Hi Kim! How did it go? I am 43 and thinking on becoming pilot as well. I hear that women have an advantage because a certain amount of females need to be hired?. Did you finally go for it? are you working as a pilot? tell us more!
Maria,
Not sure where you heard that myth but there are no quotas at the airlines. The airlines need well trained qualified pilots. If you have the licenses, ratings and hours youâll get hired if not you wonât. Gender, race etc are not part of the equation.
Adam
I believe is related to labor lawâŠ
Thank you, Adam. You beat me to the answer 
Best ,
Kimberly
Which law is that cause Iâve never seen nor heard of it? This is not flipping burgers itâs commercial aviation. Do you honestly believe that thereâs a law that requires airlines to hire female pilots? If so the law is clearly not being followed since women make up about 5% of the current airline pilot group.
Adam
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She may be referring to Affirmative Action. I think Affirmative Action laws are generally only forced on government run businesses, but any company with government contracts is subject to it, and many private companies use them for positive publicity. I know JetBlue has an Affirmative Action policy in place, and Iâm sure there are others. These policies, on the surface, simply promote equal opportunity. In reality and in practice, it frequently turns into putting resources into recruiting and retaining minority and female employees in order to check the diversity box.
ETA: American Airlines also has an Affirmative Action policy in place.
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Really? I was already practicing at Mc Donalds! I didnât say there is a law specifically for airlines but a labor (labor in general) law. And the fact that there are only 5% women, doesnât mean the law is not being followed. That may be because there are not enough female pilots. But I find out more about it.
You may be right. Iâll find out exactly.
As Peter pointed out Afirm Action laws are for govt agencies and many private companies (including airlines) have âpoliciesâ (not laws) in place to ensure fair hiring practices and more important prohibit discrimination. That said Iâve participated in hiring at both the airlines Iâve worked for and I can tell you from my experience NO ONE is getting any preferential treatment. While you may have taken offense to my fast food comment the vast majority of the population can make fries, not the same can be said for flying airplanes. People always make the argument âif there are 2 equally qualified applicantsâ but the truth is there are no 2 equally qualified applicants. Everyone is unique. Regardless my only point is AGAIN if youâre qualified, have no blemishes on your record and can conduct yourself in an interview youâll get hired if not you wonât and if you think that your gender is going to give you a leg up on someone else you may find yourself disappointed.
Iâd like to believe that youâd want to work hard and be the best applicant you could be and be hired based on your merits and strengths vs anything else.
Adam
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Adam, I didnât take offense to your fast food comment. Actually, Mc Donalds was my first job when I was 16 while I was going to school because I wanted to make my own money. What is really annoying is you condescendant attitude, that is all.
Maria,
Not sure where you think I was being condescending but that was not my intent. Simply telling you the facts based on my experience in the industry vs hearsay.
Adam
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I have enjoyed reading all of the age posts - I am 52 years young and female. I retired 12/17 from federal law enforcement and started a second career as a flight attendant for a regional airline 1/18. I have always been interested in flying and decided to see what the industry was like. Now I really want to become a pilot!! I am realistic about my pilot career with a regional carrier and the mandatory retirement age of 65. I want the fasted path possible, hoping my current regional airline will pick me up as a pilot once I complete flight school. I plan on taking all of the required written tests and medical prior to attending flight school, I have read this will help ease the work load a little while in training. My questions are which schools offer the fasted path to regionals and how soon should I start talking to the school about registration - I would like to start flight school 1/19.
Constance,
If you look up and to the left youâll clearly see the ATP logo. This is ATPs forum and obviously weâre all fans but the fact is there is no more efficient or faster route to the airlines. Factor in its time proven program. One thing I need to point out is you will not be going to your current Regional (or any for that matter) after flight school. After you earn your licenses and ratings youâll then need to build the required 1500hrs. The most common method is flight instructions and ATP offers all their successful students instructor positions.
Adam
Thank you - understand this is ATP - and I understand the 1500 hour min, reached as an instructor and I also understand no guarantees - how soon should I approach the school if I would like to be considered for 1/19 class?
Constance,
Iâd be call sometime soon. 1/19 is only 4mos away and many locations fill up quickly.
Adam
Constance,
ATP is filling classes several months into the future. I would call soon, like tomorrow.
There really is no faster way to get to the airlines than ATP. They deliver a consistent and reliable product. I hate to sound like I am giving out a sales pitch, but it really is true, it is why I went to the school.
Chris
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Kimberly, and anyone else please do not forget that Regionals and Majors or only two segments. There are many well paid and rewarding flying jobs within corporate flight departments, charter, and fractional program carriers. Last I looked there were no age limits there.
Hi Kimberly, I am curious about your career progress since 2017? Thanks for everyoneâs input about starting late (48) as a woman!
@CAL, Curious how things panned out for you. I am in a similar boat (52 and career change). I just hope Iâm not completely nuts for considering being a pilot at this stage. I was thinking more of a corporate pilot than commercial airline though. Either way, $80K seems like a huge chunk to take on.
Foster,
Keep in mind most corporate gigs require a fair amount of time and networking. Youâll prob need to spend some quality time at a Regional first. Just FYI.
Adam
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