Age of the oldest new hire at a regional feeder.

[Sy-bill]

Hello everyone,

I have an acquaintance at our local airport who is in his mid-forties and has always wanted to fly for the airlines. He has the time to be competitive and has remained current by part time flight instructing in both singles and twins.

He pretty much ruled out the possibility until he heard someone else at a nearby airport just got hired by I believe Eagle, and they are in their early forties. I explained to him about the current state of the industry and the lumps everyone has taken for a while now and that after the shine wears off the new job, that airlines politics take over your quality of life. Some worse than others and some better than others. I can understand his desire to give it a shot. The real question, are some of the regional airlines hiring guys in their mid-forties? I could understand why some airlines may generally not. Commuting to sit reserve in JFK is not for the faint of heart.

I am hoping for information that would be more recent than not. To help him out (he doesn't get this forum stuff) I am hoping to get a feel of all airlines that some on this board can share that type of information.

Thanks.

 

[ILS8L]

An employer may not disciminate because of race, color, religion, sex or age. The age discrimination employment act of 1967 (ADEA) specifically protects job applicants over the age of 40.

 

[CX880]

Is this a hobby for him? If he's seriously trying to make a living, tell him to avoid the regionals.

 

[Flyby1206]

Eagle has had lots of newhires in their 40s and some in their 50s as well

 

[ualdriver]

Hello everyone,

I have an acquaintance at our local airport who is in his mid-forties and has always wanted to fly for the airlines. He has the time to be competitive and has remained current by part time flight instructing in both singles and twins.

He pretty much ruled out the possibility until he heard someone else at a nearby airport just got hired by I believe Eagle, and they are in their early forties. I explained to him about the current state of the industry and the lumps everyone has taken for a while now and that after the shine wears off the new job, that airlines politics take over your quality of life. Some worse than others and some better than others. I can understand his desire to give it a shot. The real question, are some of the regional airlines hiring guys in their mid-forties? I could understand why some airlines may generally not. Commuting to sit reserve in JFK is not for the faint of heart.

I am hoping for information that would be more recent than not. To help him out (he doesn't get this forum stuff) I am hoping to get a feel of all airlines that some on this board can share that type of information.

Thanks.

Tell your friend to google "The Truth about the Profession" before he does anything drastic....

 

[skyguy40]

I do not know anymore than what you told us about him, so I could ask a few questions like what does he do now? However, I don't really think that is going to change his mind. I was about thirty-five when I started with my first airline. I am on my third airline now (Dc-8 first, them an EMB and now a CRJ) and as a result the aviation industry has left me financially broke through the years. I am now in my late forties and only on my third year pay as a first officer.
So it will be a long hard road for him but you only live once.
This is just my story and my two cents.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Eagle F/O pay

Make sure he knows how little he'll be making with little chance of upgrade.

1st year: $25
2nd year: $34
3rd year: $37
4th year: $39
5th year: $40

BTW, whats the DOH of the most junior captain at Eagle?

 

[Sy-bill]

Great replies! Thanks!

What is uneasy to witness, and yet all too common, in my opinion this is more of an ego issue more than anything else. All of us know how that can lead you down the road of being terribly unhappy and lonely on overnights. This guy has nothing to lose for he has had little to begin with. But when I carefully attempt to inform him of "The truth about the Profession", it just doesn't matter. Because his ego (my opinion) is controlling his decisions professionally and recently personally.

Now I would like to think that I have always been a advocate to promote ones dreams of being an airline pilot. I know from personal experience that it is easy for an airline to not hire someone because of age without it appearing so. Largely done in the seventies and eighties and somewhat in the nineties. This business has changed so much during that time that even in the eighties, being older and entering the regional market was emotionally and sometimes physically much more difficult than someone in their twenties and early thirties. Although maybe a bit different today with the type of equipment now used, the pay and schedules can be more challenging than it was twenty years ago. And now more importantly than ever, the quality of the airline can be paramount.

What I am seeing now with many being hired in their forties and fifties, is that many younger people do not see the airline business as a good career any more. Very sad to see and now, after hearing about the upcoming "pilot shortage" for almost 25 years now, a shortage may finally be a reality. And now I question to myself, are we now getting pilots of lesser quality than we use to when there was not a shortage of eager young people excited about just becoming an airline pilot? Time will tell. I hope I am wrong.

 

[LewisU_Pilot]

Make sure he knows how little he'll be making with little chance of upgrade.

1st year: $25
2nd year: $34
3rd year: $37
4th year: $39
5th year: $40

BTW, whats the DOH of the most junior captain at Eagle?

10/30/2006 is the most jr awarded captain. Another 250 should start flowing to AA by winter so this will bring the upgrades into mid 07.

 

[blott]

Republic, in a typical epic fail moment, managed to hire a guy that was 64. They had to buy him out, to keep from a lawsuit, when they told him to go home from training...