I’m 41 and fit. I have a Master’s degree and a strong work ethic. I’m making a career change, and it’s very important to me that my age will not be a limiting factor in my new career path. If I’m going to chase this dream of aviation (and make this investment) I’d like to know that as long as I perform, I’ll have access to the same opportunities that a younger pilot would have. My goal, of course, is to work my way up to a major carrier as rapidly as possible and to continue to learn and advance once I’m there.
Do you know any mid-career professionals, roughly my age, who have pulled this off? Any advice or cautionary tales?
FYI, I’m not licensed but I have flown before and I loved it. I plan to schedule an admissions flight out of Sacramento soon, to check that box and to see the facility.
The reality is that you will be limited by your age. The airlines run off the seniority system, so the pilots that are hired at the youngest ages will be the ones that end up as 777, 787, 330, etc captains. It takes seniority to get to those positions, you can be the best pilot in the world, but there is no skipping the line in the seniority system.
Also, you will have to retire from the airlines prior to reaching age 65, that is a FAA rule.
That isn’t to say that you won’t have a decent career in the airlines, but don’t expect to retire as a wide body captain at the majors either.
I’m grateful for your quick and honest response. Thank you.
So if you were me, and supposing you were dead set on aviation, what would you consider your “best case scenario” career trajectory to be? That is to say, what is attainable if I do manage to become a decent pilot? Could major carriers, international routes etc. still be in the cards, even in an FO capacity for instance? Is there some equally challenging and fulfilling alternative that I should know about?
This may seem like a tough question to pinpoint since there are probably a lot of factors/goals/opinions, but what do ‘you’ think is an ideal age these days to be when you go into your first airline position?
This question literally gets asked multiple times a day and is addressed in our FAQ section. All US airlines are seniority based and mandatory retirement is 65. So no you will not have the same opportunities as the younger pilots.
I started at 39 (years before the pilot shortage) and made it to a Major at 50. I’m now 56 and a Capt. Life is good but in 2021 my airline is getting 787s. Due to my late state and years left I will never be a Capt in that aircraft which means I will also never reach the same pay potential as younger pilots. There simply aren’t enough years left.
I think that the majors are well within your reach and maybe even captain on a narrow body. Of course nobody has a crystal ball and at the end of the day, your results may vary.
I started ATP at 41 exactly and I just turned 43. I went through and got all my ratings. I’m CFI, CFII, MEI and am teaching now. Should have my 1500 in the next year and then off to the regionals. It is possible and you can have a full career. It’s all about what you want and the passion you have for flying.
If you want it go for it. Don’t let anyone or anything stand in the way of your dreams.
Thank you, and congratulations! I’d like to learn as much from you as I can…
As I inch closer to doing this, it’s not the training itself but rather the logistics of those first nine months that loom as the biggest obstacle for me. Where a younger person fresh out of college might be able to move around on a whim, share an apartment with ease, etc., I’ve got a wife and pets and a lot of stuff. I’m sure I can make things comfortable enough once I get a regular CFI schedule and income, but 9+ months of being sequestered and income-free feels like a big challenge for a guy with responsibilities. How did you handle it?
I did the same. I took out a loan for an amount sufficient to not only cover the training but my living expenses as well. As for the rest you need a supportive spouse and family or it can make things very difficult.
It is certainly possible with the right preparation and commitment. I am 42 with a wife,2 children as well as cats/dog…,and a week away from my Commercial checkride, then hopefully off to CFI school in November.
You will need to be financially secure prior to the course either through savings or a loan, and flexible with your time to meet lesson expectations but it is not too demanding. You will still be able to make most, but not all, Family meals, bed times etc in the week and even major school events etc with a little bit of planning with your CFI. There is some time away for Crew and TAA training but it is not excessive (4 nights for me total out of 6 months).
Work hard during ‘work hours’ at the training enter, spend evenings with the family and then study more when they are in bed do you don’t disrupt home life too much.
Above all make sure your spouse understands the commitment required both in time and $, and is on board for the long haul. I actually think the impact on family life will be much greater during the 12-18 months as a CFI rather than as a student as you can expect much longer days and more working on weekends.
Thank you for some very valuable insight! It sounds like as long as my wife is comfortable with some temporary inconveniences, we can make this happen. We’ll just have to prepare ourselves for rental living again, having owned homes for a long time. I’m glad to have heard your story!
That sounds like a plan. I’ll be sure to talk about living expenses when I sit down with Wells Fargo. I’ve got a nest egg, but I’d prefer for it to stay in the nest if at all possible…
I to am 40 and I want to do the very same thing as some of you. The one thing I am so scared about is investing the amount of money it takes passing the required medical every 6 months. It would be just My luck that I pass everything and before I make any money something medical would pop up.
Hey Ben,
I just wanna share my situation… I am 39 and I got all my ratings (PPL, IR, CPL, ME, CFI, CFII) about nine years ago and then I couldn’t find anything to build my hours. So I gave up and I took a different career than aviation, I started driving trucks and I’ve been driving for all these years. Worse mistake I ever made! Now, I went back to fly, got all my currency back and I am about to start a job as a CFI in couple of weeks. I never felt any better than now! During all these years of driving I missed flying so much and now I’m so glad to be back and flying again. I regret not having done this before. I also had a wife that wasn’t on the same page with me before. Now I have a new wife and she’s one hundred percent standing behind me no matter what, she said she will follow me anywhere in the world. We may need to sell our house and go, she wouldn’t mind. My wife is just awesome. I suggest you discuss all the ins and out of your career change with your wife and make sure she’s with you.
As far as the career, personally I want to be a pilot and get to wherever I can get. I dont really care about the big fat check, I just wanna fly and be happy and proud of myself in achieving my goal as a pilot. If I will end up my flying career as a captain in regional I would be content. If I can get to the major, that would be the ice on the cake, but if it doesn’t happen I dont care. I wish everybody can achieve their dreams, I haven’t been proud of myself at all in the last nine years for giving up my dreams. And I have no excuses, it was all my fault. I wont give up this time, no matter what. Good luck to you and happy flying Ben.