AM I TOO OLD?
 

AM I too old to consider an Airline career at 32 ?

To be in a position to even apply for jobs I need my ATPL and enough hours logged, so I guess we are looking at 2 years from now.

At 34 will I simply be too old to even be considered for a job with the big boys??

I am a firm believer in attitude and determination, if you have the drive, go for it mate, sod the age <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> .

Obviously I do not know your responsibilties, however, if you are single, got the cash and have plenty of determination I do not see anything in your way.

Good luck!

Solution to your problem: Move to the States - you can fly until you are 65 or so, health permitting.

That way you'll still have 31 years of flying ahead of you if you find a job - pretty good chance you could at least find an instructing or commuter position. Plus, there are many, mnay corporate jet positions available.

. .Stay positive and fly right...

What's that? Fly till age 65 in the States? Under Part 121 it's until age 60. What's the latest in the legislature: Challenging the age 60 rule? . .Under Part 135 (Commuter/Air Taxi) there's no age limit.

Andy,

I seem to remember reading a recent post in which Mr Fyne himself mentioned that he didn't start his professional training till the ripe old age of 34.

Im 31 and 3/4, ( you do start to grasp the months though don't you !!! :) ) as a PPL hope to start my ATPL theory in the next couple of months.

One advantage of age is experience - something money just can't buy - but I have to admit it's wierd considering if you are over the hill in your early thirties. <img src="eek.gif" border="0">

A friend of mine is in his early forties and starting his commercial training, suppose it's all about the person who's doing it really, if you want it and all that .....

All the best,

LF. . <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

Hi there.. .Look at it this way....in 2 years, you'll be 34 anyway. So do you want to be 34 with an ATP or 34 without one?

If it helps, I did my ATPL writtens and got my initial IR in 1997 - I was 54 :) I got my first airline job in 1999 - wow! your arithmetic is good - yes, 56!. .That is not particularly unusual - what I am saying is, if you want to and if it suits your financial and other comittments, family included and if you get your class one medical before you shell out any money - then, why not?. .You may have to do FIC and get a few hours built up but, given the current climate, nothing much will be happening until, probably, sometime end 2003, by when you will be ready. .You will still be a relatively young man. .You probably will not be able to get into BA, maybe, if you wanted to and, possibly one or two of the other'biggies' - however, there are plenty more and, anyway, terms and conditions in BA are not what they used to be and won't be what they are now. They have to earn a living as well, these days -so, perhaps not the £100k job but they will be rare at current values in any event. .Do talk to lots and lots of pilots -difficult these days, but if you can get a couple of 'flight deck rides', so much the better. If not, talk to lots and lots of pilots and if they are not encouraging, they probably are in the wrong job.. .You will need to get a handle of what the job really is, not what you perceive it to be - and if you still want it, that will give you the steam to get through. Do not underestimate the slog it will be though. Unless you are one of God's gifted children - it will be very hard going, indeed, and you will want to quit at least three times during the process - don't!. .It's not a difficult job - infact in practice, it's far easier than the training - once you get your first OPC/LPC/Type training out of the way and get onto actual 'line training/flying'. .Keep a sense of humour and self-belief - you are a young person - in ten years you could be the skipper of a shiny new, or old, noise machine, thinking; 'I'm bored', as you do your umpteenth night on the same route as you did your umpteenth last year, etc

. . [quote] <hr></blockquote>YOUTH IS WASTED ON THE YOUNG

If it helps, I did my ATPL writtens and got my initial IR in 1997 - I was 54 :) I got my first airline job in 1999 - wow! your arithmetic is good - yes, 56!. .That is not particularly unusual - what I am saying is, if you want to and if it suits your financial and other comittments, family included and if you get your class one medical before you shell out any money - then, why not?. .You may have to do FIC and get a few hours built up but, given the current climate, nothing much will be happening until, probably, sometime end 2003, by when you will be ready. .You will still be a relatively young man. .You probably will not be able to get into BA, maybe, if you wanted to and, possibly one or two of the other'biggies' - however, there are plenty more and, anyway, terms and conditions in BA are not what they used to be and won't be what they are now. They have to earn a living as well, these days -so, perhaps not the £100k job but they will be rare at current values in any event. .Do talk to lots and lots of pilots -difficult these days, but if you can get a couple of 'flight deck rides', so much the better. If not, talk to lots and lots of pilots and if they are not encouraging, they probably are in the wrong job.. .You will need to get a handle on what the job really is, not what you perceive it to be - and if you still want it, that will give you the steam to get through. Do not underestimate the slog it will be though. Unless you are one of God's gifted children - it will be very hard going, indeed, and you will want to quit at least three times during the process - don't!. .It's not a difficult job - infact in practice, it's far easier than the training - once you get your first OPC/LPC/Type training out of the way and get onto actual 'line training/flying'. .Keep a sense of humour and self-belief - you are a young person - in ten years you could be the skipper of a shiny new, or old, noise machine, thinking; 'I'm bored', as you do your umpteenth night on the same route as you did your umpteenth last year, etc

. . [quote] <hr></blockquote>YOUTH IS WASTED ON THE YOUNG

Immelman,

Thanks for that!. .Ok I'm not considering a BA job, but the messages I keep getting are that beyond 35 the airlines dont consider you because of your age. They seem to believe that they should get 20 years out of you at least. . .Incidentally, what airline did you get your first job with? Was it fairly well known, or a small charter company? I'm not bothered about doing the BIG airlines on long-haul, the holiday charters would do me fine!

