Hi all,

I've been a lurker recently on this amazing board and this post is mostly to look for realistic insights rather than encouragement!

I always wanted to be a pilot, I took few PPL lessons when I was 16 but life (family) got in the way then university and stuff, fast forward to now and I realized it might be too late already, a bit of situation background:

I’m 35, EU passport, currently working full-time in China. Stable job, decent income (around 4K euros net monthly), not aviation-related. I have savings but not close enough to afford integrated scheme and in today's world, I certainly do not want to go for a loan.

My current thinking is a modular EASA route:

• Short term: focus on health (need to drop 20kg) + Class 1 medical (planned mid-2026)
  
• PPL in an EASA (by the way, is it possible to do the flying in eastern Europe and the theory with a French online ATO?) country (considering Hungary cause it can be done intensive style)
  
• Build hours gradually, theory alongside work
  

I can work remotly or part time during time building and next ratings, this is why I am ready to give it a shot with the modular path. I am not married and do not plan to have kids any time soon. I’m aware this will take time and may not lead to an airline job, I used to be all for Air France or those other big airlines, right now I am thinking I will be happy with whatever FO I could find, keeping all doors open in most EU countries to build hours.

My question is simple: right now in 2025, at 35, with this setup, is a modular path still a sane project, or do the age/timeline/financial constraints realistically make it impractical?

I plan on at least completing the PPL and see how I feel after that. I am mostly looking to gather advice and how to proceede to maximize the chances.

Thanks a lot guys!

Perhaps look into Cathay's CPP, as long as you have a university degree from a top university or another way to get a Work Visa into Hong Kong, it may be a good fit for you.
It is competitive, so go through the Southeast Asia Wannabes' 400 page thread, particularly the recent years to get an idea of what to expect.