Pilot Journey Forums

This is from an email we get all the time so I thought I would answer this here:

"I have a question concerning age limitations. I want to make a career change. I would like to attend a flight school and pursue a commercial pilot career. I am 48 years old. I am a college graduate, [edited removed college name]
 
Can I still attend a flight school and would an airline even consider hiring me as a pilot.
 
Thank you for your advice

We get this question here at Pilot Journey a lot and the answer is complicated.  I will try and give my thoughts on this here, but really I need to record a presentation for this topic, or have someone write an article.  Or I can interview one of our career flight schools.

Here are some early thoughts on this question.

If you make more than $20,000 per year, can you take a pay cut for 3 years?

Do you have $40K - $70K to spend on flight training, or have the credit to borrow the money?

At the moment the FAA has "forced" retirement at 60 (this might change) so can you end your airline career at 60?  Of course this is AIRLINE, you can still fly corporate and charter.

Are you in good health?  Is there a history of family issues?  If you lose your medical after spending $50,000 for flight school - that would be a bummer.

Airlines with the largest airplanes invest in their pilots, at 51 you only have 9 years left, this means your chances of flying new and large aircraft could be limited.

However on the other hand I have heard that the regional airlines like to hire in the low 50's because they know you have a better chance of staying on with them.  My guess is it also looks much better than having a 25 year old up front, but that is just a guess on my part.

Now having said all this, my comments did assume that you might be airline bound...if you are thinking corporate and/or charter then the rules change.  Of course so does the upper end of the pay scale.

Does anyone have anything to add here?

   Gary, I think many persons miss an important point about age and hiring.  Often companies will not hire an older person although this will not be admitted because pension law makes it much more ex-pensive to accommodate older persons and still meet federal retirement law requirements. The yearly cost of providing retirement for and older person is higher than for a younger person and the older person will probably stay until retirement or until vested in the retirement program while a younger person is often likely to move on without being vested in the program.

How about at 62?  I am thinking in terms of flight instructer.