I work on Crew Transfer Vessels running technicians out to Offshore Windfarms.
Thanks for the advice. I did think FI could be an interesting route to go down if not an airline. If I made it to the point of being paid to fly I'm sure I'd be pretty happy wherever that seat may be.

I am in a similar position to yourself although I am a year younger than you. I also work 3.5 days a week. My trade is a Lorry Driver so I do end up with a lot of sitting around waiting to be loaded which is excellent time to be brushing up with Theory etc. I am flying 2-3 times a week as long as weather is okay.

I am doing dual modular and you can easily do it for 50k all in. As you already have 12k I would find a local field to do you PPL and then do your ATPL theory. You should be able to do it with that 12k you have saved. The great expense comes after that with the ratings but doing your PPL and ATPL theory you are already the vast majority of the way there. Then you need to try and find the remaining 40k. Whether that be taking equity out of your house or securing a loan. First thing I would do though is your Class 1 medical.

Where are you completing all of your modules?

first of all, I’d like to thank to each and every person that is willing to read and possibly reply to this long post

one question which will decide if this is realistic at all,
is 24 years old too late to start? I am pursing my mech e degree and will be done and at age 24 I was planning to start my training

1) as I understand there is an integrated path and modular path to become a pilot, would modular get me less opportunities than integrated? as I cannot afford integrated while working full time

2) how often do companies expect you to pay for your type rating? is it common practice or is that just something Ryanair does? speaking for EASA

3) I am from Croatia, meaning our national carrier does not have the best benefits nor the best routes, everything is heavily government subsidised and I wouldn’t like to spend my career here.
so my question would be, what opportunities would I have as Croatian and English speaker except low cost carriers? I see for all Lufthansa Group German is obviously required, and my guess is that Germans have advantage during hiring process.

also, what realistic opportunities would I have in the world? I hear really bad stuff about ME3 and Asian carriers now, but I am keeping in mind that is only for the Americans as their aviation world is totally different beast

(median salary here is about 12k/yr, so I am assuming for that kind of money I’d be willing to work a lot)

if I learned German, would they consider me for real or would they just dismiss it as I am not a native?

4) how accurate are paystubs at pilotjobsnetwork, from what I see salaries are differing wildly

5) how would I realistically progress on widebody planes, only option I see is working for ME3, also are layovers in those companies long enough to see each city or do you work literally till exhaustion and don’t even get to sleep in the city you land in? (speaking for long haul)

6) why do people avoid ACMI like a plague, are contracts really that bad or do people just prefer to be home every night

7) my main objective would be to fly cargo, what opportunities would I have with EASA license and EU passport?
does dhl take non German pilots

8) If I finish my education modular way, what are the chances for me to never get a job? some people claim that rejection rates are 10 people for 1 that gets a job.
I understand that people say work for the love of aviation and don’t think about that, but if I were to pursue this path it would require me to move back with my parents and work 6 days a week for three years to get my licenses, as there are no good paying jobs as mechanical engineer in Croatia

9) would you say you are fulfilled with your career, do you feel like you missed a lot of important events in your life due to the nature of your job?

10) what does the future for the pilots look like in your opinion? everywhere except the US it seems like workers rights and salaries are coming down, at least according to pprune, which some claim is a toxic ####show (at least according to Reddit, not claiming anything)

DISCLAIMER: I do understand that even if I started my training tomorrow these concerns are a long time ahead of me, but I simply cannot commit myself to the idea if I don’t have these questions answered, as this would require massive commitment in terms of working for 3 years like a dog and not having basically any social life.

anyway, I apologise for this long list of questions, and any insight you are willing to share would be massively helpful

P.S. I’ve seen user rudestuff give a lot of sensible advice on all sorts of threads, so if you’d like to chime in with some opinions of yours, I’d be really thankful!

24 yo is not too late to start.
1. It depends on what you want to do as well as the employment market when you finish. Can you afford to do a degree and then finance an integrated course? Depending on the market, you could work for 2 years, save up some cash and then go full time? Only you know your financial state.
2. It was pretty rife a while ago but it seems to have eased as pilot numbers have dwindled. I'd still think about having that money tucked away.
3. Some countries have dropped the national language requirement, but most still have it. Ideally, the more suitable experience you have the easier it is to get around such things. As a low houred pilot, the Middle East probably won't look at you. As with any employer, it depends. I don't know the German language fluency requirements. It's probably on the Lufthansa site.
4. Don't know. Haven't looked.
5. Don't know. Haven't done it. I fly a private jet. Others will know. An example. BA B777. LHR to Male (Maldives). Cabin crew got 3 days. Pilots got 14 hours. Just how much sight seeing do you think they got? When you're young, your recovery time is amazing, +50yo? You just want sleep in your own bed.
6. Some don't. There are contracts and there are contracts. Once you have relationships/family. Being home appeals. Depending on the relationship, being away for a month sounds good.
7. Freight dog life. I did parcel pup flying. It's fun but knackering. DHL do take non Germans. I have a couple of Belgian colleagues who flew for DHL. The money being offered in the US for freight dogs is eye wateringly incredible. Not so much for DHL in Europe. An FO at NetJets Europe earns more than a DHL EU captain.

