Gamble or not hmm
Chapes/ chapettes
Just give you my take on this .
I started commercial training at 38 , now 43. This was following a career in the RAF as an Engineer and a longer career as a cop.
A the time I started my training (early2008) Things were okay but to thems what was in the know it was just about pre-recession days.
I chose the modular route for my own well researched reasons . But about 3 months into the GS Excel went tits up and that for me really signalled the start of the current decline in the industry .
It took me just over a year . I did not have hour building to do as I had had a PPL for many years so hour building had been done by default really.
Luckily for me I had a friend who owned a flying school and had always promised me a job should I gain an FIR. So this is what I did . The poor chap who was my training partner of the FIC in 2009 hasnt flown since and has gone back to being a teacher , he was 38.
Unfortunately as a lot of instructors will tell you flying schools can be run by shysters and it is very difficult to gain good salary ,good working conditions and fair play. A such I did it for two years and thoroughly enjoyed it teaching everyhting up to the CPL/IR. I got sick of not being paid and being trated like a txxt because money was talking more than quality flight training.
I was then fortunate enough to get a job flying Air Ambulance and Single pilot freight ops . This is awesome flying and the experience is fantastic . It doesnt pay very well but its a sellers market . I managed as a result of this to get into the hold pool for a large cargo carrier and am just awaiting a call.
So for me the gamble payed off and one line of work has led me to the other , almost in the career ladder that we saw ten fifteen years ago, which no longer really exists .
Older guys note , there are chaps on here like me who have had a lucky break , but there are far more who havent and are back in their old jobs having to do IR and ME renewals every 12 months .
Our life experience is not valued by airlines nor it is desired . Companies like CTC have monopolies on feeding lambs to the expensive slaughter that is flexi crew and such like , and RYR are assisting in pissing on the industry with PTF schemes etc etc . This is not going to change , its a brave new world . But even these schemes are not interested in PILOTs or older guys they want young folk with daddies money who can be manipulated to whatever end the carrier wishes .
Obviously there are exceptions and occasionally you hear of good luck stories . But of the 15 folk in my initial GS class virtually all are working for RYR those that arent are either instructing or back to old day jobs . And intrestingly all the RYR guys were all under 29 everyone else was above 30 .
There are kids playing hopscotch and conkers in schools throughout the land who have yet to even think of a career choice who have a better chance of flying a jet for an airline than I do . I am 43 with 2100 hrs mostly ghastly overnight flying in a steam driven twin in all weathers , but this counts for nowt . So before you think about giving up your career at a certain age just think about how a 200 hr 40 yr old is going to stack up against a 20 yr old with same blue book .
Like I say I was very very lucky and it worked out for me. But I get calls all the time from friends I trained with friends I met along the way who are all out of work , think about it very very carefully before you leap .
Good luck to all who attempt this , despite the fxxk about factor I love my job , I will never be a millionaire but I get to fly a reasonable sized aircraft every day (almost) on my own around the country , so for me it worked
Take care