33 too old in Europe? Please don't move this post to wannabe section.. need help here

[vela3]

Please if you could.. allow this post in this section for a few days.. the help I need is from most pilots who don't go into the wannabe section.

1st.. thanks for the few great responses I got earlier...

I'm a pilot for a major in the usa... but I'm at a loss for giving advice to a very close german friend... he has his german ppl and is considering a career change at age 33. Before making such a large investment he would like to know his chances of actually finding a job (corp, regional, major, charter, etc) I would have no problem telling him to go for it in the states, but I'm unfamiliar with the current practice in Europe.. If he does continue... is the caa license the one to have, or with the new jar is it all the same... Thanks in advance for any response and help... Awesome website here.
Scott

[Ignition Override]

You will receive more helpful info on these sites if you include an e-mail address. Some folks don't want to help any foreigners, or allow anyone else to (even with no real chance of competition for the same job)-they will immediately try to nail your feet and hands onto the nearest cross. Some might give you useless or worse dis-information.

I met one German guy (from Essen) years ago who still lives here and decided that he could not afford the jump from instructing to the terrible regional FO pay, which was maybe no raise. And so, at age 35 with a wife and baby, for financial reasons (I'm told) he gave up his dream to be a pilot, and works in Flt Ops Admin for a very successful package airline.

[Ontheairwaves]

Best get him to check out the regulations with the German Authorities as most countries now are JAR.
Some did have courses where you had to apply by a certain time and if you did this would grant you a "grand-father" right to a national licence....but as far as i'm aware
Ireland was the last loop hole and this is now closed. The only way is to go via JAR route through a school which is registered as a JAR approved training school.
He can as far as i'm aware building PIC time outside of a JAR state...but any time towards the grant of a rating/licence would not count if done outside the JAR region.
33yrs old.....have heard of guys getting hired as late on as 52yrs.....there's hope for all....but it takes alot of time....
Corporate flying in Europe is not as popular as it is in the US....the likes of Flex Jet from Florida are trying to move in...but the economies of various countries are really different hence making it harder to compete and FBO's are pretty much non-existant unlike the good service corporate guys get in the US.....that's all i have on the matter
Hope it helps.....

[vela3]

Thanks for info...

you can also email me at:

[email protected]

Scott..

[Flypuppy]

Links to the JAA Documetation pages:

Main Table of Contents
http://www.jaa.nl/jar/jar.html

JAA FCL1 (Flight Crew Licencing)
http://www.jaa.nl/jar/jar/toc0577.htm

[wonderbusdriver]

Tell your friend to check out

www.pilots.de (http://www.pilots.de)

It´s a German-language-"Pprune", though the posts are frequently not as "P"-rofessional as on Pprune.
He might get some help there, nonetheless.

At age 33 - unless he doesn´t want to have a family anytime soon - I wouldn´t consider starting in Europe, much less Germany.
Just MHO.

[Denti]

It's very difficult to get a job as a pilot in germany right now if you do not pass the so called "DLR-Test" aka HAM OX. There will be over 1000 new ATPL-Pilots this year with approximately about 500 jobs available. Last year was a bit better, but nevertheless there are a lot pilots without a job.

Requirement for a job in germany is the german atpl and theoretical longrange rating. We have JAR-OPS here but not JAR_FCL. Some companys require 1000+ hours, preferably ME. You have to pay for your type-rating for the regionals and get about 4000-5000 Deutschmarks (about 2050-2560 EUR, 1830-2280$, 1270-1590 GBP). IMO it's a very high risk to start that career at this age.

Denti

[Horatio]

Vela, in answer to your question: I was 31 when I decided to become a commercial pilot. I had 250 hours as a PPL and granted I had the resources to do it, but I took the plunge and have never regreted it. I was very lucky at the time because with 750 hours I got a job on a turboprop...previously the turboprop operators wanted someone with 2000 hours air taxi experience.

In recent years I've been flying with guys, total time 250 hours, that moved straight to the right hand seat of an A320: that is the state of the market right now. As for the future, I reckon it's a pilot's market for some considerable time to come. The experience level is not there in the numbers required, so if your friend has the balls to do it, tell him to go for it. It won't be easy, but if he wants it bad enough, he can do it.

[Horatio]

...and if he gets his German licence, that will become a JAR licence when the Germans can get their act together and fully comply with JAR!