Should I take the plunge?

[Coug]

If anyone flying for any of the major airlines in Canada could answer this, I would be most greatful.
I am currently 39 years old, don't have CPL or any other ratings as of yet. When I do get all the required ratings, what are my chances of getting on board with one of the major airlines (ie. Air Canada or West Jet) and approx. time to get there?

[Hebrick]

long shot no offense...
But it seems like you dont know much anyways..about the industry.
Your looking about 12-15 mths to get all ur licenses and rating...Full time..60-75k later...no job, hard to get that first job without a real contact or struggle...plus getting into an airline...In Canada especially you are looking 2-3 yr min after your first job..
typically you will have about 250hrs after your trainig and somehow you would need to get it to atleast 1000-1500 for a decent shot at a carrier.
If you are up for instructing..and investing some time then go ahead..
Otherwise with age behind you i am sure you might have a family and dependant..that you need to care about and cant go jumping around countries and cities...
mayve this is not the answer your looking for..but hey atleast i tried.

[cleartoland04]

Hey,

Tough call. It all depends at what you're looking for. Don't expect to be captain on a 777 starting at age 39 but you could have a good 15 to 20 year carreer in front of you.

Instructing could be a good way to get some experience. Another route would be bush flying. Float companies are starving for pilots every new season and it is much easier for a low-timer to get a job with them than it was a couple years ago.

It would definitely be a challenge and require many sacrifices. You don't learn as fast at 40 (39 sorry) as you do at 20.

If I were you I would start with a Private licence to see if you catch the bug. If you do and decide to go on with the training don't have unrealistic expectations. To be honest I don't think you can land a job with a major but I don't see why you couldn't fly a King Air or a Beech 1900!

Hope this helps!

M.

[sepia]

Most people getting hired by Air Canada have 3500+ hrs in their logbooks which would include a healthy whack of two crew large aircraft time. To get any amount of pilot in command time on a large aircraft will take you almost certainly 3-5years from license completion. Could you get to the majors? Almost certainly. Would it be worth it? That's the question you'll have to answer. A few things to consider. There's almost a zero chance you'll become a wide body captain in Canada for Air Canada or Westjet. Your pension would be very reduced because you won't be able to put in the required 35 years to get full pension at Air Canada. The very demeaning jobs you'll have to take to jump start your career may be too much to swallow at age 39. Is the risk worth the reward? How much do you hate your current job?

[wordstwice]

I would have to disagree with the others COUG,

I think you have a great shot at reaching your dreams. I do agree that being a Captain on a 787 will be out of your reach but captiain on a 737, A320, etc can happen for sure! I think it would be important for you to say to yourself is " I will be extremely happy as a captain on a DASH8 or CRJ700". Then, when the industry slows down and if you didnt make it to ACA or WJA you will be content.

Your biggest hurdle will be going from 200 hours to about 1500. At 1500 hours your are very employable for a large turboprop which will give you the experience needed for ACA or WJA. The industry is going strong and will continue for sometime yet so nows the time. If you wait a year or two you'll miss the boat.

I just finished my groundschool and Im 38 and there were several people older than me, the oldest being 44. In certain cities (YUL, YYZ) you can get upgraded to captain very quickly.

You've obviousely considered your finances, affect on your family, etc....I say go for it! I personally know many who have and havent looked back yet.

Good luck to you, have no regrets!

[19weeler]

Dont let anyone discourage you coug!
Retirement ages keep going up and most of the world will be age 65 by the time we get there.
A lot can happen in 25 years!!!
Get the training done quickly, get a float rating and head north.
I did my PPL, CPL, multi and float ratings (no IFR though) all in 6 months.
That was 20 years ago though. IFR was another month on top of that after a couple of years in the bush.
As someone said previously, get your PPL and see how it goes.
Theres nothing like getting paid for something you love doing. (you probably wont love any of the companies you work for but thats the nature of this business).
Good luck!
PS Canada is not the only place you should consider for employment once you get some experience.

[19weeler]

PSS AC hired a 47 year old last year and lots in their 40's.

[cleartoland04]

Air Canada hired people in their 40s but with already a good amount of experience. You need a good 5 to 6 years flying 600/700h a year to get there.

But anyway, I do agree that it's never too late and that he should go for it as long as he understands what is the road to the airline made of.

Good luck to you Coug and keep us posted!

M.

p.s: yes I know, 39 + 6 = 45! ;)