keoni

I'm going to just spit it out. I'm 30, but I want to fly. I have my money saved up and I would start my training through a flight club. I am too old for the military, I've been looking into every option that I might have, and have come up with nothing. So either way I have to go through as a civilian. I just want to ask a few questions.

There is continuous talk about there being a hiring boom on the horizon. To me it seems like a marketing ploy, but is there really going to be an upswing?

If there is an upswing, how hard would it be for someone to get an entry level job at a regional? To civilian pilots usually go to the regionals or do ex military get picked first for those as well?

What are my other options for being a professional pilot if the airlines are not the way to go?

Considering I'm starting 10 years later than most, I am late, but not too late according to everyone else I've talked to. Is aviation still a good area to be in, just not the airlines or is the entire industry just going into withdrawl?

rickair7777

There will have to be due to the retirement age limit and current pilot demographics. That does not mean that private pilots will be getting major airline jobs but there should be some sustained movement over the years to come. If there is also growth in the airline industry (unlikely due to economic, environmental, and other issues) there might be a true hiring boom.

Civilians usually fill the regional slots

- Career flight instructor. You can do this part-time, at your local airport and keep your real job. You can go full-time if you want but it's hard to get benefits, vacation as a CFI.

- Charter (part 135). You operate smaller airplanes out of mostly smaller airports. Many of these jobs are on-call 24/7 which can be a grind but there are a few good jobs.

- Corporate. Fly for a private owner, either some rich guy or the corporate flight department of medium or large company. Pay and working conditions vary wildy.

- Bush Flying. Mostly in Alaska, although there are opportunities in South America and other places. Pay is usually adequate, and it's a lot of fun but odds are good you will not be alive to see your kids get married.

The problem is that you are entering a phase of life where most people are starting to settle down and focus on family...that means stability and money are desirable. Aviation is not going to provide either of those for 10-15 years. If you don't have these things going for you, reconsider:

-Single, prefer bohemian, unattached lifestyle. Or have a spouse who is very understanding, portable, and has a good job skill which is also very portable (nurse, pharmacist, etc).

- Have retirement accounted for (aviation will probably not provide any retirement program). At your age you don't need it fully funded but 150-200K would be a good start.

- Have enough cash on hand to pay for training and then subsidize your lifestyle for the next 8-10 years until aviation pay catches up. Or have a backup career skill.

-Ideally have a backup career skill that you can work on the side to supplement your income, and fall back on when aviation fails you.




You have a lot of research to do. Short answer: It can be done, but at what cost?

Cubdriver

We usually advise people who are having a mid- life career crisis to start their flight training while continuing to look at the question as time goes on. I think this is good advice, because even if it appears not be a viable option later on the training is valuable in itself and looks good on your resume. And if you decide to continue, the same path applies toward FAA licensing.

LastTraintoMEM

Get these evil desires out of your system! Run Away! Don't walk, Ruuuuunnnnn!

tom14cat14

No one here can tell you not to follow you dream because you only live once so if you really want to be a pilot then do it. But be advised of what was stated above figure out what your priorities are and see where flying is on that list. It has to be above money, being at home with family, job security and many more things. I am lucky my wife is a nurse and is fine with moving where ever i go. This helps because unlike a lot of capt at my company i can take almost any job i want as long as it is better then what i have because she can get a job anywhere. No one knows what the future holds for hiring it all depends on your opinion because we have been told for years a pilot shortage was coming and it never has and management seems to be pretty good at just cutting their flights to make up for less pilots. But in a few years when baby boomers start to retire who knows what could happen.

globalexpress

There will never be a shortage of pilots at the "good" airlines. Crappy regionals may experience shortages- maybe soon, maybe not. We're ALWAYS only one terrorist attack/oil spike/recession away from another round of furloughs. And actually, I am surprised we haven't seen more downsizing due to the stubbornly persistent $100/bbl oil prices we have seen lately.

Google "The Truth About the Profession" as it has the same information I would type here. It saves me much typing or click below

www.thetruthabouttheprofession.weebly.com

Stryker

Rickair gave you some good advice. The hiring boom statistically is a sure thing (we all know reality doesnt always meet probabilities). There will always be a need for pilots to some degree so jobs will be there. The question of what is your lifestyle and goals is an important one. I too am married to a nurse so relocation is not a problem for us (except that she does NOT want to move if we can avoid it). You have to look at what is best for your family FIRST, and THEN yourself. Another thing to consider is do you have to fly professionally? Most (if not all) of the airline pilots I know say they prefer flying a 172 for fun than their 737, 757, 767, etc. that they fly for work. If you have a good job, maybe flying for fun is a better and more satisfying option. You can also consider owning your own plane.

Sure it seems like an exciting job to fly the big iron, but as those pilots will tell you, a plane is a plane. The luster of the job wears off and you have to make sure that you are fully committed to the lifestyle. No one can tell you what to do, but MOST of us here will give you the information you need to make an informed decision without telling you crap like "run away fast". Look around this site and see what people say about their daily life and see if its really something you want to get into. Feel free to ask all the questions you need cause information is what these boards area all about.

dundem

I'm not usually a downer, but here goes:

If I died today, I would say that I wasted my life pursuing a fantasy. I've chased jobs all around the world for nothing. I'm a wide-body F/O making ex-pat wages and I would still tell you to stay far away.

If you have another option that allows you to fly occasionally, but still make OK money without taking jobs that are far away from family and friends, then take that option. The flying that I do now is as far away from flying as you can imagine. For instance, if the gear is up and the A/P is not on, usually, the guy next to me starts freaking out.

Ask specific questions and I will answer them, or PM if you'd like more specifics.

Elvis90

Get your private pilot license, commercial, instrument, then CFI so other people pay for the flight time, and do it for fun, but don't quit your job. Then determine how much it has appealed to you...then pursue a regional job if you choose.

embplt32

No, it's not.