When is too old to start?

[MDC123]

AT 35 I am in the lucky financial position to undertake an intergrated fATPL course without the financial worries.

However, to get to this financial position has taken years of working for a multi-national in a management position and the years have rattled along!

I have reseached vacancy pages at airlines and they only ever seem to give a min to max. (max I've seen 59!) but as a 37 y.o. how will I stand?

Any comments from other late starters who are now working or recruiters would be appreciated.

The FTOs, of course, all say "there is a shortage coming and guys your age with all that life and corporate experience will always be up there with younger hot shots" :confused:

[carbonfibre]

MDC123

I have to say I'm now 38 and qualified at 37, I am finding hard to find a position even with all the right help, as it currently stands you are probably better going the Integrated and getting it as soon as possible and all the experience you can to, I have several PFO letters that say low houred pilots from integrated courses will be considered.

As you are probably aware, there are no certanties in this career put if you dont do it you will regret not trying. My advice is go for it!

Carbon

[MDC123]

Carbon,

firstly all the best on your goal of finding a RHS!

I turn 36 in Dec so with a good 12 month course I too will be 37 on qalification.

Please let me know how things happen for you as hopefully things will pick up in recruitment by the time I qualify!

M

[HandspringGuy]

As carbonfibre said, you'll regret not trying far more than losing the money. If you have worked all those years to get to where you are I am sure it won't be difficult to get work in your current field while you send out your CV.
A lot can be said for life experience and with 200 pax in the back seat a bit of maturity MUST count for something.

Best of luck with whatever you decide but my advice is take a really deep breath and jump in the deep end because as Rev. Lennon said:
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

[papazulu]

Now 34, with a modular fATPL passed last july, FAA CPL +300 hrs, FI rating, good command of English, single but financialy wrecked...Almost forgotten: not Brit but would love to fly among you, gents. How may chances would you give to me? Go for it anyway.HandspringGuy: wonderful quote!

PZ
:ok:

[Nearly Man]

MDC123

Have at them with broad sword, laugh in the face of rejection and spit on PFO letters ... Handspring is right, dive in!

I started when I was 35 and got a job. Thre's a lot to be said for the older pilot, more mature (most of the time :), better inter personal skills etc!

You'd be surprised how many normal thinking airlines are out there that don't get anal about hiring older pilots and actively encourage them!

[Hobgoblin]

The day you think you're too old to try something new would be a sad day indeed.

Personally my answer to a question like that is...




NEVER! :ok:

[MDC123]

cheers all, nice to hear from like minded thirty-somethings!

FTO research on-going, might be opening a can of worms but any suggestions?

Have excluded UK because want to get abroad for a while. Already booked winter in Oz to do PPL. Was looking at 12 month ATPL course there but seems long-winded and expensive to convert to JAA! So thinking either AAA in San Diego (JAA approved but will need 15 hr IR Con) or Aerofan on Madrid (JAA and 6month inc. ATPL from PPL level-seems damn quick and only £17k with MCC A320!!??)

Would most likely return to UK for JOC and unsure on paying for Type Rating yet??

M

[Mondeoman]

MDC123,
You think you,re old! I,m 39 and just starting off, I dont want to be knocking on the pearly gates one day wishing I'd given it a go. At least the money you'll be spending is yours and not HSBCs.
You're never to old, go for it!!!!!!!!

[ask26]

You could try the WAAC, they are starting an ATPL course that I'm thinking of doing - begins Jan 2005 in Perth, 64 week - for £60k all in with JAR approval. I spoke with the coordinator yesterday and he seemed a nice chap,

[AlexL]

MDC - follow your dreams - don't let others steal them. I am just starting - got 3 ATPLS under my belt and PPL and about 110 hours Total time. I am 35, doing it alongside my career.

I figure If I get ajob then hooray, if not I've got some good training and had some fun, and i've still got the day job.
Bottom line - if you don't do it will you look back aged 70 and say "what if"? If you will then theres no choice really.

[Airbornestu]

Reading this thread has given me a bit of reassurrance that thre are other people in the same position. Just starting off at 29, realistically looking at getting the fATPL by the time I'm 32 - yes, yes, I know that the lean years of airline recruitment are coming :sad: - but as has been said before, this is something I've always wanted to do and I would be really cross with myself if I get to my dotage and haven't at least made the effort...

[stewpot007]

Why not save you money and just fly for fun VFR?
You will never get that cash back even if you save till your 60.

I reeckon flying people to spain and back 3 times a day will become annoying after a while anyway.

Would love to do it but risk Vs reward just does not stack up.

S

[UAU242]

hi
whats WAAC (probably not Womens Auxillary Army Corps!) and whats the website?

cheers!

[MDC123]

Guys £60k at WAAC is pricey!

Better ways to do it for a lot less, even APP course with OAT in the UK is only £40 odd K.

With some research and travel you can do it around £25-30k

[EGCC4284]

I have just turned 38 with 400 hours. 16 hours IR training to complete.

Should have licence in my hand in the next 2 months.

I still have 22 years of work in me.

The first time you say rotate, you will know if it was worth it.

Never give up. We are all a special breed.

Stick together everyone.

Plane spotters envy us.

A friend once told me that 50% of the task is starting it.

Maintained a full time job whilst training.

Supportive wife and daughter.

An old fashioned Nokia phone with a phone book full of real good friends.

What more can you ask.

[Turkish777]

Whilst waiting for the weather to clear up this morning (In Florida) I wondered into the pilot shop on the premises and was flicking through a few books. I read a chapter which said the average age of a pilot recruited for the first time in the USA was infact 32...and it also mentioned that Airlines here are unlikely to employ anyone under 23...I know Im refering to US Airlines but thought I would mention it as I saw the post...

