Thank you in advance for your responses…I’m 42 years old and have had a desire to become a pilot for quite some time…The demand and financial compensation seems like it would even out the school loan burden a lot quicker than in the past…What would the mentors and other pilots advise as a career track to maximize the 20 years that I would have left after completing the approximate 2 to 2 1/2 years flight hours training qualifications…is the juice worth the squeeze at my age in all honesty…Or am I just too late to the game to make it a viable career option?
Elias,
I certainly hope 42 is not too old, because I too am 42, and am on week 4 of the program. I recently passed my PAR test, TOL eval, and have my solo eval next Monday. The program is fast paced, and requires a 7 day a week commitment, so keep that in mind. Best of luck!
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Elias,
Not at all. I’m the resident old guy here. I started training with ATP and I’m currently a Capt at a Major airline. Keep in mind when I started my training (and even after I was hired at my Major) there was no pilot shortage. Now we’re in the middle of arguably the worse shortage in history and the food chain is moving faster than ever. I spent almost 10yrs as a Regional pilot but now (while there are no guarantees), pilots are moving on in 2-4. There literally has been no better time to get into this industry. Would it have been better if you were 25? Sure but you can still have a very nice 20 plus years earning some of the highest salaries pilots have ever seen.
Adam
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Elias, Not to late, Im 44 and giving it a go. If you want it, don’t hesitate, jump in with both feet and go. Word of Advice, listen to the mentors! They are here to help!
Elias,
Adam wrote a great piece about age and career expectations. Here is a link to it: Am I too old to be an Airline pilot? - #2
Chris
Elias,
Short answer is you are not too old.
In regards to your other question about which route you should take to maximize your investment…whichever one you want really. There’s no right or wrong answer here. Are some routes more lucrative than others? Sure, but there are no guarantees. The industry is too dynamic to say for sure how you should navigate your progression in this career. Plus, even if there was a defined path for you to take, there are too many things that can happen along the way that prevent you from ever achieving the end of that goal. Even if you do everything right, there are no guarantees.
What I would suggest though is to pick a sector of the industry like airlines, cargo, corporate, etc. and stick with it. The more you bounce around, the longer it will take for you to advance within each sector. So, again, I would figure out what you would be happiest doing first and foremost. 20 years in the industry is plenty of time to make the investment worthwhile.
Tory
Thank you for the response to that portion of my post…I’d heard picking one style and sticking with it will help the seniority aspect others talked about but if you switch in the middle you start from scratch again…obviously with the industry dynamic and no assurances you want to make the best choice possible especially when $90k+ is on the line 
I know it can be daunting from where you currently stand, but there are always opportunities out there. I know it sounds cliche but the best advice I have, for anyone, is do your best to become the best pilot that you can be. Pilot shortage or not, if you have a good training record you’ll have the best shot at getting an offer. That said, if things continue to go the way they are predicted to I don’t think you’ll have an issue down the road. Everyone is hiring more than they ever have before.
Tory
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