How old are current wanabees?
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Kilmacolm
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28 years old, that changes in two weeks and two days.
However I've been flying since I was 20 and have an FAA CPL/IR. The hair won't be blonde for much longer if the final seven ATPL exams have their way...
However I've been flying since I was 20 and have an FAA CPL/IR. The hair won't be blonde for much longer if the final seven ATPL exams have their way...
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: UK
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As captwannabe pointed out there is new legislation coming out to try and stop age discrimination. I don't think this will make any difference what so ever as it is so easy to discriminate. An airline are not going to turn round and say, sorry you didn't get the job cause you're too old. They'll simply say, there was someone better.
Being too young seems to have its dissadvantages too. I don't know if it is insurance problems, or the fact that airlines don't want some 18 year old walking out of the flightdeck, but getting employment with an airline under 21 seems difficult.
Being too young seems to have its dissadvantages too. I don't know if it is insurance problems, or the fact that airlines don't want some 18 year old walking out of the flightdeck, but getting employment with an airline under 21 seems difficult.
Join Date: Jan 2006
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I'm 17 (18 later this month) got my PPL(A) about 3 weeks ago and have a place at CCAT to do the integrated course starting this September. I am also doing the assessment for OAT on the 19-20th this month.
Join Date: Jan 2001
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I've just turned 31. Treated myself to a PPL for my 30th. Now have 75 hours and a night rating. I'm slowly plodding through the ATPL's the hard way at the moment.
Will probably be another 18 months before I am holding a nice new (f) Atpl though.
I do however have 12 years experience working in the airlines on the ground and I am prepared to go anywhere and fly anything for my first job (which alot of people on here don't seem to be - they just want that 737/A320 job straight away
) which I hope will set me apart from a younger 20something who might be younger but doesn't come armed with all the useful background knowledge gained by working on the ground.
Will probably be another 18 months before I am holding a nice new (f) Atpl though.
I do however have 12 years experience working in the airlines on the ground and I am prepared to go anywhere and fly anything for my first job (which alot of people on here don't seem to be - they just want that 737/A320 job straight away
) which I hope will set me apart from a younger 20something who might be younger but doesn't come armed with all the useful background knowledge gained by working on the ground.
TightYorksherMan
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Peak District
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I started flying with cadets at 13. Started PPL at 18/19. Groundschool at 19/20, CPL and IR, 20/21 and been looking for an airline job since.
Currently 23 - gonna be 30 by the time someone will employ me......so get in there as young as possible and then you have some leeway!
Currently 23 - gonna be 30 by the time someone will employ me......so get in there as young as possible and then you have some leeway!
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Couldn't help but reply here. How're some of you at such a young age able to afford the training unless you are sponsored or on a course of some description that "pays" for your training (CTC)???
I really just don't bloody understand it - here I am about to go into my first graduate job and thinking about saving all those pennies for the future and here everyone seems to be able to afford it straight off with out working - how exactly??
Unless you get your parents to re-mortgage their house, which seems to me just a little foolish/unfair on them given the number of wannabes flooding the market at the moment. Everybody can't get a job at the same time, thus if you've borrow some huge sum and the grace-period is up, how are you going to go about repaying the sum with no job???
RIGHT - [RANT OVER]
Someone please, please enlighten me...
AB
I really just don't bloody understand it - here I am about to go into my first graduate job and thinking about saving all those pennies for the future and here everyone seems to be able to afford it straight off with out working - how exactly??
Unless you get your parents to re-mortgage their house, which seems to me just a little foolish/unfair on them given the number of wannabes flooding the market at the moment. Everybody can't get a job at the same time, thus if you've borrow some huge sum and the grace-period is up, how are you going to go about repaying the sum with no job???
RIGHT - [RANT OVER]
Someone please, please enlighten me...
AB
Join Date: Dec 1999
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Because some young people are not as risk averse as they should be, collateral in the form of parents' houses is used, and people with a lack of life experience are clouded too much by pure desire and passion.
None of which necessarily make for a good pilot - without testing and ensuring one is capable, all that money may go to waste.
Me? I am young, and though having always aimed to fly, have no desire to throw 60k on a bonfire without any guarantee of a job. Though would do the training with a sponsorship, I will ensure my fallback is doubly secure before making any move, and by then the sponsorships may even have arisen from the ashes.
I would strongly resent any suggestion that me not borrowing the money shows any lack of commitment. I know I could borrow it all tomorrow, and also have passed aptitude tests, hold a PPL, UAS hours etc, but as a qualified financial professional consider such an idea to be highly foolish.
Besides my current position will ensure that I employ every last one of you sometime soon...!
None of which necessarily make for a good pilot - without testing and ensuring one is capable, all that money may go to waste.
Me? I am young, and though having always aimed to fly, have no desire to throw 60k on a bonfire without any guarantee of a job. Though would do the training with a sponsorship, I will ensure my fallback is doubly secure before making any move, and by then the sponsorships may even have arisen from the ashes.
I would strongly resent any suggestion that me not borrowing the money shows any lack of commitment. I know I could borrow it all tomorrow, and also have passed aptitude tests, hold a PPL, UAS hours etc, but as a qualified financial professional consider such an idea to be highly foolish.
Besides my current position will ensure that I employ every last one of you sometime soon...!
Last edited by Re-Heat; 14th Apr 2006 at 22:30.
Join Date: Apr 2005
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I'm 28 and currently enrolled in an aviation program at a college in Canada. Luckily for me the program is heavily subsidized which means I'm only responsible for two years of college tuition while the government picks up the flight training costs. The other perk of training through an accredited college is access to government student loans and bursaries. I'll graduate with a CPL and Float Endorsement. I'll have to get my MIFR seperately though.
Join Date: Mar 2006
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I dont see the confusion personally, anyone can work a job and earn or pocket at least 15>20 grand a year, even if it takes 2 jobs. Over a 2 or 3 year period your close enough to 60k. Yea if you have a family to support or business to fianance or a 4yr degree to complete its not the case, but for someone outta school or college or whatever who has the time to apply to nothing but work for the cash its quite feasible. I personally went through college worked part time jobs and full time jobs after college and it was my mid twenties before I could finance training but none the less I financed it outright without any loans, I have nothing against getting a complete loan but it wasnt for me. People do seem to get caught up with getting qualified asap and getting RHS in a jet etc etc but to be honest on my route I was the youngest even though I am in my late twenties.. which is still quite young in this game from what i have seen. Personally I have never encountered anyone under 25 training or working but thats not to say there is plenty of young lads/lassies out there doing it. Dont sink yourself deep in depth, work a few jobs whether it be on the ramp or office or whatever..and earn the cash and earn some experience. Maturity and life experience does count for something in some peoples eyes,, straight outta school and outta flight training college and barely into 20's has not been a sucessful route in my airline anyway.