I say go for it. If it is something that you really want to do then you ought to do it. I do not think that you are too old. At the 141 school that I work at we have quite a few people who use there GI money to pay for their training. But like rickair said you are a little bit limited at a 141 school. The pace may be a little slower than your liking. We take you from 0 hours to CFI and it takes 1.5 years. That is flying 4 days a week which is dueable. So just do your research. Best of luck to you.

 

Well, I'm on my way..

Signed up with the Aero Club at Coleman Barracks in Mannheim today, first flight with them is on Saturday.

As they said in Survival school: "small victories".

 

Actually there are very few 141 schools where you do an in-house checkride. Most programs still require going to a pilot examiner. BTW, the in-house schools will be very over priced.

 

I was 38 when hired by Continental. There were guys much older than me in my class. There are other jobs too. Find what you love to do and go for it. Don't be picky; flying is flying. Move up when you can. Move where the job is (I Know a lot of guys not willing to relocate- they don't fly now). I moved from CA to RI for my first airline job (Continental Express). Good luck.

 

True that most have to farm out the checkrides to a DPE...however the checkride is STILL a 141 End-of-Course Stage Check, and as such cannot be "failed", only complete or incomplete. The DPE is SUPPOSED to complete 141 paperwork and do the 8710 differently than a 61 ride. Also no pink slip should be issued in the event of an incomplete.

All this info, and instructions on how to fill out the 8710, are in the examiner's handbook. Unfortunately many examiners don't know or bother with the proper procedures for a 141 "failure", and just process it like 61. This is not really fair to the student who jumped through the 141 hoops, and the school should not allow this to happen.

 

I am in the same boat as you, just a few years ahead. Check out my thread in the training section "Navy guy w ??s"

I am going for it and if that is what you want to do, then I think you should go for it too. I know a lot of people on here will tell you to run away but if this is what you want, then go for it. There will also be a lot of guys on here that help and point you in the right diretion. A big plus is that when you are a FO somewhere making $20K a year you will have your military retirement to offset it. Good luck.

 

It's not like that at TSTC. You get a pink slip if you fail and it sticks. The end of course just states you've completed the syllabus and can get credit for the course. You still have to take an actual checkride. successfully completing the course doesn't mean anything to the FAA outside of perhaps getting your comm with less than 250hrs.

 

To push the envelope, how about starting a third career at 50 in the regionals? No expectation of making it to the “heavies”, no family to worry about, just looking forward to the challenge.

 

Go for it...You can always work for a NetJets after you retire at the mandatory 65.

-LAFF

 

......jeeeyuh!

It's a longshot, but being around airplanes is the only job I've ever been good at as an adult, and I'm hooked! Been around airplanes almost as long as I've been in the uniform, which equates to 99 percent of my adult life. Funny, a kid from the mean streets of Chicago's south side who grew up afraid of heights can't keep his head out the clouds. I'm 33 years old and I will plan on staying in the Air Force until I reach 1000 TT in addition to 100 MEI for a total of 1100TT, possibly even pick up a type rating somewhere along the way, I'll have a bachelors degree next year, my A&P the year after that. When I get the hours I want, I'll drop my application to the regionals and drop that retirement paperwork, too. The bachelors degree and A&P will open up other avenues while the airlines make their way to my application (along with countless others, I'm sure) and what will I be doing in the meantime? Check the local FBO nearest me.

For me, it is that serious. It is a passion but I still have to keep it real. It is very important to keep things in perspective and not drink too much of the "Kool-aid", as some of you cats say.