Originally Posted by jcx
Basically I cant make up my mind as to whether go for the cpl ATPL's etc and go for a career being 36 in August ( not even going to start that the am i to old bit !! )
I wanted the IR for my personal flying and I wanted a CPL for potential instructing later as I would never instruct for free, and compared to what I see others do in their IR exams it was a LOT more. And with EASA I might not need the CPL after all in a few years time, ho hum.
So unless you have some certainty you want an airline career, I wouldn't bother.
If i decide not to go commercial I want to have the freedom of more flying and lots of european travel as my business is abroad in eastern Europe.
Only if your business is doing well and you can afford AT LEAST a very fast single (SR22 turbo, newer turbo Mooney, Columbia (sorry, Cessna) 400, Mailbu) with L/R tanks. You will have 700+ NM / 4hr+ sectors to get to somewhere like Gdansk, in Poland and if your destination isn't close to a major airport you will be faster than using an airliner.
One class below these machines might do it (TB20/21, Saratoga, etc.) but will add a good hour to these trips.
If you want any dispatch reliability, you will need turbo and oxygen (portable ok) to get above the weather and for higher cruise speeds, de-icing and a stormscope, too. And nerves of steel doing all that in a single, some might say.
And some might say >500NM you should consider a turboprop. Cost wise, the sky is the limit.