Originally Posted by rickair7777

Not too old, but probably too old to get much ahead financially. It would probably pay the bills to age 65, and you could still do other types of flying after 65 if you needed/wanted employment. You will have no problem getting hired due to being older, those days are long gone.

If you started today, assuming that you will not have any delays due to financing your training, you could reasonably be at a regional by age 50.

It's possible that you might get hired at a major after a couple years as a regional FO, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. To be safe, plan on 4-5 years at the regional, including upgrade to captain and 1000-2000 hours 121 TPIC.

So conservatively you could be at a major at age 55. $100K year one, $200K year two, $300K year five. Depending on the major maybe you could upgrade after five years and make more. Otherwise finish as an FO at $300-400K, depending on airline and equipment.

Alternatively stay at a regional as a CA, that makes a lot of sense at your age, make $250K ish, potentially more if some stars line up.

You'd have to hustle through training and CFI time building. Whether it's worth it depends on any debt needed for flight training, and the lost opportunity cost of not working your current job while training and time building for 3-4 years. Although I think CFI pay is a living wage these days.

If you don't even have a PPL, you have a lot to learn. I'd strongly suggest getting a PPL or at the very least train to solo before you make a decision to invest in career training. Not everyone likes flying, and not everyone has the aptitude. If you share you education, hobbies, and current job we can make a better guess as to your potential. Prior military or law enforcement would be a plus.