You literally complained about bending over and having to move from room to room. While in the same breath told us you made 400k a year, money that 95% of pilots will never see in their lifetime.
What did you expect?

Thankfully there are some mature users on this site that have PMd me useful information.

I wish you nothing but the best, Potato Chip.

That's gonna leave a mark.......

Thanks! I'm hoping it is a net-positive move.

That makes sense, thanks!

In theory you can't be totally insulated from a wrongful death claim. Reality is quite different. I'm in claims for an insurance company and see those crusty underwriters every day, although "business people" is a stretch.

If a pilot crashes a 172, and the estate sues the flying club and CFI, it becomes all about the bottom line. The plaintiff has to be able to prove the CFI was negligent in his/her training, which caused the crash. That's hard to do, and it cost money. The insurance company will consider putting money on the table to get out of the suit, and that becomes the focus of the negotiation, because if it goes to trial, the plaintiff could always lose. I've seen ironclad cases fall apart in court, it's very risky for both sides. So the insurance companies for the Flying Club and the CFI(hell, and Lycoming and Cessna if they are sued, which they are...and that's why their reps are at crash sites before the NTSB) combine forces and settle the claim. They all make an offer sufficient enough for the plaintiff to accept, given fact that it costs money to continue litigating and the possibly of losing in court. 99% of the time the CFI's personal assets aren't touched.

Sure it's always plausible, but if you live your life afraid of the worst case scenarios, you'd just lay in bed all day. And believe me, I see worst case scenarios in aviation for a living, but I still fly...well...now and then.

Agree, you cannot be perfectly protected. But a large enough policy encourages both the plaintiff and insurance company to settle within policy limits...

Plaintiff benefits because he gets a good windfall without risk. Like you said, if he goes to court he might lose. But if the policy is only $1M and the defendant has $5M, they might well go to trial rather than settle for $750K (assuming a strong enough case, which is very easy in aviation).

Also don't forget about a contract fill in guy for the corporate world or a part time 135 pilot. With the right ratings I can think of several opportunities in the area where I live that would work very well for a part timer looking to fly 5-6 times a month. Some of the companies and 135 ops will even pay for the type with somewhat of a commitment. The level of experience will also dictate the level of responsibility. There are definitely part time jobs available that will satisfy an aviation itch. Networking will be key here

Hey Doc,
Maybe I can be of some assistance. I really wanted to change careers back in 1998-2000 when I was 34 yoa and went through the entire process; ASEL all the way through to CFI, CFII and MEI. After instructing for 6 months at ADS, I was hired at American Eagle and started training in June 2001. One month at the schoolhouse in Irving (I was a practicing attorney here in Dallas) then one month of sim training in San Antonio on the Saab 340. I loved it. The training was interesting and the sim time was a blast. V-1 cuts with an auto feather failure was a kick. Took a bit of practice but was able to keep the thing flying. IOE was alright. Once I was flying regular trips the glow began to fade. Staying in cheap hotels in Waco and Tyler really isn't my idea of a good time. Sitting around the crew lounge all day waiting to go fly really kinda sucks. Being away from home involuntarily and going to backwater towns really is a drag. I swear that Eagle and AMR management would send emails for the sole purpose of making employees feel like they were lower than a whale turd on the bottom of the ocean. Being a cog in a machine and never being able to exercise independent thought gets old really quickly. One month after 9/11 I was furloughed and I never looked back. I went back to practicing law made some good money and was flying my brother's 182 for fun, until he sold it in 2003. But never, ever did I think about trying to fly for the airlines again. I concentrated on my kids and on making money as a lawyer.

Getting going on a financially rewarding aviation career really is a young man's gig. You and I are too old and too educated. And being a professional person who makes hundreds of decisions a day you will not like being told where to go, what to do and when to do it. (the time with your butt in the seat and your hands on the controls is fun; it's the other 95% of your time at a regional you will hate.)

Since 2003 I really haven't flown at all; but here I am reading these forums because I've got the bug real bad. My current gig ends in a year and a month (I've been a district judge here in Dallas and I'm not going to run for re-election because I'm burned out.) Right now I'm 53 you and will be 54 when my term ends. Too old to change back to flying. I've been saving my nickels and dimes and I am going to buy a T210 or a Baron soon.

It's really tempting to think about going back to the regionals and hoping to fly for a legacy airline before I hit 65. The flying is more fun than you can imagine, but I'm sure after a few thousand hours it will get old. And the feeling of being a cog in a big machine and being told what to do all the time really won't sit well with you. Trust me; I've been there. Get your flying kicks on your own. If you are making true radiologist money then you can afford a turbine airplane (but don't do that until you have 1500 to 2000 hours of time.) Buy a used Pilatus PC12 or a TBM or a Piper. Or even a King Air. The bottom line is you can afford to have a flying hobby. Just be careful and get good training. Get to know and fly with some airline pilots for extra tutoring.


One thought I've had and I'll leave for discussion is the ethics of accepting a job at a regional, going through the training, flying the line for a couple of months and then quitting to go back to practicing law or medicine. What do you all think?

Unless they are there they don’t understand. Having defended dental and medical malpractice claims there is much more to it than collecting the money. In the same boat as you but a little older. Student pilot at 16 and full license at 17 before I had a drivers license. Back then you were paying for all your training and for your ratings. Went to law school instead. Have the nest egg and all my ducks in a row.
Work your plan.
Same thing I am doing. Throttle back the practice but don’t let it go and finish ratings. Get to ATP and go from there.