Mid Study Age Worry!

[ramshorn]

Good Evening
I'm presently studying for ATPL's at Bristol.I was 32 a couple of days ago and have just had a reality attack about my age,due to all the threads being posted by people a fair amount younger than me and some at a more advanced stage of their training! I have a PPL and an FAA IR.Module 1 exams in october then module 2 exams completed by the end of the year if all goes to plan .Now i've put you in the picture could some wise old souls who've maybe been in the situation that i'm in, now flying for a living please put my mind at rest and tell me that the airlines perfect recruiting age is 32(or not)!
I'm under no illusion that i do have a disadvantage in comparison to pilots 10 years my junior,but i would be very grateful if you could shed some realistic light on my options from your personal experience or anyone you know or know of who've had success storys or nightmares!Not too many of the latter please!Please put my mind at rest!!

[CAT3C AUTOLAND]

I am 29, and do not have first hand experience of a flying job yet (still doing my IR), however, I do know of a guy who is in his forties, had a FI rating not more than about 300 hours, and is now flying business jets.

I wouldn't worry too much about it, just keep going and don't lose hope .

[Shiny side down]

Was 32 when I started ATPL ground school.
Was 33(+bit) when I got my IR.
Was 34(+bit) when the 'probable' job disappeared post 911.
Was 36(+bit) when I got an offer.

You have to continue, otherwise you will only say to yourself later 'what if...'

I buggered around in another profession for so many years before I did my PPL and launched at the CPL/IR stuff. The previous career is still an option if all goes seriously wrong.

I still believe I made the right decision. I have a job. It was bloody difficult to get one. I love flying. There are regularly some negative aspects. It's not all honey and roses. A few times I have asked myself if I am doing/have done the right thing.

It could be worse, I could still be working in engineering, an industry that was in decline (In the UK anyway) when I first started.

I know a guy who did all this with a family in tow. He flies a turbo prop now.

One last thing. Friends and associated who were in the industry would say to me, 'Hang in there, the job will happen'. It did eventually.

Good luck, and try to always stay positive.

[oxford blue]

I suggest that you look at the other nearby thread on this particular forum entitled "Training for the Aged". It seems to me that most of the issues that concern you are discussed in detail there.

I instruct at a well-known FTO. In my opinion, for what it is worth, I really do not think that airlines discriminate against older starters. In some ways they prefer them, because they are mature, they know something of life as a whole, and often they have superior customer service skills and superior commercial awareness. They often study a hell of a sight harder and learn the lessons better in spite of being slightly slower on the uptake (if they are - in many cases they are not).

[BEagle]

Did my ATPL Air Law at the age of 41. That was back in the days of negative marking and when Paper 2 was a Pass/Fail paper.

If I recall correctly, I obtained 97% - having left 3 questions unanswered. And 100% in Paper 2.

You can easily do it - don't worry about age!