Hi All! So I’m 32 years old (married) and currently work in Talent Acquisition AKA Recruiting. I have been in this field for 8 years and his is the 3rd time i’ve been laid off in 8 years due to the economy. I’m really good at my job but when companies are looking to cut cost, we are the first ones out. As you can imagine it’s extremely frustrating.
I’ve wanted to be a pilot since I graduated high school but my parents discouraged me for, what I now call, no actionable reason haha. I’m the last year i’ve come back to understanding why I lived it as a kid and i guess back in my mind I regret not going forward be becoming a pilot. So here are my questions.
Is it worth it at my age?
How long would it take for me to get a job at a major airline (Delta, AA, United, Southwest, etc)
What has been some of the biggest struggles in the first year for a pilot? 2nd year?
What were your schedules like when you first started off? 15 days a month? 6 days straight?
One of my biggest hesitations with just going for it, is the cost of the schooling and equipment. If your ok with sharing what does an average salary look like after a year to 3 years. I was at 125k before my last round of layoffs but I know I’ll have to take a major cut if I want to continue into recruiting. I may never get back to my last salary.
First and foremost only you can decide what’s best for you and your family. With that in mind let’s get you some answers:
Don’t really understand why, but for some reason people have this impression you need to start flying at 12 or something? The average age for starts is 33-34 so you’re actually ahead of the curve. With that in mind, again only you can decide what’s worth what. I started at 40, long before the pilot shortage and it was the best decision of my life both economically and quality of life wise.
Approx 2 yrs to get trained and get to a Regional and then another 2-3 to get to a Major is realistic on the positive side, down side could be never. The reality is maybe you won’t be a good pilot, have some blemishes on your record or are bad at interviews. While this is literally the best time in history to start this career, there are zero guarantees. Flying isn’t rocket science or brain surgery and while you are an engineer, there’s a physical/coordination component that frankly not everyone possesses. If you’ve never flown you need to take an intro flight/lesson (or 3) and see if you a) enjoy it and b) have any aptitude for it.
Without question the most difficult part of the first few years is the lack of seniority which translates to a lack of control over your schedule. You WILL work weekends, holidays, and miss family events. Pay was an issue but the shortage forced the Regionals to literally double and triple pay so that’s no longer a concern.
Lousy. 15 days is actually pretty good,
try 18 days with only 12 off. I suggest your check out the Schedules section and you can see some of the mentors actual schedules and how they improve over time.
First year pay at the Regionals is now in the $80ks as is first at a Major. It can vary but you shouldn’t plan on breaking $100k till second year at a Major. That said there are some fast upgrades happening if you are willing to take a junior base and you could be at $200k+ by year 2 a Major if you’re flexible. As for the expense of training, while I know it can appear daunting but with the hiring bonuses being offered by the Regionals you can literally pay the entire cost off almost immediately.
I will mention that based on my reading at the airline pilot central forums, many seem to share that the schedules at many LCCs (southwest, spirit, frontier) have pretty good staffing so many people are able to drop trips, so schedules are pretty decent in the 2nd ish year (15 days off).
The downside with LCCs, IIUC, is you won’t live the dream lifestyle of long haul widebody flights to exotic destinations. Many say that pay is bad at LCCs, but from the pay rates listed on airline pilot central, they’re often pretty close to pay at the majors.
Y’all correct me if I’m wrong, this is just based on what I’ve heard LCC pilots saying online.
First off if you lump SouthWest in with Spirit and Frontier you might get an argument from many (just saying).
Moreso the pay difference for similar equipment isn’t big, its the opportunity to fly “long haul widebody flights to exotic destinations” where the pay difference can be double that matters.
Yes, good points.
I’ve heard some refer to SWA as an LCC, but I agree, it doesn’t belong in the same category as Spirit/Frontier, but they are one of the airlines I’ve heard of that have much better schedules for juniors.
Thank you also for that information Adam. i am 47 years old I took up a career an electrician at 19. Got licensed around 21. I have had an amazing career even owning my own company doing something i love to do. I always had an interest in flying. And find myself at a time where im feeling burn out in my career. You talked about the physical/ coordination component. can you elaborate on it a little more. i am over all healthy no major problems. Some hardened knees and stiff joints for the most part from years of crawling threw attics and wearing 30lbs of tools around my waist.
That’s a great question and it has nothing to do with stiff joints or bad knees. Honestly I wish I had a really good answer but I’m not sure I do.
Despite what the public thinks pilots do actually fly the plane and don’t just sit back and turn the autopilot on. You need to be able to process the information your brain receives (via sight, sound and feel) and react appropriately to control the airplane. Doesn’t really seem that difficult but for some reason (like many things) some people at better than others and some can’t do it at all. Back in the day when I was an instructor I had some pretty bright students (Drs and lawyers) who were ridiculously scary students. Obviously these people were educated and had a certain level of intelligence but again for whatever reason things never quite clicked. There are also other issues that can arise (fear, motion sickness, etc) that can really throw a wrench in the works.
Long short, despite what many believe, not everyone can or should be a pilot and until you try for yourself you really won’t know for certain.
i completely understand what you are saying. I also have run into individuals in my trade that just never could get it and quite a few whom I advised to continue a different career as they should not be around electricity for their own safety and the safety of others. Do you feel someone my age would have a hard time being hired in the beginning with such little experience? I have pretty much made up my mind about it and i am in a position where i will have income to survive while learning to fly full time. during the next few years.
Provided you of course do well and have no blemishes on your record, you’ll have no problem getting hired.
What’s most important for pilots starting later is being realistic about your expectations for your career. If you’re imagining being a senior 787 Delta Capt flying to Milan you might be a little disappointed. Everything at the airlines is based on seniority and it takes many years to reach the very top. However, if you wouldn’t mind being a narrow body Capt for a Major or even a senior Regional or LCC Capt or even Check Airman, then you’ll be fine.
The coordination it takes to be a pilot is something you have or you don’t. If it doesn’t come naturally, you might just have to work harder and put in more time because it can be a learned skill. For me, I grew up driving boats so the stick and rudder stuff came pretty naturally to me.
The biggest hurdle for most is keeping up with the sheer volume of tasks in the accelerated program. You’re constantly studying, chair flying and prepping for the next written exam, flight or stage check. It’s difficult when you start but if you can keep up, that will be a strong indicator you have what it takes to be successful in future airline training.