HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mkjw33]

I am a 38 year old single Mother who does not want to end up saying, "Could have, should have, would have" I am trying to pursue my dream of becoming a pilot. However, everyone that finds out, tries to burst my bubble. Could any pilots please give me some "RAW" reasons why I should not pursue this??? Thank you upfront for your brutal honesty!!!!!!!!!-Missy

[propulike]

No reasons why you can't get your PPL at all. If you're loooking for a full airline job, then the commitment will be very difficult to cope with if you need to allocate time to your little 'un...

[Pandora]

mkjw33,

there is a single mother flying instructor in N. Yorks. that I know of. Flying for an airline it will be difficult to acheive a level in a company where you can get the roster you want, but that doesn't seem to stop all the male pilots I know who have fathered children and left them with their mothers. Start working towards your dream now, and remember that as a pilot you will give your child/children a better leg up in the American education system that a lot of people can.
Anyone who says you have to be clever and have money to train as a pilot hasn't met me yet.
Good luck.

[High Volt]

I would suggest that it very much depends upon the type of flying that you wish to do. On a cautionary note, I would say that the older that you get, the harder it is to learn; at 38 I think that you would find it very hard to go all the way through to airline flying. It might help also to know that my instructor at Prestwick several years ago subscribed to this view after trying to retrain BA flight engineers in their late 30's/early 40's.

There is also the question of money. If you can find sponsorship then you have to bear no risk. It is a different story if you are to stump up 50K!

Finally, it all sounds rather glam but crazy rosters (deep nights) and the messing about (tech delays unsched nightstops) associated with airline flying will put you in a very difficult position with your personal life.

Please don't think that I'm cynical or negative. I got my ATPL in my late 20's and I love my airline job. I wish only to post an honest answer to your question. If the money is something that is not fundamentally important to you, I think that instruction would be both a realistic and rewarding alternative to airline flying.

I do hope that you find this advice useful. Good luck!

[SAM 2M]

It is not easy as you know but it can be done. Much depends on your personal drive and the general economic climate when you qualify. I know of a chap who took his first flying lesson at 48 and sold his estate agency business ending up as a 146 pilot.
I finished my PPL at 29 and went on a self sponsored CAP509 course qualifying in Mar 91 aged 30. The economy for flying was lousy after the loss of Air Europe and Dan Air but I was lucky to get an airline turboprop job. The down side was that I was in debt for 9 years and have only paid it all back a year or so ago mainly as a result of my small house going up in value. On the bright side almost 10 years to the day of graduating with 280 hours I am now a B757 Captain. It has been hard but worth it.

I gues you are somewhere in the middle of these two cases.

Very best of luck. So much depends on why and how much you are motivated.

All the Very Best. Hope you make it. It is often worth the try. we only get one go in life so we may as well try and make the most of it. Do try and seek good advice esp. from guys & gals who have made it all the way. Even near the end of the road it can be pretty hard going. In my case the worst bit was the lack of money side. :) ;)