A painful topic to discuss rationally.

It's entirely market driven. Training risk goes out of the window when a course has to be filled and filled now. That is the only fact in this business.

Additionally there are wise heads that appreciate the staffing stability offered by candidates with maturity and a family if the geographics coincide.

If I spout off regarding Danny and I starting in our dotages it's encouraging but essentially meaningless. We entered the profession at a different points in the eternal airline cycle. If you can guage where the market is going to be 12 or 18 months down the line with licence in hand you are wasting a lot of money. You should be at a desk or in a dealing room somewhere earning enough to run your own jet.

It's a risk, it always will be. Only you can decide if life not trying your hand would be eternally frustrating.

Regards
Rob

PS. My style checker came up with pragmatic, almost terse - suitable for debt collecting business correspondence only.
:ouch: :ouch: :ouch:

Too Old
 

OK here goes

Im now 37 and half way through my IR, it is difficult and the money goes not very far on this course.

However i came into flying some 5 -6 years ago after a trial lesson and basically have done a rating a year,paced myself and learned a lot through it. I understand i may not have a job at the end, but this has become a personal challenge too.

My aim is to fly with someone small, Turbo prop operator, regional etc , not worried about large airlines, i was extremely realistic when i came into this and i f i got a job working for an operator flying that paid enough for me to live on i would be very happy.

However if i dont get a job, although dissapointed, its not the end of my world, i have met fantastic people in aviation, and would continue to fly as a hobby with my IR and still keep applying.

I have never given up work so i have a full time job too, which like most of us with that middle age crisis is not that exciting and yearn to be in the office with the best view, that said, bills must be paid.

But most of all if you do embark on such a trek into the unknown, ensure your family is fully behind you, its expensive, tiresome and very frustrating.

But enough of that its all worth it if you understand all that was written on these replies that people have posted

Have fun flying and be realistic, you wont go wrong

Good luck

:ok: :ok:

ps, my first instructor flies for a regional and got first job at 42, know another at 51 and an AOC op at 36. This said they did have a few thousand on instruction but supply and demand and all that :8

How many of you think i have a chance to get my hands on a 737,757,767, A330 etc etc.

Im 31 and am planning to go from zero to frozen atpl this summer, integrated, at one of the big schools???


Place your bets

Thanks :cool:

Jam

p.s everyone's welcome for their views:ok:

Mr. Magoo: re the ""you're too old and we'd regard you as a training risk" response.

This is pure and simply a market force thing. If there was a shortage of qualified pilots with just the type rating then they would be in demand.

It's a shame really that when considering the pure motivational drive of someone in their 40s who REALLY does want to change his career and has been around and seen what life is all about, the airline industry places no value on this trait at all. I can imagine some people even willing to wash down that 737 every day if there was a chance of flying it for a living.

The long and the short of it is that we, who fall in love with flying - yes that's what it is really - cannot give it up no matter what. Once hooked, you will get close to spending all the money you have, run the risk of divorce and possibly gain a few ulcers.

Everyone knows that this industry is cyclical but who can imagine that the next cycle of upswing will be significant enough for airlines to reach out for the "oldies" and the high hours instructors. ;)

The key word being IF. There never really is a shortage though is there ? :(

I like the falling in love analogy. You know you are going to be penniless and that it's going to really p!$$ you off at times, yet you still do it.

Back to the books for me so that I can place my singles ad sometime next year.

"Male, early thirties seeks large bird for long loving relationship and to travel the world with. Will consider 2 or 4 engines. Colour (scheme) and looks unimportant" :E

There are two opposing factors in this question. Number one is age, number two is finances.

An 18y/o school leaver is highly unlikely to have £40-60k to spare (unless he has filthy rich parents), whereas mid 30's guys probably do have the cash of their own to spare. So you've either got youth or cash on your side.

If the airlines want a constant supply of fresh meat, then they should dip into their pockets and start sponsoring again.

Having said that depends on who is interviewing you. If the interviewer was a mature self improver when he qualified, he may favour the mature self improver.

JohnnyPharm: Re. "whereas mid 30's guys probably do have the cash of their own to spare" I would also add that the given guy/gal is single or has a partner in the same industry and no kids.
Otherwise I cannot see how thay can honestly say that they have a happy family life when one of them is mostly away all the time and when they are home, rushes around trying to make up for lost time with partner/kids etc.

Re. "...If the interviewer was a mature self improver when he qualified, he may favour the mature self improver."

I can see this as a likely scenario.