[Fearless]

Pete,

Well, I guess it really depends on what you want to do. One of my former instrument students got his CFI at the ripe young age of 66 and is now happily instructing part-time. He's not making all that much money (perhaps $6000 a year), but that's not why he's doing it.

If you're looking toward airline flying, then you have a tough road ahead of you. I speak from personal experience. At age 42, I was the oldest person in my new-hire class at a regional airline. Movement is slow right now. With luck, I might possibly upgrade before age 50. Then what? Assuming my company survives (not a "given" in the current environment), I can look forward to being a very junior captain for the next 10 years.

There's probably no one on this board who enjoys flying more than I do. I knew when I left my "desk" job for a flying career I was throwing away any chance I might have for a comfortable retirement - I've spent what should be the most productive years of my life working entry-level flying jobs, squeezing every nickel and sleeping in my car when I couldn't afford an apartment. Nothing like being 45 years old and living in a crash pad with seven other pilots (or flight attendants). This might be O.K. when you're a college kid, but it gets old in a hurry when you're 47.

Many people on this board also underestimate the difficulty of landing a job at a regional, but that's another story. If you do decide to pursue a flying career, please think it through carefully and keep your options open.

Some jobs that are NOT subject to the "Age 60" (mandatory retirement) include:

Flight, ground, or simulator instructor
Banner tow pilot
Glider tow pilot
(Most) Part 135 Freight operations
Corporate flying
FAA inspector
NTSB (Accident investigation)
Teaching jobs (i.e., at an aviation university)
Aircraft maintenance
Avionics technician

(Some of these aren't flying jobs per se, but you do get to hang around pilots and airplanes all day and get paid for it.)

Good luck
FFFI