Originally Posted by
Brickfire
A similar mean and median mean the curve is relatively symmetrical. It doesn’t tell you how wide it spreads.
10 guys age 34, 10 guys 35, 10 guys 36
10 guys 24, 10 guys 35, 10 guys 46
Both have the same mean and median
What I’m saying is when people say “what’s normal” they aren’t asking what’s average, they’re asking at what point getting hired is plausible without especially good luck.
given that the minimum hire age is twelve years under 35 and the maximum age is 25+ years over 35, a mean/median of 35 means a lot of 20-something guys are getting hired.
Especially good luck is not the average. Those are the outliers… averages are what indicate where the “normal” person is getting hired. Any deviation from that isn’t “normal.” While age isn’t the perfect descriptor of flying experience, it probably correlates pretty well. The std dev is pretty tight too. Under 30 is 20%, 60% is 30-40.
I don’t think people are asking for the bare minimums as those are already, well, the minimums.
What we’ll never know are the demographics of in the applicant pool, which itself can shape the CJO pool. I would guess there are plenty of civilians that self-eliminate by not applying early enough. Military pilots usually don’t have the option to apply in their 20s.