If you were me??

[flyingdogguitar]

Hi everyone,
At the risk of being told "This has already been covered many times!" I just have to ask this one last time, before I make probably the biggest decision of my life. Apologies anyone who's offended by this repeated type of posting.
I'm curently 43 years old, and I'll be forty four in October this year. I hold both a fixed wing and rotary (lapsed) PPL. With something around 230Hrs TT. I'm currently studying for my ATPL examinations (Distance Learning), I've yet to complete module one. I've been married for 23 years and I have a five year old little boy. My mortgage with finish in four and a half years time.
I'm not really worried if I never get to fly jets, I'd be more than happy to fly a regional Turbo-prop or a Navajo etc. It's just that recently I went to a couple of flight training exhibitions. It was quiet disconcerting seeing how a young a lot of the wanabees were. I was easily the oldest one there, by a long chalk! Am I just chasing a dream that'll never be realised? I know that in this world, there are no guarentees for anything, full stop.
But can anyone give me their gut feeling of what they would do, if they were in my shoes? If you don't want to post it on the forum, feel free to e-mail me. I know there's a wealth of knowledge and experience out there. So if someone could take five minutes of their time, I'd be most grateful.


Your Sincerely

Dave
AKA flyingdogguitar

[redsnail]

If you really really want to fly then there's nothing stopping you.

Are you interested in earning a livable wage that'll provide a lifestyle that your wife and child expect/deserve?

If you're financially set up that you can do this for "play money" then go for it. If you expect to earn a decent wage and have a good pension then I think you may need to rethink your options.

I'd research the wages earnt by FOs on t/props and chieftains and then make a decision based on reality (financial). You'll be an FO on a t/prop for 2-3 years min.
Just because you can hold an ATPL at 1500 hours doesn't mean you'll be offered command. Often the hours are higher so factor that into the equation too.
(eg 2500 etc)

[scroggs]

It's fairly simple. If you have sat down with your wife and discussed the likely ramifications of leaving your current occupation and taking the risk of extended unemployment followed by several years at or near the breadline, working all the hours you can to both get hours and money, and she is prepared to back you all the way whatever the downsides might be - which could well include moving to cheaper accommodation in a different area of the country - then go for it.

If you haven't yet had that conversation, and fully appraised her of how much discomfort you may have to suffer as a family, then it's time you did. And you really didn't need us to tell you that!

For a single person these decisions are hard enough; for someone in your position, you owe it to your wife and child to let them know what might happen. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about - I lost my family through pursuing selfish ambition.

Scroggs