I started flying for a hobby in 1975, professionally in 1981 up until a year ago when I medical'd out (by choice). Could have kept flying but at a significant cost to my long term health.

I'll let others talk about the best schools since it's been so long for me. I did a quick Google search on schools where you can get an ATP with less than 1500 hours and it **appears** (I could be wrong) you need to have an aviation related Associate or Bachelors degree to do that.

https://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/...ority_List.pdf

Here's a good article in Flying Magazine written in 2015 so it's still pretty current:

https://www.flyingmag.com/training/g...tp-certificate

Sometimes. For several decades now, anyway.

That depends on what you do for work. You'll probably be seeking a fight instructor position with the school where you did your training; you'll have to check with them to see what they pay.

Typical career path (assuming you have a degree)...

Flight training: PPL/IR/CPL/ME/CFI/CFII (maybe MEI?): 8-12 months
CFI: Work as an instructor (CFI) in small single engine planes (ASEL) for about two years to reach at least 1475 hours total time. Most that can be single engine but you'll need at least 25 hours multi-engine (ME).

Regional FO: 2-4 years, depending on which regional, then upgrade to CA. A few ULCC majors may call you while still an FO.

Regional CA: 1-4 Years, try to get selected to be a Line Check Airman.

After you have some CA time (probably about 2000 hours) you should start getting calls from various majors, assuming your "whole person" package is good:
- Degree (GPA > 3.0)
- Clean criminal history, no DUIs
- No or few traffic tickets
- No more than one training failure, zero preferred
- No FAA violations, incidents, or accidents
- Good interpersonal skills
- No bad employment history (firings, discipline)
- Ideally some "whole person" items like civic/school honors, volunteer work, significant athletic background, etc.

* Caveat: This is all based on where the industry stands today. The pilot shortage should actually improve your odds over the next 5-10 years, but any major industry hiccups could change everything.

I'm in a similar boat but with some differences:

* 47.5 years old.
* 0 AMEL (could easily pay out of pocket to get 25 AMEL as required by most regionals now).
* ~1350 ASEL, with about 1000 of those being in a T210 I've owned since 2003. (can easily go burn some avgas in the 210 to get within closer range of the 1500).
* Studying for CAX written now.
* Very active in a charity that flies medical staff to Baja monthly to give clinics to locals.

Am I crazy for even considering this? Just feel the strong need to shift away from a lucrative but not fulfilling career in engineering and do something I love.

Unless you're executive ranks in your current field, or own the company, you'll probably net more if you go fly and make it to a major... if you hurry.

I’ve been self employed since 2003 in a niche sector of industry but I’ve lost the passion for this line of work a few years ago. The wife and I have been diligent about retirement savings since we met in our mid-twenties, so we are well fortified. But now the decision is whether to do something that I’m not passionate about until a planned retirement at 57 (if I can tolerate it that long) or switch gears and do something I think I’d love and work longer (and presumably) happier. The solace is that the engineering gig is a solid fallback. But the wildcard in the decision is to forecast how many years of the drop in QOL as i work through the regional ranks to enough build time and experience to be ripe for a major. The big unkonwn...

Can't thank you enough for your detailed and caring answer!

THANKS for the quick response!

Great discussion. Im in a very similar position in life. Im 47 y/o and just cant see myself continuing in my current career until in 58+. Flying is something I would do for nothing so the idea of becoming a professional pilot and getting paid is exciting. I currently have PPL SEL. So while Im not starting at zero Im not far from it. On the Education side of things Im pretty fortunate. AS, BA, JD. Not sure how a potential employer would view that.

My question is, would my education/corporate background open more doors for me? At lower TT hours?

No, your credentials will not open doors at lower total time, though it can strengthen a resume once you have more time.

Don’t talk about flying for nothing...it won’t go over well with professional pilots.