Just another viewpoint and not necessarily trying to put you off, just some more food for thought.

'sod the age' is not really something you can afford to do when starting out on this career a 'little later' than the ideal and you are right to question the chances of employment.

Something that has not been mentioned is the demograph, the 'pilot group' model for each airline. In the past a number of airlines, including BA have found themselves with a bulge of a particular age group which can lead to problems later on, such as them all retiring at the same time! Many now target a specific age range with their recruitment to create a more even spread, I know my company were only hiring F/O's up to the age of 35 for exactly this reason last year.

This can work both ways, usually against the 'older' recruit but sometimes in their favour. What you may like to do is try to find out the demographic profile for airlines that you would like to work for to see if you would fit any future recruitment plans. I note you would be happy to do 'holiday charter', give them a call and see what they say. Unfortunately they may be a bit non committal as they are probably not looking to recruit, but worth a try, it might give a better feel for your chances. As a general rule (which you probably already know) you are likely to find it more difficult to get a jet job as your age gets closer to 40. If you do an Ab Initio course and get your frozen ATPL within 2 years of today you still can't bank on getting straight into the rhs of a jet. I got my licence in 2 years, took 5 months to get my first job which I did for 18 months and then was very lucky to leapfrog many people with much more experience than me to get into the rhs of a 'holiday charter' 757. Not trying to dissaude you, just trying to give you a more realistic timeframe from nothing to jet.

Good luck

PP

I gave up a very lucrative job at 32 to follow my dream.It took me 2 years to finish my training and 12 months to get my first job.If it wasn't for my own desire and fantastic support from my wife then I would've chucked it all in on numerous occasions during the training.However,it is still the best job I know and I've only ever had to fly jets.Last year following Sept11th I was made redundant,but got employed by one of our low costs straight away.So age is not a precludement.Go for it if you really want it,it will be worth it-but remember mistakes can be fatal.Good luck.

The only thing I would like to add is once you've decided to go for it,is grab the bull by the horns but don't over load your self.. .Do the Nav's first,then the Tech's/Perf,then the GFT's,then the I/R.Don't progress to the next stage untill you've completed the last no matter how tempting it may seem,ie don't for example do the GFT's and Nav's at the same time.. .If you've enough steam left, think about perhaps doing a type rating on the Shed/SD330/360.. .STREAMLINE AVIATION do them at Southend airport,which is where I did mine.It cost me about £3000 which included a Base check and I/R and more importantly they offered me an F/O's job at the end of it.(JAN '96). .A lot of guys turn their nose's up at the Shed, but at the end of the day it is an excellent work horse and it is a brilliant way to learn your "apprenticeship" and heaps of fun.. .I'm currently a 146 Captain and it certainly stood me in good stead. Good Luck and Happy Landings.

that self sponsored shed rating would cost around 10K now. .. .Cheers

WOW,. . 32 seems to be the magic age,or perhaps its an early mid life crisis hehehe.. . I started flying late last year with a career in aviation in mind as well,I have heard many opinions from go for it to dont waste your money.. . I was looking through the forum for the right place to post the exact question that this post addresses,so its been very helpfull,however can anyone give me an Australian perspective.. .Bart

Andy,. .. .Suggest you search on similar topics. I've replied to this kind of post several times.. .. .There are several reasons why entering this career is a bad idea, and the older you are the worse an idea it is. Of course, every individuals circumstances are different though.. .. .Basically, I don't recommend aviation as a career to anyone, but particularly the older you get.. .. .What I will say though is if you really feel you have to do it, now might be a better time than some. Also, I strongly recommend selecting the 'minimum time to qualification' route that you can afford, as taking more time might look cheaper but it incurs lost earnings and most critically lost job opportunities.. .. .In summary, don't do it. But if you must, do it now and do it quick.. .. .CPB

CPB, i am an aircraft enthusiast and want to be a pilot. Any airline or commuter jet pilot whatever. You say dont do it unless you have to...what do you mean? I have PPL, should i use my money to keep flying, buil hours and work towards CPL, or just get my degree with PPL and go to an airline and hope for sponsorship?. .Thanks in advaced.... .. .Smooth skies. .. .Dan <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="smile.gif" />

Ive been checking out Airlines that have flightcrew cadets and found that Cathay will pay for all costs involved in training there cadets,HOWEVER.....to be eligible you must be a permanent resident of Hong Kong.Is there any other companies which do this but without the residency restrictions?. .Bart