coffin dodger.....
 

hi guys i am knocking on fourty two,with a ppl & 150 hrs tt.....just wanna get a feel from everyone on here 'AM I PAST IT'no really am i & chasing a pipe dream..
before i part with more hard earned cash dump the lovely nagging partner & live my dream & go balls out for my atpl with bells & whistles..

regards not past it quite yet the old dog

Yes and No
 

Yes! i'm afraid that in many respects you are. You are most unlikely ever to make it into a regular airline job - if that's your dream. They'll never tell you that of course - because they can't - but most airlines as an absolute minimum will be looking for under thirties.

But that's not to say that you can't have an interesting and rewarding career. One chap I know didn't do his first commercial job until he was in his sixties.

Provided you manage your expectations, both on salary and type of flying job professional flying is still an option.

Apologies for the grammar.Posted after a bottle of red!

PPL passed five years ago hours accrued within those five years.

Thanks for you honesty & reply.I suppose crop spraying in Australia wouldn't be to bad.

You are certainly not too old to train and obtain a professional licence. But I think you may struggle to obtain employment afterwards. Certainly a lot of avenues are already closed. Even if you were lucky,you dont have the benefit of a "long" career ahead of you so it would be unlikely you would ever recoup your training outlay. Be careful not to let your heart rule your head.
Listen..if you have got loads of spare cash lying around and want to train but can live with not finding employment afterwards,then i would say fill yer boots otherwise i would consider it very carefully. Having said that there also is an element of luck involved regardless of age so you may walk straight into gainful employment but no matter which way you look at it..you are at a disadvantage.
I was about 35 wen I started and that was seriously borderline!! And I went along the well-trodden instructor path, which is not really viable anymore. Things have changed....money talks! Best of luck whatever you decide but do really think long and hard about it.

alpha:ok:

FYI ... crop spraying in Australia is one of the most difficult and closed-shop employment fields of all, you'd have better luck with the airlines.

You'll struggle to get into "some" airlines, but a lot of them these days don't care so much since they don't invest a penny in your training. If you've got cash to burn then you'll probably get to play with some of the P2F lo-co's at least. Lucky you huh.

Failing that, certain turboprop operators actually prefer older individuals because they know they are less likely to run off to BA as soon as they get the golden phone call.

It's highly unlikely though that you'll ever get to recoup the investment you make - people have this idea that airline pilots make lots of money, which is actually bollocks until such time as they reach the left seat, but you'll need a number of years before you're ready for that. Obviously you can't get rich if you get your command at 55 and have compulsory retirement at 60 :hmm:

I personally know of people that got hired by Atlantic at the age of 45.
It's still possible but you may have to wonder different avenues then the young kids.
It's always possible to pay for a typerating and jet time after your basic training.
This could (with the emphasis on COULD) shave a couple of years of the process. So you would be looking at airlines/freighters by the age of 45.
This give you an easy 15 years in passenger carrying operations.
You could even make captain in that time. First 7 years FO then Capt.

Problem is that these young kids can afford a string of bad decisions and still end up in the right place. They have "correction" time if you will.
In your case (and many others) you need to:

• pick the right school
• not mess around
• study like your life depends on it
• stay on the straight and narrow
• maintain your dedication and motivation through plenty of darks days

Question is, how much money do you have to spend on this?
Do you have to sell your children and mortgage your house (twice!)?