Being that Ive turned 33 makes me feel all the better....:ok:

[ask26]

MDC123 - OAT is about £56500 + fees (3500) + accom + renewals = £70000

WAAC is the Western Australian Aviation College, they got approval last month so a new scheme, run by an old OAT-instructor. And the 60k there gets you about 60hrs more flight time than either the OAT or FTE integrated course.

[ram33]

Hi MCD

Good on you. I'm 38 been flying for the past two years and like you I'm in the fortunate position of being able to take a couple of years out to complete my ATPL. I can recommend AAA I finished my PPL and ME with them. Now my intention is to complete an FAA CPL /IR then fly a Citatation as a FO in a multi crew environment for at least 300 hours. We old boys need quality ME time. Then back to blighty for the ATPL ground school and conversions.

I would recommend getting some quality flying time in the UK, as the US RT and airspace is completely different to the UK.

Please PM me if you want to know anything about AAA. And keep us posted on your progress.

Oh, and I would also recommend getting a class 1 medical sooner rather than later.

[Bear 555]

Hi All,

Just to add my penny's worth...

As a 100hr PPL, who has just turned 40, I WILL NOT give up my desire to be paid to fly. I never expect to be flying Heathrow - Edinburgh twice a day for a 'major'. I know that somehow it will work, whether I engineer it into my current job or take a bravery pill and a career change.

To all those who doubt themselves, think of the current Honda ad on tv which uses the slogan - 'The Power of Dreams'.

What's the power of your dreams?

good luck

Bear 555
:-)

[cyan]

It can be done, but the risks are high.

I left a well paid job to follow my dream.

Oxford Modular. IR age 42.

First job. Took a while, partly due to industry down turn and the usual 'no thank you letters' but spent time working on ' transferable skills and remained with in the aviation industry.

Worked extremely hard, had a good deal of luck and supportive friends. Never ever give up!

Last year got first job... straight on to 737 age 44.

Flew a thousand miles today, watched the sun go down from FL350.... Need I say more.

[Karmele]

Hello everyone,
new to this forum but in the same situation.
I am thinking seriously about taking that step at 29, i e learn flying while keeping my full-time job in london. I have a question: how did you all manage with practical exams, atpl theory course... and full time job ??

[papazulu]

question: how did you all manage with practical exams, atpl theory course... and full time job ??

Easy: I gave away everything for 9 months: w/ends, evenings out, going to the beach, went to see my family once a month and so on...but I swallowed all in one bite! Last July!

Ciao

PZ:ok:

[fullrich]

Just to say, I have completed Module 1 and passed all first time with Just 3 months study. I am 37 years young ,married,kids and even managed a weekend brake away in the middle of it. That said ,I would not do it again . It was one of the hardest things I have ever done .Giving my self 5 months for module 2 and then ...hopefully


FullRich

[Karmele]

Actually I understand that there will be plenty of homework to do and week-ends will be pretty busy. But on top of that I'm a little bit nervous about starting modular towards atpl as it seems like there are plenty of exams / compulsory intensive weeks study before exams. Don't you need to use all your holidays for that purpose or is there a way around it that i haven't seen??

[EGCC4284]

Please don't take this to harsh but do you or do you not want to be a pilot.

I kept a full time job whilst doing the correspondence course for the written ATPL exams. Took me 3 years due to doing a 50 - 60 hour week job on shift work. It can be done and the way to do it is take one chapter at a time and one progress test at a time. You then have to use all your holidays from work for the brush up courses and exams. 2 weeks for brush up and a week for exams in each module. That 6 weeks holiday in total. It may mean you spread this bit over 2 years.

Then you have the 25 hour CPL course and then the 50 hour IR course to complete. More holiday time to utilise.

Did my PPL in August 1999 and now have just short of 400 hours due to hour building in a Cessna that I bought a share into in 2000.


I have 9 hours IR training to do and the test. It's taken me the best part of 6 years to get to this point and hopefully will be finished in the next month. All done whilst keeping a full time long houred job doing shift work.

I used all my holidays from the last 6 years to gain my licence. Next year hope to go away for family holiday for the first time in many many years.

Why did I decide to keep the job and take so long I hear you ask. Well first of all I kept the £20,000 a year coming in whilst training and secondly, I work airside at Manchester and you know the saying the it's not what you know but who you know. I wasn't going to cut links with lots of people that I have had the luck of getting to know whilst working airside. It wont get me a job but might one day help me get an interview, then it's down to me to prove myself.

I have also got a friend who has done modular full time if you understand what I mean and it will of taken him about 18 months to complete training.

One step at a time

Best of luck everyone

[High Wing Drifter]

Karmele,

With regard to the ATPL exams, if I were you I would get them done in a year as a constant effort. If you don't you loose momentum, and then you will probably be done for. Use all your holiday and get some unpaid leave if needed. I required six weeks at Bristol (4 for brush up and two for exams). However, other schools may require less time off, like London Met., who I recall require three weeks for brush-up and do the exams in three sittings rather than two.

The biggest problem I faced has been finding somewhere where I could do my CPL part-time. I made a wrong choice there, not because of the FTO (they have accomodated me as best they can), but simply a/c availability when competing with PPL hire and all the other problems of tech, weather, personal, etc, etc. Sometimes with several weeks between flights. Its been a slog in that department.

[tonker]

For what it's worth, 36 years old, 1500 hours mostly instructing and have just been offered a job as an f/o for a low cost airline based in the north.

Min twin hours and no air taxi/turbine time.

If a dope like me can do it then back yourself, if you don't why should anyone else?

Good luck and you only live once