Captain at what age ?

[Sir_Fly-a-Lot]

Hello Chaps,
Just doing some research. I became a captain on a 50-seater turboprop at 25 and a wide-body jet captain at 28, and never gave it a second thought. Just recently I received an e-mail from down under (Hi George !) saying this would be impossible in Oz. I believe there are plenty of young captains around, reflecting the current shortage of Hi-time pilots.
True or False ?

[This message has been edited by Sir_Fly-a-Lot (edited 04 January 2001).]

[Anthony2107]

Sir Fly a lot,

True, Cessna and Duchess captains that is.
You are one of the lucky ones to break into turbo props at a young age ( A Captain at 25 !! - holy smokes ).
Hope you don't mind me asking, but at what age did you get the entry (right seat I guess)? and where are you from to get this break ?
I'd be lucky to get in as second officer with a major airline here at that age, let alone a captain.

Anyway, I envy you and well done.


A2107

[scroggs]

I was an RAF C130 captain at 27, and there were many who made it much younger than that. There are a few guys who joined Virgin in the early '90s who made 747 command in their 20s.

[TowerDog]

I was DC-3 captain at 29 and B-747 at 39.

Scroggs:
Tried to respond to your recent posting over at N-P in the Forum. My messages ended up on page 1 instead of pg 8. Then the whole topic crashed and burned.

Anyway, will take ya up on the beer, make it a Corona with lime.... :)

------------------
Men, this is no drill...

[static]

Captain 737 at 30. Very lucky timing and enjoying it every day!

[RH60YR]

39 seat turbo prop captain at 24, waiting (and working) towards my first jet command

[Avman]

Back in the early seventies I knew a Dan-Air guy who was Captain on the Comet at the age of 27.

[Flying Clog]

34-seat turboprop F/O at 22. Aiming for a command on our company's 50-seat regional jet at 24 years old!

Wish me luck...

------------------
Steady on old chap!

[Herod]

Transport helicopter (8 seats) command at 19, but then it was with Liz Windsor's Airline.

[Grandad Flyer]

I think in general Captains in the UK are younger than places like US and Oz.
This is mainly because UK airlines will take people straight from a basic CPL/IR.
Personally I couldn't have afforded to do my CPL/IR at a younger age, but I know that some people with richer parents than mine have been able to do a course at Oxford full time, then go get a job.
Most airlines in the UK now it is possible to get a command shortly after getting whatever the airline's minimum hours requirement is, and this is generally not that high.
So I would say that in the UK not that surprising, particularly for those who could afford the course at a young age.

[HugMonster]

A mate of mine got a job with Air Europe at the age of 20. During his line training (mostly with the same skipper) the combined ages of the flight deck crew was 43!

[Flare armed]

I was commnader on Sikorsky S-61N at 27, and 37 on B737.

[towser]

Got first RHS job on 50 seat turboprop at 19 and LHS on 60+ seat turboprop at 27.

------------------
I Came I Saw I Ran Away!

[Anthony2107]

You people are lucky !!!

In Oz, not unless you graduated from a military flying school or have enough hours then you have buckley's chance of getting a regional job at low hours.

Min. req. for a regional turbo prop right seat driver is 1500 TT but reality check states that the people you will be competing against with has like between 4000 - 5000 TT. http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif

I just can't believe when I see postings that low hour pilots get turbo prop jobs almost just after school. That is just not possbile in OZ due to the limited number of airlines and an oversupply of young pilots thereby competition is very stiff http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif

A lot of my friends including me will be going overseas to find a job. One has already left for Africa and two in the Arab countries. I'm the only lucky one enough to break into a Chieftain job after 6 months of waiting. - One of my friends almost died trying flying singles.

A2107

[JetGuy]

A turb-prop F/O at 21, a Jet F/O at 23, and an EMB-145 CA at 25 (missed still being 24 by a month). All in the US. By the way, which airline is OZ?

[Roc]

I notice alot of people find it amazing that a young pilot can be in command in his mid-twenties. At least in the Air Force this is the norm. And trust me, what they expect from you is four times as complicated as anything we do at the airlines. I guess it boils down to training and more training. I became a C-141 Commander at 26, and we flew alot, but we also had to fly at least one 4 hour training sortie a month in the pattern, flying NDB,VOR, ASR and ILS approaches, not to mention engine-inop procedures. Remember there are alot of B-52 Commanders out there in their late twenties carrying some serious firepower......

[old-timer]

I was a C 152 captain at 30 !!!!

sorry guys, I'll get my coat !!!!!


------------------
#####################
So much sky,
so little time :-(
#####################

[Anthony2107]

Old-timer

Like they say - laughter is the best medicine
You have just cured my frustration. Thank you for the light-hearted comment :)

Chieftain Captain at 36. http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/cool.gif

I'm on my way out too.

A2107


[This message has been edited by Anthony2107 (edited 14 January 2001).]

[caqtas air]

I was a DC 3 Skipper aged 25. My son tells me QF had a 747300 Skipper at 28. He is called Capt Chablis, (young and inexperienced).

[Eff Oh]

I was a Saab340 (turboprop) F/O at 21 (and one week)!!! Now Boeing 757-200/300 F/O at 22 (and three weeks). :) :) :)
Command is a little while away yet!

[old-timer]

well done chaps & chapesses,

you young un's learn quicker than us old folk...

I may get a PA 28 command soon ?? :)

I'll get my coat again !!!

[THINALBERT]

A mate of mine was a VC10 captain RAF at 23, which we all thought was a bit sharp.

[Boeing Belly]

Qantas had a 767 Captain who was 27 back in the mid '90s.