Hope this helps.

I'll bite. Don't even think about it, 24 is way too old to learn to fly. There is a window of opportunity between 18-19 where it is possible. You'll be 26 by the time you get a job and you'll only 39 years of flying. It's simply not worth it.

1. If you can't afford integrated it's a Moo point. It's like a cows' opinion - it doesn't matter.

2. It's common amongst low cost airlines, but there are plenty of airlines which will pay and bond you.

3. For your first job you go anywhere and fly anything. Once you have multi crew experience a lot more doors will open. I have friends who quit the ME for Low cost and friends who went from Low cost to the ME. Both have their pros and cons. It's always money vs lifestyle.

4. No idea.

5. You can work for any company in Europe, so there are plenty of WB options, once you have a few thousand hours of jet time. The ME is also a good option (there are alot more than 3 airlines) - layovers could be 24hrs, 48hrs or more depending on routes. Some can be as much as a week. Don't get ahead of yourself.

6. They do have a bottom-feeder reputation, but sometimes they offer good rosters and lifestyle.

7. There are plenty of cargo airlines in Europe and yes they do. DHL have multiple airlines and partners in Europe.

8. There is a chance that you will never get a job but that is mainly down to you. Aviation is boom and bust. It's all about timing.

9. Yes because I rarely feel like I'm working. And we get way more time off than regular people do.

10. People who ask this many questions probably don't really want it enough.

I am 36 and start my modular training next week. The ATO that I have chosen told me to expect to take up to 12 months to do my PPL and 3-5 years to get a job with an airline. I think having already lived an adult life gives a different perspective but even if I only get to fly for 10 years I will be happy

Ulster flying club by any chance?

I take it you're working full time? 4 weeks is quite achievable if you use your vacation wisely.

Really!?!
i need to look at this then! may be worth taking some time off work to complete. Didn't think it would be possible that quick!

Similar boat to jarthur331. 36, looking to start the journey! just need a minor surgery in a few weeks to pass my medical.

Let me qualify that for you. This assumes you train somewhere with reliable weather and reliable aircraft (so not the UK!), and you don't use any of that time to study theory. Turn up knowing everything and just fly. You could do it in a 4 week block or split it into 2x 2-week blocks. I know a guy who booked a cheap 2-week fly-drive to Florida and got 20ish hours and a solo endorsement, then studied the theory and went back some months later and did the same again, finishing his private and some extra hour building.

Make sure you get a class one medical. The standards are a lot higher than class 2 and you need to know you can get one before you start training.

Yes actually had the class 1 booked and was going to get a letter from my surgeon stating the risk is low. But i dont want to be doing that every year so just going ahead and getting the surgery done, then have the medical.
Better in the long run!

Yes working full time in the UK. So was hoping to take advantage of this summer as best as i can! Good idea by the guy who went to Florida! something to look into!
Would like to get the PPL completed asap! obviously not too quick that i don't take it all in

I have seen some of your replies to others regarding the best / cost effective route. getting your IR(R) is more cost effective in the long run isnt it?

National flight centre in Dublin

Hi all -

a few weeks ago I turned 30 and had a serious conversation with my father about where my life is heading. We talked about how I’ve spent years chasing income, running a business, working 7-day weeks, and that maybe now is the time to start chasing dreams instead of just financial goals.Becoming a pilot has always been a dream of mine. I’ve finally reached a point in life where I can start exploring that seriously.



I know there are hurdles ahead, as I’m sure many of you have faced too. I’d really appreciate some personal perspective on the following:



1. lack of formal education ​​​​​​​
Mathematics comes easy to me in comparison to other subjects

1a)
I don’t have any formal high school education, though I have basic maths and English qualifications from an apprenticeship. Is that enough?


1b)Would you recommend I take GCSEs or A-levels in maths or physics? Partly for personal development, but also for future CV credibility?


