31 Years too old?

[desertdog71]

OH. Also do not buy into that Part 141 crap.

Read the FAR guidlines. You will see that part 141 and 61 are not any different when it comes to PTS standards. I find Part 141 to be too structured and I will never understand why the Hour requirements are relaxed for Part 141.
I train under Part 61. The requirements for Hours are more demanding, but the curriculum is also more flexible and catered to my strengths/weaknesses and needs.

The most important thing is to find an instructor that will teach you to be a pilot. Not just pass checkrides, also personallity matters with an instructor. You want to find someone that you enjoy flying with. You are gonna spend alot of time in close contact with them.

Thats just my $.02 there are many people on this board that will help guide you in the right direction. Good Luck Man.

[shooter13]

Well I am with the make dang sure and don't burn bridges crowd.

I am 32, have 2 kids from a previous marriage and re-married. I also have a high paying job. I hate the work. I mean loathe it. It is hot, sometimes dangerous, long hours, physical work. Occasionally I get to do what my mind is capable of and program some automation which I enjoy. Other than that, the only good part of my job is the Cabbage. I was set up to leave the navy and start at Ari-Ben in Florida. I decided maybe I should save some money first so I took this job which I have rapidly promoted through. Sounds kinda like what you did. I went and got my private. I bought a 150 not too long ago and am trying to build some hours. I still have the job and am spending way to much time at it to fly as much as I would like. I figure, I will finish my ratings sooner or later and decide after that what I am doing. I'll see how much I like instructing as a part time gig and hopefully by then the wife will have moved into true "Suga-mama" status.

My advice, get someone to help you buy an IFR Cessna 150(wish I had). Get your private in it. Then work on instrument and all your time building. You will save so much money over renting another persons airplane for all of that. Plus, you can be one of us rich airplane owner types . You should see peoples face when they actually see the airplane my wife and I own. I guess they pictured a lear jet or something. Unless you have no time with your job to spend a couple of hours 2 or 3 times a week at the airport, keep your job. $70K is nothing to scoff at and honestly gives you some oppurtunities that a lot of people on here don't have. I agree with Aloft that seniority counts at an airline. I also believe that maintaining a somewhat confortable lifestyle is important as well.

[TexasFlyer]

I'm with the old folks here. I'll be starting my training at 35 years old in a short couple years from now. I'll be leaving a career where over 10 years of hard work I now make over six figures a year (of source this level of success comes with extreme hours and pressure and stress to perform better than your peers and subordinates and to watch the guy behind you that might take your job and push you out of the company which has a good 50% turnover rate due to a sales type culture being super aggressive... how did I survive so long and keep my health... argh!).

Anyway, my first good memory is of an airport and it's been my dream since I was a child. My family been against it since I was born though since they see pilots as nothing more than blue collar bus drivers that have no stability. Hey, I lost 60% of my income after 9-11 so not sure where the stability is in any career... and with my comment above in quote, that's not stability either! To make a long story short. I knew I had to do this whole thing on my own and have every support line I have look at me in disbelief (we talk about my plans all the time and I hear constantly how I am out to destroy my life... is this why I like goth music?). Well, good 5 years ago I set out seriously pursue my dream. I put a written financial plan and persoanl goals plan together that's on track for a 2008 go date. Here is what I done so far to prepare (and what else I will do before I start since I work best when I fully jump into a situation with 100% focus):

1) I bought a house to build some equity over a few years while I pay off old debt.
2) Now I just did my first major life restructure since i just sold my house after beig in it a few years. I used the profit now to pay off a chunk of this large debt load I aquired to stay afloat after 9-11. Yeah, stability in the corporate world... we get layed-off or forced to take pay cuts to keep our jobs too (I was lucky since I got the pay cut, the other option was being out the door!). And I'm moving to back to the apartment life to be mobile in the future since I know I can't be tied down with a house payment or tied to a certain geographic region since to get ahead in aviation it seems you must be mobile to take the best opportunities as the arise.
2) I am now working on being 100% debt free. Owe not a penny to anyone, for anything. Zero credit cards debt. Own my 2005 car out right (10 years of relibale transport). Own my 2006 motorcycle out right (the bike was my personal reward for getting this far since it's been a long battle over the last 5 years and things are still right on track... and I paid cash for the bike so it did not incurr extra debt for you critics out there... if paying off debt the rule is to never take on any new debt of course).
3) Then in about a year I'll quickly save at least $50K in cash since once debt free in about a year I should be able to hoard away around $4K a month into savings after just paying for rent and utilites and having some fun money to enjoy life since in my stressful corporate gig a person does need one day a week to let loose in order to keep sane.
4) Be sure to have maintained a perfect credit score since once I hit $50K+ in cash savings I'll take out a loan from good ol' Sallie or Key for the cost of the program I chose (Ari-Ben and Falcon and Flight Safety are the three choices I'm watching right now, but I'll decide once closer to a start date which suites me best... leaning toward Falcon right now). Although, I won't need most of the money I get a loan for, it's "safety money" to ensure I get through the program without money worries of any kind (heck, I have to pay for housing and everything on my own and the total cost of everything does add up to a good sum no matter where you go for 8-12 months of schooling without working). At the end of the program and when I begin as a Flight Instructor, I can pay one big lump sum back to Sallie or Key since then I hopefully will feel like I do not need any "safety cash" to fall back on since I will have very limited debt and hoepfully be able to get by for a few years on very limited income since I still have a late model reliable car and a motorcycle I can always sell if I really had to at that point (things can always be earned back over time)...

So I think if someone really has a plan that makes sense and works for them, go for it! Sounds like a lot of us here have different plans, but all seem very sound and well thought out.

