I am 46 yrs old, US Citizen and have been thinking to get into flying career in commercial aviation. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering and had worked in IT for almost 20 years. Is the age not practical to recoup my investment in training to become a commercial pilot and would there be a difficulty to secure a job after completion of training at ATP?
Raj,
Please check out the FAQ section as ot has a detailed breakdown of how age relates to entering this field.
Chris
Thanks Chris. I have read some threads regarding age to enter in this field. I want to be a commercial pilot but want to be realistic in terms of career opportunities and getting hired after completion of training at ATP. By the time I complete my training, I will be 48 yrs old. Would regional airlines give a thought of hiring someone of my age? I am based out of Atlanta, GA and the ATP facility is not far from where I live. Again, you being an experienced commercial pilot can definitely help me in making an informed decision.
Raj,
As Chris said I think we cover the subject pretty well in our FAQs but yes at 48 you should have no problems getting hired. In fact most Regionals would prefer you over most 20-30 somethings. You see those pilots are going to jump ship for a Major ASAP. The Regionals are lucky to get 5-7yrs from them. With someone older chances are you’ll hang around for a while and they’ll maybe get 15+ yrs from you. In short you’re a better investment.
Adam
Raj,
I don’t think that you will have any issues at all getting hired at a regional airline, as long as your record (criminal, driving, and FAA) is good. I do think that your chances of getting hired at a major are very slim.
I would encourage you to not drag your feet at all if flying is your goal. Finishing training at age 48 means that you likely be ready for the airlines at age 50, so I would move as quickly as possible.
Chris
Chris at what age do you think it’s too late to get in with a major?
I have heard of people being hired as late as age 57, but that is not the norm. It is hard to say and it certainly depends on how competitive the candidate is in other areas.
I ask because I’m 43 right now. Going to ATP in February or March of 2019. Starting with my private and just under 200 hours TT. I’m hoping to be at the regionals by age 46. I’d like to make it to the majors and plan to apply aggressively after 4-5 years at regionals. That would put me at 51-52 yrs old. Thoughts?
Don,
To be clear, most pilots apply very aggressively to the majors, it is a highly coveted position. Beyond meeting their criteria and maybe some volunteer work, there is not much else that you can do to set yourself apart from the crowd.
I think 52 is pushing it for a major, but probably doable. As always though, there are no guarantees.
Chris
Don,
I actually set a limit for myself of 50 when I was at the Regionals. I started ATP at 39 so I was younger than you BUT there was no pilot shortage and advancement wasn’t as rapid. The reason I made 50 the cutoff was at that point I’d be making pretty good money (and moving to a Major would mean a huge paycut) and have an excellent quality of life due to my seniority at my Regional, and didn’t think it made sense for me to move. I was hired at Hawaiian at 49 so I made the cutoff but not by much. I think you’ll have to look at the landscape in the industry when you get to that point and make a decision for yourself. The good news first year pay at most Majors has come up considerably so the paycut is less of an issue. If it’s an easy transition and you can stay close to home maybe you will but if you’re going to have to commute across the country and have a lousy schedule you might think not. You’ve got some time.
Adam
Thanks for your thoughts guys. I do plan to work for a regional with a flow as a back up. PSA is my first choice. If all else fails maybe I’ll be able to slip in that way.
Thanks Adam and Chris.
When I said that I would be completing my training at ATP at 48 yrs of age, I meant to start now at 46 yrs of age and included 6-9 months at Accelerated ATP program and then working as an instructor at ATP for next 1.5 yrs. Chris, when you said that I will be ready for regionals at 50, did you add two years on top of two years at ATP?
Raj,
Yes, I added two additional years. My answer remains the same though, which is also what is covered in the FAQ section. You might make it, you might not, there are really so many different factors at play that it is impossible to give a concrete answer.
Chris
Thanks Chris. I was under impression that it takes around two years from the start of Accelerated ATP program to accumulate 1500 flying hours and during this time itself one gets hired by the regionals including some who give conditional offer after 500 hrs of flying time. So I was thinking that if I start now at 46 yrs of age, I should have a job at regionals at 48 yrs of age. Am I incorrect in my assumptiom? I am just asking because you mentioned 50 yrs of age to start at regional.
Raj,
I accidentally added two years, just an accident. But did you just turn 46? Are you starting immediately? Or will you be close to 47 by the time you actually start? Also, ATP’s program is “about” two years, some people get their hours more quickly, others take longer, it really depends on how hard you work and if you are willing to relocate to the busiest locations. So if you start closer to 47 and take a bit longer than two years, that makes you 49 or almost 50.
Chris
Thanks Chris. I am exactly 46.5 yrs old as of today and planning to start training in May of this year.
Raj and Don,
I’m 43 and just passed my private pilot license exam yesterday with ATP. I believe all your questions are valid and I have the same questions every day. However I keep reminding myself that the focus right now should be about getting qualified and I try to not get too caught up on what might happen. The reality is there is a huge amount of pilot retirements coming up over the next 10 years and unless something dramatic happens, there are likely going to be excellent opportunities for anyone entering the field right now, even for us oldies 
If this is your dream, I suggest you do what I did and just go for it and worry about what will happen when you get past all the qualifications. This is an historic time in aviation with all the growth coupled with a growing pilot shortage and with the so many unknowns it will be exciting to see how it all pans out.
Good luck and definitely go for it, there are plenty of fellow students in our age group at ATP and as a result a lot of peer support!
Frank
1 Like
Thanks Francis for your sharing your insight. Appreciate it very much! Will keep in touch with you and keep updating your progress which will be a great motivation to me. Thanks again!
Thanks Adam. I was actually contemplating it, I am not even trying for the majors. I would rather be flying for the regionals then sitting in a cubicle all day with no windows. (I live in Florida). Thanks again.
2 Likes