Introduction

[JamesH-AZ-609]

Hey Bobby,

I wanted to introduce myself. I spent 20 years in the Air Force. First 10 years as an aircraft mechanic on the KC - EC-135. I wanted to be a pilot in the AF but didn't finish my degree soon enough. The last 10 years in the AF I spent as a recruiter for the Air Force and Air Force Reserve. Currently I work in pharmaceutical sales and make a good living. But like most who worked in aviation, I miss it allot. I'm looking at making a career change back into aviation. I still have my A&P license, but would like to make the move to the cockpit. I have been checking out schools and thought ATP would be a good choose. I read your Bio and saw that you were a crew chief and worked on same airframe as well. I miss working around Airplanes. Being 42 i have a limited window in commercial aviation as a pilot. I would appreciate any input you could give.

Regards
James

[Pinnacle Bobby]

Nice to meet you James, my apologies for the delayed respose.

Awesome aviation background so far. Having an Air Force commission is great, but what I miss the most is touching the airframe on a regular basis. I'm sure you can relate to that.

Are you looking to pursue airline flying, corporate flying, or something else?

Hopefully the airlines will begin to hire sometime in the foreseable future, but at some point the hiring will surely increase.

Please feel free to ask any questions you have.


Bobby

[JamesH-AZ-609]

Bobby
I was looking at corporate or Airline aviation. I especially like the 5 month professional pilot program at ATP. I know that it's not a good time to look for a job right now. But I hope in a year hiring picks up. I have herd for the past 4 years that the Vietnam era pilots would be retiring soon and there will be a large demand for pilots.

Thanks again for your help.

James

[Pinnacle Bobby]

James--

Many pilots will be reaching age 65 soon, which is currently the maximum allowable age to fly with an airline. This in itself is expected to create job openings, that hopefully coupled with a boosted economy will set things in the right direction for pilots looking for a job. Those with the qualifications will be ahead of the game when this happens.

Age 42 is not too late to start an airline career. In the past few years there has been an increase in the number of people changing careers to follow their dream or just for the change. If you truly have a love for aviation and a desire to fly you can make it happen. Obviously movements to other airlines are not happening now, and First Officer to Captain upgrades are slim to none....but it's reasonable to expect that if you work hard you'll at least have plenty of time to become a Captain at a regional airline holding enough seniority for a good schedule; and maybe even make the move to a major airline.

The corporate world is a little different, a lot of that is knowing the right people and being in the right place at the right time. But some pilots are able to fly corporate without entering the airline world.


Bobby