Originally Posted by
huby
Probably subject of my question goes beyond the scope of usual FAQ, but I would like to ask all of you (who think that my question is not childish), is there any chance that 37 years old male from small country in Europe (Croatia), with serious ambition to became pilot of airline company, starts with training for airline pilot, and what prospects in pilot-career could be expected in that case (or instead “in that case”, maybe I should say: “regarding my age”)? To make my challenge more provocative, my knowledge of airline industry is on zero level (I am an electrical engineer).
I would be thankful if I could get honest answer from experienced person from airline industry.
huby
There are several issues regarding age...
-Are you too old to learn new things? No, 37 is young enough and your EE background means that the academics should not be tough for you at all.
-Is there a cultural barrier to getting hired at your age? In the US it used to be very difficult to get hired as an airline pilot after age 30, but that is no longer the case here....you could get hired at age 50 if you wanted to. I'm not certain, but I think the europeans are still a little more traditional, but you would need to ask a european pilot.
-Compensation: There is a lot of training expense and low wages in the early years of a pilot career. Training costs in europe are so high that most europeans come to the US to do some or all of their training. Can you afford the training, and about 6-10 years of fairly low pay? This all depends on your economic and family situation. Would it be worth it in the long run?
-Medical: Can you pass the medical requirements? European is more stringent than US. If so do you live a healthy lifestyle so you can keep your medical certificate through age 65?
-Regional Airline: Major airlines are better than regional airlines...at your age it would be possible to do your training, work as a flight instructor to build hours, get a regional airline job, and then eventually get a major airline job. But by the time you get to the major, you will be so old that it may not be worth it. If you just plan on staying at a regional airline, a career change would make more sense (to me anyway).
A lot of this depends on whether you want to fly in the US or europe...they require different training programs, with the european (JAA) being more expensive and difficult. I can say that if you can afford to come to the US and get a student visa, you will be able to do your training and get a green card (work permit) and eventually get a regional airline job in the US...I know a lot of foriegn pilots who work in the US.
My standard advice to anyone who expresses interest in commercial flying is to get a private pilot license and see how much you enjoy it before pursuing a career. I know that may be expensive in Croatia, but you might be able to take a vacation to the US or australia and take some lessons then.
Good Luck