Maybe they wanted to brag about it to their airport buddies over their cup of coffee while sitting on the FBO couch talking about magenta lines and stick 'n rudders.

 

exactly. If you go 121 at 64+, you have no other goal than to say you were an “airline pilot.”

 

There were three of us in my CRJ class at OO that were 49+, so if you apply, you'll get looked at and probably offered a CJO. Two of us made it, one did not and he was an AF C130 pilot. Not sure what happened to him during sims that caused him to not make it through.

Having said that, I'd focus on SkyWest. You have a much better shot at getting DTW right out of training since it's pretty much the most junior FO base and has a high turnover rate as pilots get assigned and then immediately bid for somewhere else further west. I got DTW out of training along with 12 others. Two bid cycles later and only 2 of us were left because we both lived within 45 minutes of DTW and wanted to be there. I've heard, but can't confirm, that Endeavor's DTW base is more on the Senior side. Besides, if you go to SkyWest you'll be able to fly all three CRJ variants instead of being locked into either the -200 (yikes) or the 700/900 with Endeavor. Variety is good...

I left OO a couple weeks ago for a fractional 135 job. I loved my time there, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

Best of luck to you!

 

Ha...it was probably the guy in my UPT class that got assigned to C130's.

 

If you learned a couple airplanes as an O1 in the training pipeline, and then flew one airframe for 20+ years, you're not automatically going to be in the mental mode to learn a new one at age 50+, that's going to take some work and adjustment. Lots of things you take for granted are different.

That's one area where career civilian pilots have an advantage, after 4-5 transport category type ratings you know what to expect and how to go about it.

 

Or.... To Be a sim instructor

 

There is a DEC in my class that is 63-1/2.

He has lots and lots of experience on many aircraft including 747's and various Airbus.

I am in my mid-50's and a new hire FO. Training is a challenge, but the schoolhouse is a good one, and my fellow classmates a good eggs to practice what is being learned.

 

I left a cushy situation contracting and being my own boss for a regional in 2018 when I was 35. I commuted from DFW to NYC. Commuting to reserve sucked, but after I got seniority, it was fine. Mine was a means to an end: Get to a major. In your situation, I am not sure it is worth it, but it depends on what you are doing right now. Being a DEC is a type of seniority hell I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

 

I'm an older FO at a regional who started this year. Flew military for 10 years and instructed in various airframes for 7 years, this is my first 121 gig.

1. It was harder than I thought. But I think it has more to do that I was more worried about failure this time. The timeline is very short. 6 months to learn my aircraft in the military, here you'll only have about two. On the bright side, there's much less to memorize.
2. The guys who washed out of my class were younger. Everyone my age and older did fine, but possibly because we just had more experience with studying and with checkride nerves.
3. If you have 121 experience enough to be a DEC why would you go to a regional? You can likely qualify for a ULCC at least. If you want an easy schedule, come in as an FO. At my regional FOs have the cushy schedule, the CAs are being worked to death because there's not enough of them. Forget ever dropping a trip.
4. A good reason to go to a regional when you're already in your 60's is to get your ATP paid for so you can hop over to the fractional side. Not just to "say you were an airline pilot" and retire. Anyone with serious discipline can do that at an older age. Especially if you've been in some other demanding field and know how to study.

 

Excellent synopsis.