Too old for airlines...
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Plenty of jobs all around the world. Pilot shortage is there.
1.ryanair
2.susi air
That's all!
A friend told me, the friend of his friend who is the step brother of his dad, etc, he got a job for an airline.... (woooow !!) and he is 64...So you get a chance!
So guys, it s time to join a flight school and spend all your money, maybe you wil join a pay to fly Program at 90000 euro to fly for 6 months an old Boeing in Nigeria.... You can still finish as a flight instructor, upset and bitter after a few years if you don't die before 50.
Anyway, let s say you got a job, how much you will make??? Peanuts!
For how long? Maybe a few months.
Where? Central Africa
Who pay to renew ratings every year?
Medical? Who pay? Are you fit?
Will you get a work permit or work free lance paid under the table?
In my personal point of view, this job is now a hoby and not a profession anymore , it s the jungle out there. Nobody will respect you out there.
Only idiots want become pilot.
1.ryanair
2.susi air
That's all!
A friend told me, the friend of his friend who is the step brother of his dad, etc, he got a job for an airline.... (woooow !!) and he is 64...So you get a chance!
So guys, it s time to join a flight school and spend all your money, maybe you wil join a pay to fly Program at 90000 euro to fly for 6 months an old Boeing in Nigeria.... You can still finish as a flight instructor, upset and bitter after a few years if you don't die before 50.
Anyway, let s say you got a job, how much you will make??? Peanuts!
For how long? Maybe a few months.
Where? Central Africa
Who pay to renew ratings every year?
Medical? Who pay? Are you fit?
Will you get a work permit or work free lance paid under the table?
In my personal point of view, this job is now a hoby and not a profession anymore , it s the jungle out there. Nobody will respect you out there.
Only idiots want become pilot.
Last edited by faacfilookingforajob; 19th Aug 2014 at 22:36.
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Age vs Airines vs Careers
Hello jethrolx and everyone
jethrolx:
I Felt totally identified with your experience.
Mine is very similar, albeit in another part of the world (South America).
Had a good job & career as a Telecom Engineer and later at Management within the Mobile / IT Industry.
At 43 y/o (with a family of 4 to support), I wasn't tolerating "the corporate world office" (with their politics, rivalries, injustices etc) anymore.
Being a PPL, I decided to take the chances, invest in 250 Single Engine Hours to get to the 500 hours mark, and tried to aim for the first possible job you could get to: CFI (Flight Instructor) at a local Flight School
In my case I decided to spent part of this 250 hours investment on one particular school, planning on later asking them for a CFI position.
It worked... and as similar as your case, it was (and still is) one of the most rewarding jobs, albeit paying, in my case, 20% of what I was previously earning....
Similar to you...wife dumped, family nightmare etc etc
(later she come back :-).
The CFI job gave me the chance to spend a lot of time at the main executive airport here (SABE/SADF, its like the Biggin Hill equivalnt in the London Area), and so search for a copilot job, looking for ME experience.
Started with "almost no pay" as a Turboprop F/O, just to build Turbine hours..later some Learjets, and again, similar to your case, accrued valuable experience (2000 hours, 1000+ hs bizjet, a type rating etc etc), but that is not leading to any well paid job neither the airlines....
Had also a couple of "hard talk's" with a few Captain's while flying the Lears, regarding age, career, heard a couple of "go back to your former profession son" etc etc.
Most of them were well intentioned..just but one, who didn't wanted new people on the market...
Today, 4 years later along the road, I fly for a company doing Medeva'cs old Lear 25's. with slim or almost no chances on getting an airline job, due to the market, and myself being 48 (today !).
But some airlines here, in the ICAO world, are considering people regardless of age.
If wanting to go to my previous job, chances are almost nonexistent, due to being "off line" and off the market, for so long.(same as you)
I am earning 40% of what my colleagues still on the Corporate ladder are earning, barely supporting the family. (40% salary, of the ones who still have jobs, since there is a worldwide crisis on the Telecom/Mobile Industry as well.
So in that sense (the pilot second life career) proved to be a good backup move.
Key questions is: Was it worth it ?
In economic terms, I spent all my savings, either to build time first, or to support the marginal income later.
But in terms of not even trying it, and keeping myself with the doubts of not accomplishing it, it was the most rewarding thing I did on my life.
