Questions from a wannabe...

[GaryM-OR-808]

Hey Bob,

Gary M from Oregon...midlife crisis in full bloom...turned turned 47 in August and if I do this ATP thing, hope to be flying by 50 (need to sell the house...bla, bla, bla...) anyway - am I smoking the crack pipe or is it doable at my age?

15 years flying means less than full retirement - but time to get away from the 8 to 5 gaze at the computer screen for a living.

Anyway...doable given my 47 yrs of age?

Rgds,

Gary M.
Oregon

[ExpressJet_Bob]

Hi Gary!

Welcome to the forums and thanks for chiming in...

I don't have much info to go off of here since you posted very little info about yourself in your introduction... but I'll try to put the pieces together and answer the best that I can.

This is what I've derived from the info above:

- 47 years old
- Mid-life crisis
- Current non-fulfilling job
- Own home
- Possibly strung out on heavy narcotics... (just kidding!)

Seriously though... the short answer is yes, it's do-able. But you have to determine the full cost and time investment and determine if that scenario will work for you.

Things I don't know about you are your current financial situation, if you've ever flown before, do you have a family to care for at the same time, have you researched other flight schools, what type of income would you be attempting to replace now, etc.

I don't necessarily need the specifics to those questions, just more of an "idea" of your situation so that we can talk about more specific issues.

Overall though, age is not really a factor in getting hired at the regional airlines. We have lots of first officers over the age of 50 on our seniority list.

You just have to determine if you can take the financial hit at this time for training, and the first few years of instructing/probation at an airline, etc. Pay is not all that hot for many first year FO's, but with seniority comes much better pay options.

For me personally, it took almost 4 years for my pay to get back to what it was prior to becoming a pilot. We did the whole "budgeting thing", reduced our debt and outgoing expenses, stopped eating out, etc... all while having a child and moving from an expensive part of the country to a much cheaper area. So... sacrifices were definately made... but they were sacrifices that ultimately help us even today.

Personally... as bad as the industry is today, if I can help it, I don't ever want to go back to a "non-aviation" related job. I've tasted too much freedom in the air for that. But, one has to be aware that this industry is volatile with peaks and valleys every few years. As a result, you have to have a backup plan in place for the valleys.

Currently, we are in one of those valley's. I wouldn't let that discourage you too much though. I myself trained to become a pilot during one of the deep "valley" periods in aviation (post 9/11). My theory was quite simple... train to get the requisite hours and experience to be hired during the slow time... so that I'll be competitive when the flood gates open back up. It worked... and I gained a tremendous amount of seniority in a very short time as a result.

Had I waited until everyone started hiring again to begin my training... I would most likely not be a captain right now, and would possibly be hanging on to my job by a thread due to a recent furlough.

Timing is everything... luck has a lot to do with it as well. So basically you need to control what you can, be goal oriented, research and realize the good and bad parts of the industry (go in with your eyes wide open), and have a back-up plan in place.

So much for the short answer...

Looks like we have lots to talk about Gary... welcome again to the forums!

Bob

[GaryM-OR-808]

Bob,

What a kind, thoughtful and honest answer. More to my background...with a quick side-bar: my wife is an FA with Southwest...has been for 8 yrs and LOVES it.

Kids are out of the house...we are in a good equity position to sell with no debt and I can pay for the $60K flat out...while living comfortably...but sensibly.

Our thought now is to sell the house, relocate to Pensacola (I love scuba and fishing) and go full-time in an RV - we have begun researching and recently attended our first show and learned alot.

Basically we are healthy financially...footloose and fancyfree - not rich by any means...but in a solid position. My biggest concern is the age deal...likely by the time I finish up I will be 50.

I do have flying time - in 2001 I soloed (sp?) in a Cherokee 140 out of Montgomery Field in San Diego...I found the hardest part of flying to be radio comms and of course there was the dreaded "cone of confusion".

By the way...I am not on narcotics - but seriously thinking about it!!!

Again...very much appreciate your kind, thoughtful reply...would like to speak with you on the phone...not sure of the protocol for that...

Although we are thinking Pensacola...would very much be interested in your "tips & tricks" for choosing a flight school...because I don't know what I don't know.

Kind regards,

Gary M.
Oregon

[JeremyY_TX]

Hi Gary,
Welcome aboard! I thought I would add a quick thought on the age thing: As you know by age 50, you will still be able to fly part 121(airlines) for 15 years. Past that, you can still do other flying. I know a gentleman that is 68, going strong, and flies PC12s and Hawkers.

A good friend of my family retired from the Navy at 47 and began flight training. At age 51, she is working for Netjets and loves it!

I am 33 myself and often wondered if I was too old even. Many have said "your only as old as you think you are". I miss my old office job salary, but I get up every morning with a smile on my face knowing my office view is in the sky versus staring at a computer screen.

As far as tips and tricks for picking schools, Bob has always recommended that you should personally visit them. ATP has a great location in Panama City that I personally instructed at for a short time. That is pretty close to your Pensacola idea. You could start there!

Cheers,
Jeremy

[ExpressJet_Bob]

Originally Posted by GaryM-OR-808

Although we are thinking Pensacola...would very much be interested in your "tips & tricks" for choosing a flight school...because I don't know what I don't know.

Gary,

Just as Jeremy pointed out... I do recommend personally visiting all your flight school options.

But... make those visits as productive as possible. Here's a couple of tips for that:

1. Come up with a set of questions that you will ask each flight school follow through by asking each school those questions so that you can have a "baseline" for comparison when you've finished. If you can't personally visit the school... then at least be sure you get the questions answered over the phone. That said... go visit the school!

2. Come up with a similar set of questions to ask students currently enrolled in the program. Believe it or not... some schools will not allow you to actually speak with currently enrolled students when you visit. That's kind of a red flag for me...

3. Once you get your questions answered... go through them in detail with your spouse and find out which program works best with your personal situation, your learning style, your budget, and your time frame. This is where having the same questions for each program will help in the comparison. If a question comes up during a visit to one school that you didn't think to ask, then be sure and follow up with the other schools with that same question, so that you are still on the same page.

Hope that helps for now...

Bob