[LoadMasterC141]

3 years ago I posted a thread similarly titled to yours..."Is 31 too old to become a professional pilot?"

I got the same mixed bag answers. Sifting through all of it though, I realized it WAS possible. Look at Captain Bob. He was a mid 30s career changer. How long now Bob since you left the po po? Anyway, he went through ATP, instructed for a little over a year, and made it to ExpressJet. At 2 years, he qualified for captain. He took it at 3. When Bob first started training, there was not a single airline hiring as a result of the last downturn (9/11 mainly). Year 3 captains pay at Xjet is around $60/hr.....That is quite a bit more than 30k/yr by the way.

So here I am 3 years later, a 1000 hr CFI. My 6 figure job has been over for a year now. I work twice as hard for 1/4 the pay. A little bit of the initial glamour of flying has ebbed and there are days when it is just a job. There are times when I look back and wonder what the hell I was thinking. My goal was to flight instruct for 6 months and be at a regional. Now I am at a year and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Then I start thinking about returning to my old industry.....and I SHUDDER! No way. I really love to fly even if it is just Cessnas and Seminoles right now.

I still worry about my age when things do turn around. At 34, I feel like an old man around the average age CFI. My aspirations are not that high though. It would be great to fly big metal, but I would be just as satsified flying a King Air.

If it is something you want...do it. Just realize that it is alot of work, costs more than you will plan for, and you have to roll with the punches. For me, it has been completely worth it, even if it ended now. Also, just because the airlines are not hiring right now, don't think training is a bad idea. They will hire again.