I enjoyed (while studying a lot) all steps and stages, such as going for my first T/R at the Simulator in the USA (paid by the company, not me)...and flying today, even with its up's and down's
I learned that If I wanted to fly bizjets, and not making enough to support the family, I must exercise other skills, as a freelance worker, to make that extra income (electrician, free lance engineer, repair PC's, wherever etc etc).
Its amazing how and what you do, and you push yourself for an extra job, when short of money.
And the Airlines is not the only option off course. There are well GA jobs out there, that only show up when you started to have a T/R and Turbine/Jet time.
I wouldn't like to imagine myself, in a (sure much more comfortable) situation, where I considered not even attempted all these, decided back then to stay on my "secure life" at the corporate outfits, and now at 48 (today Augut 21 st !) crossing at the airport someone my age, that have tried it and succeeded !
So money (while the purpose of surviving) is not all, and you never know what might have happened to your previous career either. (I was laid off 2 times, on the IT market).
And still you have a long way to go, besides the airlines.
You never know whats next on a particular market. Be open. Apply and do networking for every possible job, everywhere.
I ended up doing 6 ferries USA to Argentina, that I never planned for (and those were well paid)
Got a job offer in SE Asia (ok Caravan's not Airbuses)
And also met some wonderful people here
Cheers
PM me if you like
jethrolx:
I Felt totally identified with your experience.
Mine is very similar, albeit in another part of the world (South America).
Had a good job & career as a Telecom Engineer and later at Management within the Mobile / IT Industry.
At 43 y/o (with a family of 4 to support), I wasn't tolerating "the corporate world office" (with their politics, rivalries, injustices etc) anymore.
Being a PPL, I decided to take the chances, invest in 250 Single Engine Hours to get to the 500 hours mark, and tried to aim for the first possible job you could get to: CFI (Flight Instructor) at a local Flight School
In my case I decided to spent part of this 250 hours investment on one particular school, planning on later asking them for a CFI position.
It worked... and as similar as your case, it was (and still is) one of the most rewarding jobs, albeit paying, in my case, 20% of what I was previously earning....
Similar to you...wife dumped, family nightmare etc etc
(later she come back :-).
The CFI job gave me the chance to spend a lot of time at the main executive airport here (SABE/SADF, its like the Biggin Hill equivalnt in the London Area), and so search for a copilot job, looking for ME experience.
Started with "almost no pay" as a Turboprop F/O, just to build Turbine hours..later some Learjets, and again, similar to your case, accrued valuable experience (2000 hours, 1000+ hs bizjet, a type rating etc etc), but that is not leading to any well paid job neither the airlines....
Had also a couple of "hard talk's" with a few Captain's while flying the Lears, regarding age, career, heard a couple of "go back to your former profession son" etc etc.
Most of them were well intentioned..just but one, who didn't wanted new people on the market...
Today, 4 years later along the road, I fly for a company doing Medeva'cs old Lear 25's. with slim or almost no chances on getting an airline job, due to the market, and myself being 48 (today !).
But some airlines here, in the ICAO world, are considering people regardless of age.
If wanting to go to my previous job, chances are almost nonexistent, due to being "off line" and off the market, for so long.(same as you)
I am earning 40% of what my colleagues still on the Corporate ladder are earning, barely supporting the family. (40% salary, of the ones who still have jobs, since there is a worldwide crisis on the Telecom/Mobile Industry as well.
So in that sense (the pilot second life career) proved to be a good backup move.
Key questions is: Was it worth it ?
In economic terms, I spent all my savings, either to build time first, or to support the marginal income later.
But in terms of not even trying it, and keeping myself with the doubts of not accomplishing it, it was the most rewarding thing I did on my life.
I enjoyed (while studying a lot) all steps and stages, such as going for my first T/R at the Simulator in the USA (paid by the company, not me)...and flying today, even with its up's and down's
I learned that If I wanted to fly bizjets, and not making enough to support the family, I must exercise other skills, as a freelance worker, to make that extra income (electrician, free lance engineer, repair PC's, wherever etc etc).
Its amazing how and what you do, and you push yourself for an extra job, when short of money.
And the Airlines is not the only option off course. There are well GA jobs out there, that only show up when you started to have a T/R and Turbine/Jet time.
I wouldn't like to imagine myself, in a (sure much more comfortable) situation, where I considered not even attempted all these, decided back then to stay on my "secure life" at the corporate outfits, and now at 48 (today Augut 21 st !) crossing at the airport someone my age, that have tried it and succeeded !
