I’m currently 35 with about 51 hours towards my PPL. MS in Physics. Excellent health.

Although I love flying as a hobby, I do dream about becoming an airline pilot for one of the majors some day. With the industry the way it is, do you think I still have a chance to fly for DAL, FEDEX, etc., provided that I am consistent with my training?

 

Chances?

10%. Even the most qualified pilots get overlooked. Luck still plays a large part of landing the best jobs.

 

Sure, you do have a chance...but you need to put things in perspective.

It has taken me 9.5 years to get from where you're at right now to where I am right now (in a hotel, interviewing for a major).

How fast can you get your ratings (how much $$ do you have)?
Can your lifestyle / situation stomach poverty level wages flight instructing?
Can your lifestyle / situation stomach poverty level wages as a regional airline FO?
Are you / your family willing to move all over the country for a regional?
Do you have a bachelor's degree?

As for me, I went to flight school full time, instructed full time, got hired at a regional, upgraded fast (5 years ago), got a bachelor's degree, networked...and it still takes forever...

I am not trying to dissuade you, but just trying to point out that it is a long road and you'll need a heaping of dedication and luck to realize your dreams...

Z

 

....and by the way, there are several folks at my current employer (regional airline) that are career changers...in their 30's or 40's, so it's not uncommon.

Z

 

I'd say at this point your chances are nearly 0. Most people drop out before getting all the ratings. Even if you do get all the ratings, you need to instruct as a CFI enough hours to get competitive for a regional job. A lot of people get discouraged at this point. Then you need to be lucky enough to get hired by a good regional that doesn't go bankrupt and that gives you the chance to upgrade quickly. Then you need to stick with that regional for very little pay for a number of years. Then you need to upgrade. Then you need to get the minimum PIC turbine time that is required by the majors.

Each of the above steps involves a high probability of failure.

Now if you do get to the point of having the minimum PIC turbine time your chances all of a sudden are looking up. First of all the majors need to be hiring, which may or may not be the case by the time you are ready. Then you need to be called for an interview, which with some networking is not completely out of the question. At this point you go to an interview and you have a small but REALISTIC chance of getting hired.

So currently your chances of eventually making it are close to 0. If you manage to go through all of the above steps and get invited for an interview your chances may increase to a more probable level. Of course if many airlines are hiring you will increase your probability of success.

 

Fitz:

You stand a 99 percent chance of achieving your dream if you are willing to work and train harder than most others. Flying for a living is more about having the ability to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and hit it again after stumbling through countless "pay your dues" jobs. The right of passage of a good job is usually several bad ones. The question is, can you keep the good attitude and continue to work hard through these challenging and discouraging times? If you can, you will do fine. If you don't have the drive or attitude to tolerate such things then don't even consider it.

 

It's a long road, and if you make it you'll be at least 45...so 15 years at a major, assuming no increase in retirement age. Even if it does go up to 65, that will dramatically slow hiring and career progression for everyone for 5 years.

You should probably make a spreadsheet showing your training costs, and expected annual pay at each step of your airline career. Look at the total at age 60 compared to what you're doing now. Also consider that you will have low seniority at your major for a number of years...and by the time you get any kind of seniority, you'll be 50-55...almost time to retire! If you upgrade to captain at age 55, then your quality of life will mostly be in the toilet during your twilight years.

Then do another spreadsheet, this time assuming you stay at a regional airline...regionals are getting bigger airplanes and taking more mainline routes all the time, which unfortunately reduces your opportunity to get a major job in the future.

If you would be happy spending your career at a regional, then it's not unreasonable to go for it...and if you grab the brass ring and land a major job, then even better. I am not a pessimist, but you do have a long road to a major, and the odds aren't that good. The physics degree speaks to the academic aspect, but flying requires other talents as well...if you do career-type flight training and find yourself in the top third of your fellow students then you are in the running.

Good Luck

 

Everyone has a chance. You need to ask yourself just what you are willing to loose in the attempt and realise that your odds are very long. Myself and others feel that even a motivated 22 year old has a one in 20 chance at best. The probability is that you will wake up someday at 42 living in a slum apartment with 5 other pilots while your peer group is raising families and building retirement accounts and wonder how you got there.

The pay is low, job security is non-existent, chances are long and it will take the sacrifice about everything else in your life that you hold dear to get anywhere close. However everyone does have a chance.

SkyHigh

 

In a word...NO.

 

PLEASE
Talk to anyone you know who flys for a major.
This job was ok at one point but now well

JUNIOR pilots have no life.
I have been with a major for 10 years.
Because of all of the problems
I was AirForce with heavy time and a great track record
I was hired by a major at 35
Worked for a charter for 5 years before that.I am still in the right seat- -will most likely never have the seniority to hold the left for years.
I will leave at 50
I am never home-I'm working 23-26 days a month
We have average 14 hour days-since you can only fly 8 that's sitting aroun an airport for hours-not getting paid.
I am exhaused with short layovers-lack of sleep can kill you.
Job security is a constant threat
Reduction of pay and benefits seems as if it will be permanent.

If you want to fly just because you love it -go for it. But if you want a life.Have a family, stability maybe take a class, go to your family's gatherings, spend Christmas with them-forget it. This is a rough career field when we were paid well- now...I will walk away and never look back