Am I too young?
 

Hi there,

I am looking to become a helicopter pilot, but I've heard about customers not accepting too young pilots for the jobs they pay for.

I'm almost 19 years old, born 1990. I haven't started my education yet, but let's presume that I am done in years time.

Would you fly with a 21 year old pilot?
Have you heard of young pilots beeing "too young to work"?

I'd fly with a 21 year old pilot, but not one who manages to make being almost 19 now, but presumes he will be 21 in a years time!

I presume you mean you haven't started your flight training yet, rather than you haven't started your education yet!

But seriously though, the earlier you start, the earlier you develop your experience and the earlier you should be able to make it into the better job opportunities.

Good Luck!

Of course I mean my flight training, sorry about that. I am already done with the ordinary school.

I think I should be able to complete my CPL within 2, let's say 3, years time.

Hi, I started my training a year ago a couple of days after I turned 19. Just over a year later im now employed by the school i trained with. Like i was worried about being a young guy in the industry, a couple of times i have a had housemates who i've offered to take up on flights not wanting to go and in that case i believe it was because of my age and you will get a few people like that. As long as you are mature enough and know your stuff and show that your a safe a competent pilot things will be fine. A 21 year old who had been working for the school here who also started instructing when she was 20 recently got a job in Alaska after gaining 1000 hours. Hope this helps prove that age shouldn't be an issue

mike

I turned 19 yesterday, and have had my PPL(H) since January. Though I'm not working yet, I have not found that being unusually young has caused any problems. Other pilots don't seem to worry about my age when flying with me. I think you would most likely encounter friendly surprise from people who were told your age.

I personally look at youth as an advantage - potentially, a young pilot has a much longer career to look forward to then a pilot who has chosen flying as a second career.

I had my first commercial flight at 20.5 years. No issue.

My instructor(May he RIP) always advocated the younger the better.:ok:

I started my training right after high school and got my pritvate before I was 19. I finished my training when I was 20 and started working soon after. I am not military so flew R-22 and 300. It is about your attiude and professtionalizm. People will look at your age that is what people so you will have to handle yourself in oder for them to take you serious. I am 39 dual rated ATP almost 10,000 hours you will blink and see how fast the time goes by. Keep your head down set goals and charge on. Don't let people hold you back from your goals because this business breeds alot of that.

best of luck

Until your hair turns grey (which it can do during autorotation training), your passengers will always think you are too young. I used to get asked my age by concerned passengers when I was over 30.

The earlier you start flying - the earlier you can retire. And then you can start spending the bags of $$$$$$$$$$ you earned as a pilot...........

Thank you for all the answers, guys!

Great inspiration, I'm no longer worried about being too young:ok:


I'll most likely start my flight training next year, in the summer sometime. Think it'll be Bristows combined JAA/FAA course. Seems easier, even though I might save some money if I did it in South Africa.

Might get the PPL before I go to US, to save time on my visa.

I started my commercial training at 18 years old & at 19 was flying passengers out to the North Sea Rigs.

Don't waste any more time.:ok:

Dont worry about being young, I started flying at 16 and had my CPL at 18, FI at 19 and North Sea at 23. Being young is a definate advantage!

TiP

Would I fly with a 19 year old pilot? Have done so, and would do so with a mature individual regardless of age. I was a US Army Vietnam helicopter pilot and a great many of my colleagues then and there were 19, 20 years old. There's a huge difference in young and immature. This is a very different world, but that rule holds true in the question that you asked.