You lot sound like a bunch of geriatrics reminising about your youth. You are still in your prime!
I'm 29 and in the past year I've decided to give everything I've got to make it in aviation. After all, we work our butts off in jobs that, if you're like me, can't stand doing anyway. I'm saving my earnings and plan to train full-time in helicopters. I'm probably going to have to get a loan to cover some of the costs, and yes it's going to be hard repaying that loan and looking for that first industry job that we're told probably won't be in a cockpit - but be damned if I'm gonna waste the next decade umming and ahhing about the pros and cons of leaving an okay paying job to go into the unknown - and wake up to find that it really is too late! And then have to spend the rest of my "life" working in a job I hate like my father does and wonder what could have been everytime an aicraft flies overhead.
It is discouraging to see airline cadetships and military flying careers suddenly out of reach due to something as uncontrollable as aging but people in our age bracket shouldn't worry about this too much.
Employers see maturity in a canditate as highly desirable and even experience in other job fields is a benefit and something that a school leaver simply does not have.
I came across a couple of websites recently that made me realise that there's really nothing to worry about in the age dept., and as long as you're committed then you've got a good chance.
www.corellian-rotorcraft.co.uk
- This site is about a guy who's 30-ish who was driving buses around Newcastle then got his act together and is now a helicopter instructor.
also:
www.avasp.com/world/index.shtml
- A US site devoted to giving advice to potential pilots on a large range of topics including how to choose a school, financial options, health and licensing info for the US, Europe, UK and Australian systems. There's some interesting info about age in the "Aviation Training Myths" section that you'll find under the "Fixed Wing Training" section on the main page.
I wish everyone the best of luck no matter what it is you want to fly!