So money (while the purpose of surviving) is not all, and you never know what might have happened to your previous career either. (I was laid off 2 times, on the IT market).
And still you have a long way to go, besides the airlines.
You never know whats next on a particular market. Be open. Apply and do networking for every possible job, everywhere.
I ended up doing 6 ferries USA to Argentina, that I never planned for (and those were well paid)
Got a job offer in SE Asia (ok Caravan's not Airbuses)
And also met some wonderful people here
Cheers
PM me if you like
Last edited by cheja; 20th Aug 2014 at 16:55. Reason: Typo
Join Date: Aug 2014
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Self fulfilment vs security
I take my hat off to Slingsby and his post, very honest indeed, and very telling of the industry. I think it encompasses many of the risks you may run into.
If you chose to go into this career then please make sure you do it eyes wide open. Attempting to become a pilot comes with significant risks, there are too many sad stories out there.
It’s a personal thing, and it can be very difficult being torn between following one’s dream of becoming a pilot, or going back to the sensible (albeit boring) day job. That’s a really tough one, its self fulfilment vs. security. The older we get, the less risks we can afford to take as there is normally family involved, and we have less time to make up for any failure.
I can’t even begin to tell you what a pain in the butt it was to become a pilot, even as a younger guy. Expensive as heck, frustrating and seemingly always living out of a suitcase. 3 countries on 3 continents.
In total 6 jobs and a few thousand flying hours. I got to fly lots of GA and a few years as an FO for a couple of airlines. I gave it up when my airline in the UK went bust, I guess I was done chasing the dream of flight at that point. Other things in life became more interesting.
Even if my flying career is not the greatest success story, I am very happy I did it because I achieved a big goal in my life. It would have been hell looking back, knowing that I never did that one thing I always wanted to do.
If you chose to go into this career then please make sure you do it eyes wide open. Attempting to become a pilot comes with significant risks, there are too many sad stories out there.
It’s a personal thing, and it can be very difficult being torn between following one’s dream of becoming a pilot, or going back to the sensible (albeit boring) day job. That’s a really tough one, its self fulfilment vs. security. The older we get, the less risks we can afford to take as there is normally family involved, and we have less time to make up for any failure.
I can’t even begin to tell you what a pain in the butt it was to become a pilot, even as a younger guy. Expensive as heck, frustrating and seemingly always living out of a suitcase. 3 countries on 3 continents.
In total 6 jobs and a few thousand flying hours. I got to fly lots of GA and a few years as an FO for a couple of airlines. I gave it up when my airline in the UK went bust, I guess I was done chasing the dream of flight at that point. Other things in life became more interesting.
Even if my flying career is not the greatest success story, I am very happy I did it because I achieved a big goal in my life. It would have been hell looking back, knowing that I never did that one thing I always wanted to do.
Join Date: Jun 2014
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I have to take my hat off to SlingsbyT67M, it's easy to tell about what goes well and our success, than to tell about the hardship and what goes wrong.
I hope you get a chance to climb back up, because you've been working for it.
Unfortunatly his case is the rule and not the exception!
When you take a risk at investing in a Pilot career, you have to be aware that you're chances of success, despite how hard you study and apply yourself, are less the older you get, and you have to be lucky with the economic curve.
The investment is huge, and if things go wrong you have to be aware that you'll have to pay the bills but the Pilot job isn't there, so you have to have the backup plan.
If you have a job, don't leave it. Get the FATPL while working. It's harder but it will support you and lessen the risk. It will take time to get the chance, if it ever comes, but you won't be bankrupt and unemployed.
If you have the dream of being a Pilot, I say go for it, but first, do the math, get a backup plan if things don't turn out. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst!
I hope you get a chance to climb back up, because you've been working for it.
Unfortunatly his case is the rule and not the exception!
When you take a risk at investing in a Pilot career, you have to be aware that you're chances of success, despite how hard you study and apply yourself, are less the older you get, and you have to be lucky with the economic curve.
The investment is huge, and if things go wrong you have to be aware that you'll have to pay the bills but the Pilot job isn't there, so you have to have the backup plan.
If you have a job, don't leave it. Get the FATPL while working. It's harder but it will support you and lessen the risk. It will take time to get the chance, if it ever comes, but you won't be bankrupt and unemployed.
If you have the dream of being a Pilot, I say go for it, but first, do the math, get a backup plan if things don't turn out. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst!
