Originally Posted by
mpet
FWIW all the young guys are breezing initial training and I had 2 guys in my class 50+ washout... VERY poor performance. Both were returning from several years off. Also, why would you do this to yourself? Now, I don't know anything but I would imagine at 47 if you're 50+ the majors aren't going to be exactly interested in you.
Age is a factor, it is frankly harder to learn new stuff after 40. But not impossible at all, especially for someone who has remained mentally engaged in a profession (or even hobbies) which require constant learning and mental agility.
But anyone who has taken years off from flying would need to get VERY current and recent before trying 121 training. I would suggest 20-40 hours of fast-paced instrument flying (ie approaches). You could supplement some of that with simulator time, even PC-based sim if you do it right. But you need to get your IFR skills up to par.
Majors seem to have largely given up on age discrimination (not worth the legal hassles), although the ROI for starting an airline career in your late forties is questionable...depends on your personal finances and schedule flexibility.