A commercial career in later life.
Hello gentlemen.
I have been reading through the thread and I can completely understand the desire you all have to live your dreams and fly for reward. I have been flying for reward for 28 years now and I would like to tell you the following story.
A PPL student in a Warrior sees a Seneca twin taxiing out and thinks to himself, "wow, one day I really want to get onto twins, that's so cool". The Seneca pilot gets to the threshold and prepares for departure when he/she sees a Kingair turbine twin coming in to touchdown and whispers under a quiet breath "that's the life on turbines, I can't wait".
Previously the Kingair pilot who saw the SAAB 340 whos pilot had seen the 737 and all had aspirations about flying the next best thing. The 737 crew had spoken to each other about their desire to fly the widebody 747 they had seen coming into land from a long haul flight after that crew completed a 15hour flight. That previous night, the 747 crew had seen the space shuttle go over (yes you could see it with the naked eye) and said,"now that is the ultimate flying job, wow'!!
The commander and pilot on the shuttle, at the time the 747 crew spotted them, was looking down to earth where the dawn was breaking through a good telescope and saw a PPL student taxiing out in a Warrior. The shuttle pilot said out loud, "one day I really wan to get back to flying because that is real without doubt flying"
I truely belive that the moral of the story is where "real" flying is at. Being in an airliner is not all it is made out to be. The health aspect is not good for you, 16 hours in an aluminium tube at 6500ft cabin altitude and little chance to exercise. You might remember that every time you buy that new car, you are really excited to drive it and yet, after a while the fun wears off. The same thing can happen when you operate an airliner. Note, I say operate because today, airliners are not flown, they are operated as many airlines prefer you to have the autopilot engaged soon after take-off and disconnect just before landing.
I am flying the worlds largest airliner and I am proud of my carrer path. I still have a decade or more of my career ahead of me and many many long night hours bumping through the sky. Doing this job at this age is a real stress on the body.
If you have a desire to fly, then go and fly, do not pay your life savings out to chance getting into an airline to "operate" an aircraft. The halcyon days of aviation and BIG pay-checks were back in the 1970s and 80s. Today, airlines operate at cost and continually try to make cuts in everything (pay included) and always try to work you to the maximum. Flight time limitations by the airlines are targets for them to work you to the maximum and not as a safety regulation.
With little to no experience and due to age, anyone over the age of 30 without an ATPL in tier hand is pretty certain to not have a fruitful and rewarding career in aviation. It is seen in my airline, the older you are the more harder it is for the airline to mould you into what they want. They are after recruiting pilots who will be moulded and become more experienced over a decade or two and make the commanders of the future. CRM is a big issue in airlines today and the younger you are the more easy it is for them to "adapt your personality to their ideal model".
The first officer, right seat, on the ill fated Air France Atlantic crash that pancaked into the ocean was a late starter. Part of the blame, if only a small part was put down to him being a late starter in aviation.
I am certainly not saying that you should not go flying and live your dreams, I am say that you should be realistic. There are many younger pilots who are well qualified and you are up against them in the race to occupy a seat in an airliner. Be wise with your outlook and see it from the recruiters viewpoint. Would you recruit a younger pilot who would give you a Captain of the future or a person who would be very restricted by their age with little chance of becoming a Captain in the airline.
These words are not meant to put people off living your dreams, I only write these words because I truley believe that, if you are much above 30, then you will be rather restricted in your future career and not fulfil your dream. Do not pay for a type rating and waste your life savings getting there to be poorly rewarded thereafter.
Do what you do that makes you a reasonable living and go and do some "real flying for fun". Hitting 40s and especially 50s, the airlines know that you are harder to keep medically certified and you are inexperienced, harder to mould into the ideal stereotype company pilot, all this makes you a less attractive prospective employee.
Good luck in your decisions, I write this with more than 2 decades of airlines experience and this is just an honest opinion from myself. If I were you now, the above is what I would do as sadly, there is age discrimination in the airlines and should you get your ATPL, you would not be financially or self rewarded in a decent job thereafter.
Please do note shoot the messenger, I am trying to be honest and open about the industry today and your chances of making it work.