1c)
due to a low level of education, I’m hesitant on my learning ability - and honestly haven’t been the greatest at learning from apps or textbooks. Is there other options people have tried, that they’ve found works for them? mixing different ways to consume the information?
​​​​​​​


2. life/lifestyle change
currently working extreme hours, but compensated very well.

2a)
has anybody spent (for me) 7 years of their life building a business, getting to the point of “success” (local market leaders) and switched over to being a pilot?

2b)
how did you (or somebody you know) deal with leaving behind a really challenging and demanding lifestyle (24hr phone calls etc) to becoming a pilot, did you feel the pilot lifestyle could replace running a business?


2c)
has anybody got to the airlines and felt, it isn’t what you expected?




3. Opportunities, future and advice
With current life commitments and work commitments I plan on 3-5 years to get my ATPL

3a)
is a healthy income realistically possible for somebody who gets a frozen ATPL at approx 35 years old?

3b)
I currently have 3 flight experiences at different companies, 2 at a local airfield to me, and 1 further afield (approx 1.5hr).
what should I be looking for,
and is a company reputation important for the CV?

3c)
Although always paying a keen interest in the matter, I’m not as informed as I would like to be, do you have any advice that you think I should know, that I haven’t asked?



I really appreciate I’ve asked a lot of questions here, but it’s a serious decision in my current life.

if you are able to just respond to one of my points, I thank you, and even if you’re just browsing, thank you for taking the time to read my questions.




** edit -

I am located south east England

have not started just yet as currently getting some medical stuff sorted out before looking at a class 1 medical, and want to have a few different days with different schools to see how I feel.

I’ll try and take a meander through your questions, but the very short summary is that I can see nothing in what you’ve written that screams this will be a complete disaster. Quite the opposite, given what you’ve achieved by 30, learning to fly shouldn’t be all that difficult.

1a. Depends. It will stop you getting on sponsored schemes. It may limit your very first job. Once you get your very first job it will never be an issue again.

1b. GCSE Maths and English can only help, but I don’t think I’d put off training to get them. Most sponsorships now want GCSEs only, so that is a guide as to where airlines may want their academic bar to be.

1c. ATPL groundschool is mostly learning question banks and learning from instructors. There’s not a massive amount of studying from a textbook per se. Good idea may be to focus on a training pipeline where you do groundschool first. Then you’re in the bubble for six months, can get really into it and it’s done when it’s done. Bluntly if it’s too much of a leap academically then at least it’s a fairly small amount lost.

2a. I have not, but you’d be very surprised by how many pilots are on their second or third careers, very common. Owning a business is just another previous career once you start flying.

2b. Not once the buzz of training wears off and you’re fully qualified. Day to day it’s a fairly monotonous job, or at least it should be if you’re doing it right! Plenty of people run businesses on the side. Our job, on a normal day..!, leaves an enormous amount of head space to focus on other things as it doesn’t follow you home and requires no work outside of just flying the thing. I personally love being a worker bee and having no additional responsibilities apart from ironing some kit before I go to work.

2c. Yes, but in a good way. I thought airline flying would be pretty dull if I’m being honest but it’s been great, really do think it’s one of the best jobs in the world.

3a. You’re under 50, forget about your age as you can have a full career. Yes you’ll fly with captains younger than you. Doesn’t matter in the slightest. You’re 30 now so by 35 you won’t be a captain but if you’ve been on a 320/737 jet for a couple of years you’ll be close to £100K in today’s money. Another couple of years you could well be a captain on the nice side of 150.

3b. Not qualified to answer

3c. Start getting your head around what route you want to go down. Integrated vs modular, EASA vs CAA, or both. These sorts of things are big calls to make and they’ll happen soon.

Yes, get your class 1 ASAP

if you consider both ... (?)

... then do both of these!

Hello, I would appreciate some knowledgeable and honest advice.

I am 52 and considering moving on from my current career. I have a PPL(A) with ~300 hours and a IR(R). Financially, I am in a good position and could fund modular or integrated training. I am 99.9% confident about passing a Class 1 medical. Academically, I've just finished a MSc so pretty happy with my ability to study, learn and pass exams.

I don't especially aspire to any particular job, location or position, I'd just be quite happy to fly and get paid for it, perhaps even with a mix of different flying.

Assuming I could complete a CPL/IR or frozen ATPL by the end of 2026, what would the prospects be of securing an entry-level job for someone of my age and experience and what are the likely jobs that would be available to me, if any? If I were to continue on a module pathway, which school would give me the best credibility with potential employers?

Thank you
73DT

You're only about 40 hours away from a fATPL so there would be no advantage to going integrated.
Age-wise you've got over 10 years flying ahead of you, plus they don't know how old you are unless you tell them.