DoobyDoo

Hejsa,

Despite living here half of the time, I have no real idea about this matter. (I am new to the business).

Do nordic hiring policies and traditions go well with older starters? Only thing I know is that in SWE and NO, the High Schools often have an occupational profile, putting very young students on track for certain businesses. So early determination is pretty common. Other countries seem to be more used to people starting over, changing careers and so on.

Would like to hear from Nordic flyers and applicants who have experience with being well past 30, maybe 40, and trying to get hired in Scandinavia.

Flathadder

Can´t answer your question specifically, but in a part of the world where they pride themselves on their almost limitless tolerance of all things, age discrimination is alive and well and perfectly legal.

eaglesnest1972

Hi mate,

I am 40, frozen ATPL with a 320 rating.
Applied to scandinavian carriers many times.
Never had a single reply.

Good luck, its a hard job...finding a job.

Hotel Charlie

If you are 40 and have less than 1500 hrs, you are absolutely to late out of the starting block
This is a little harsh gentlemen but if you guys started your professional pilot education after the age of 25 I am afraid you will have missed a few things only due to the fact that your brains have already started to deteriorate .... This is a well known fact and we can see it when we meet you guys I'm sorry to say
When it comes to the airline business, the problem is not having enough old geezers "aboard" but having too many old farts and too little young folk!
Now having said that, why on Earth would anyone want to get into this lousy business anyways? Let alone a 40 year old! Keep your day job, it probably has a lot better T&C's than any airline job you will get these days ....and rather fly privately when you want too
Once again sorry if this was a little harsh but take is as well intended advice from someone who has flown for 30 years, professionally for 27 and still loves doing the visual approach when he gets the chance but really hates where the business has gone ....

eaglesnest1972

i know a guy who just got hired from ezy.
40+ yrs old.
900 hrs TT.
600 hrs on the bus (mainly p2f).

I know another guy who started at 45 flying the 73 for former airone.

Age is not a problem today if you have the hours on a major acft. in my opinion.
That means of course p2f.

About brain deterioration, having a look to the young student pilots hanging around in the flight schools i am proud to say that my brain is still working perfectly...much more than theirs.

Hotel Charlie

I'm sure it does eaglesnest1972 and good luck with your job hunt!
When it comes to "young student pilots" and what they ought to know about this business now .....yes they should probably have their heads examined

Severe CAVOK

Many things can make your brain deteriorate. Some are consumed in a liquid state, and they tend to promote rather inarticulate statements.

drag king

What a heap of cr@p! Here the only deteriorated brain must be YOURS, dude!

Started flying aged 29, it took me a while thanks to:

-the 9/11
-some nasty events in the family that I wouldn't wish had happened to my worse foes
-the endless cue of kids-with-rich-daddy all running for a jet-job with < 200hrs
-some narrow-minded manager-pilots that think pretty much your way and hired just the aforementioned guys NOT because they were smart but because they PAID for their job
-etc, etc

...but I still made it, eventually.

Get your facts right

DK

Hotel Charlie

Of course what I wrote is politically incorrect DK and I'm sure you think you're an Excellent Pilot! and you most likely do fine....but I'm also sure that there is a difference between two 40 year olds where one started at 21 and the other started as a 30 year old.
Either way anyone wanting to get into the business these days should really reconsider, for several reasons....

Happy that you made it DK I just hope you didn't do it by paying for a TR and or P2F. Cause people doing that is one of the reasons for this profession going to H... in a hand basket!

drag king

I didn't write bullet-points 3&4 just to have a rant and subsequently swallow my pride (and words) to join the P2F-brigade, rest assured. In fact I paid (and I still am) a VERY heavy price for sticking on my guns and accepting bonds or other forms of training-cost compensations that did not involve upfront money coming out my wallet.

21 or 40 yo (provided you had a decent secondary education) does not make any difference, IMHO. You have to come from a profession that "excercise" your brain, I agree. If you have been working at the local gas-station (not picking on ANY humble profession at all, here) for 15 yrs and once home done nothing else but flipping the Sky-box remote, I agree it can be tough but in general in your 30's and later you manage also you time and energies much better.

DK

Moonwalker

I don't agree on the age problem. Generally speaking as a group yes, but I've flown with 60 year old individuals that is still much more switched than the 25 average youngster. All they've had in common have been the will to take on new information and adapt, and that has nothing to do with your age.

Cmon-PullUP

Age has nothing to do with the ability to fly and to learn - but attitude does.

I fly with F/O's of all ages, some who started as very young and some who started very very late. What matters is the energy laid into the school and the amount of hard work done. Flying is not rocket science as some want it to be, but there is a huge volume of info to learn and that does require a bit. This is where older people sometimes have a problem, if they have wife and kids who prevent them from doing the hours in the books required.

The good pilots, - regardless of age and experience - are those who can add humility to the job, common sense and just do their best on a daily basis, - and honestly: a lot of the young people fail big time here, and a lot of older people excel because life experience and attitude makes up for a lot in this job. ( i take it for granted here that the knowledge required is learned by everyone )

Hotel Charlie: do you fly yourself?? It doesn't sound like it

Eaglesnest: Don't let any idiot tell you what you can and cannot do in this business. Jobs are hard to get for everyone today due to the climate, and yes different HR departments have different requirements. But hang in, because age is not a problem as long as you can fly and know your stuff, - attitude IS a problem.

Most Cpt i know, myself included, prefer to have a proffesional person sitting in the next seat who can talk about other things than the highschool they left 2 years ago

B-U-S-S

Spot on Cmon-PullUp!

Hotel Charlie

This summer I've actually flow for 30 years and 27 of them professionally
....and you guys are missing the point. There is nothing wrong with a forty year olds attitude or ability to remember stuff ...that is not what I'm talking about. It's the feeling for it, the craftsman's ship that is very hard to acquire if you don't start "early", but that is of course very politically incorrect to say it

At least be honest with yourselves! Would you as management hire a 40 year old with a frozen ATPL if you could get a 25 year old with an ATPL who is more easily mold-able?

Either way ... why anybody would want to get into this business these days is beyond me

jackx123

in today's market a 40 year old fresh hire p2f is a lot better than a 25 year old. The 40 year old just carry a lot less financial obligations, providing they both retire at the same age and get the same salary increases.

Hotel Charlie

If it's the bean counters that have the final word you do have a point

eaglesnest1972

@Cmon pull up

Dont worry mate, i'll make it someway...
Just a question of time

Hotel Charlie

Seriously eaglesnest1972, I do wish you good luck but if you do have another profession I'd stick to it, not because of what I mentioned above, you may very well be a fine airman but just because t&c's are so crappy
Keep your day job and fly freely when you feel like it

eaglesnest1972

HC
thanks for the advice...i think its too late anyway : )