. Lets hope the "majors" hire again to clear out the younger guys above you on the senoirity list (and give them a good career too!). Nothing wrong with 70-100K in my book! Ziggy1 (age 42)

 

[Draginass]

If the industry continues in the direction it's heading in, I'd strongly recommend that you take up recreational flying and find another profession. This one isn't any fun anymore. In fact, it sucks . . . . . and at a 30% pay cut, more hours, and a self-funded retirement, it'll suck even more.

 

[WhiteCloud]

If the industry continues in the direction it's heading in, I'd strongly recommend that you take up recreational flying and find another profession. This one isn't any fun anymore. In fact, it sucks . . . . . and at a 30% pay cut, more hours, and a self-funded retirement, it'll suck even more.

Draginass, I feel for you having to take a pay cut and work harder than in the past. It's a reality of the flying business and people need to know it before embarking on a career. This stuff happens and I don't wish it on anyone. Lets look at the other side of the coin. Working 15-20 days a month and earning $140,000 a year (200,000-30%) is still not a bad position to be in and it certainly beats a desk job (even if the money is better!?!) Do you really want a retirement plan tied in with the finances of an airline? 401K and you own it and it wont be borrowed against or shuffled around by management. I'm sorry you had to take a financial hit. We are all going to at one time or another and it's a bummer. You're still flying airplanes and making money that puts you in the upper 5% income bracket. Be thankful for what you have. Respectfully, Ziggy1