And remember, you can always go back to where you came from if the new direction does not work out. Now of course I can't jump right back into a $100K+ position if the flight stuff is not what I thought it would be, but I can work my way back up over a few years once again in the corporate world by being that aggressive new guy once again who works his way up to the top of the pyramid. I doubt I dislike flying for a living though since it is my passion. And I have a PPL from a few years ago (non-current due to lack of time to fly on the one full day a week I get to truly relax). I'm ready for my office with a better view!

And will would I like to be in 10 years? A corproate flight department! That is where I will add tremendous value to a company since I can be more than just a pilot with the 10 years of business experience I'll have backing up that flight time. See you all in the sky...

[dc9super80]

This post really puts some hope into my life. I am 25, and just beginning a degree in a field that is totally unrelated to aviation. I started this late becuase I didn't have the money to start earlier, and I am doing this, becuase although being a pilot is a lifelong dream, I can't afford it right now. So I will be done at 29 with a first degree. At that point, hopefully before I hope to work on my PPL and eventually get up to my commercial rating. I was really worried about being too old, to get hired by an airline, but the truth of the matter is, I don't mind flying for regionals, cargo airlines or simply recreational flying. Regardless of the route I choose, it is good to known that I am not too late.

P.S. My first post, great site.

[jjm]

Good luck, first of all in whatever direction you choose to go.

I think you intially stacked the deck against yourself by thinking that you have to rush into it...in MY opinion: if you go balls to the wall and invest in a full commercial program that gets you from zero to hero in 3 months-- and then go right into CFI wages it will flat-out kill you.

I agree with peoples advice at engaging your wife in a solid plan for this, but I did like your 5-6 year plan. As most have said-- after your PPL, IFR tickets you will really have a good idea on the direction you'll want to go. Maybe you can look into SATSAir. You may even get into Angel flights...

Make sure you connect with people that have been on the flip-side of the airlines. I have an employee that used to work for me at our flight school who built 100 hours of multi, and went and flew a Bae146 for Mesaba and was furloughed within a year. That means he woke up in the morning and had nowhere to go. He came back asking about flight instructing again-- and I felt so bad for him. The good news was that he had built quite a bit of SIC turbine time and was a good candidate for other airlines. now he flies for Eagle. But that time off from work-- with loan payments, etc is something that many may not consider, so although it sounds pessimistic-- be prepared for the worst.

I guess my main advice is to plan it out carefully and don't be super rushed-- I have a friend who is 39 and is flying a CRJ out of Dulles starting next week. (just got hired).


Go Big Red. I am proud to say I was NOT a rich kid with nothing better to do. PM me sometime, I would be happy to help if I can.


JM

[RookieRamp]

Be Happy.....Do you...your wife is right...you can make this happen...

[LoadMasterC141]

I took the opportunity of losing my PPL instructor to stop and start saving money to pay-off debt. I got rid of my expensive vehicle, cell phones, cable, started selling things, and began following my wife around turning off cell lights.

I have managed to pay off $15k in debt in the last 5 months. My idea has been to finish my PPL and head to ATP in Aug-Sep with $15-20k saved towards the loan.

Anyway, big news today!
Since I began this endeavor, my wife has been very supportive and willing to sacrifice things except for ONE little thing: We had to keep the house. Well she told me tonight that she would rather sell the house and move to the Dallas area while I am training and instructing! Her preference would be to stay in Dallas for a while, but unless American Eagles' upgrade times go down alot, we may have one more move....and she was ok with that too!
God I owe my wife the world.

This will significantly help our financial situation. With little to no debt left and a small house or condo rent, we can easily afford to get through ATP and survive the lean instructor and 1st yr regional pays. She is a very qulaified teacher, so finding a new job for her is no worries.

I could be in the ACPP by mid to late May! Yeah Baby! I am gonna have to ramp up and start finishing that PPL soon. I get to fly again soon! Yes!

[ComplexHiAv8r]

THATS GREAT!!!!!

Good Luck on your adventure!

[Flying Ninja]

LoadMasterC141,

Congratulations on taking the steps to realize your dream to become a pilot! Regarding your comment on American Eagle, I wouldn't count on their upgrade time to be reduced any time soon. Anything can happen but history has shown that AE has one of the slowest upgrade time often upwards into 10+ years. Having a supportive spouse and staying out of debt are great assets to your aspiration. Keep up the great strides! Best of luck to you sir.

[texas_pilot]

Similiar story- While deciding my MOS, this corporal says, "Man with your scores you can do anything you want."
" Ok, I says, I'm up for jet jockey."
He looks at my vision score and says- "fella, you might be a pilot one day- but with your vision, you sure as hell won't be flying anything the US gov't owns!!!
30 years later I started training. CPL- Vision is correctable-Macht nichts
Tell me, were you a Texas resident when you joined up and were active duty a full enlistment w/ hon. discharge?
There's a big @#$%% diff between flying when you want to & when you have to. Give me a shout & I'll get you a ride on one of our 402's at night in bad weather, when you know you HAVE to go anyway, THEN decide.
31? are you shaving yet?

[LoadMasterC141]

I was a NY resident. Yes I was honorably discharged from the active duty.

402 in bad weather sounds like fun to me. I have some pretty good hair raising weather stories from my 141 time too.

[frog_flyer]

Yay loady!

Good for you.

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by texas_pilot

Similiar story- While deciding my MOS, this corporal says, "Man with your scores you can do anything you want."
" Ok, I says, I'm up for jet jockey."
He looks at my vision score and says- "fella, you might be a pilot one day- but with your vision, you sure as hell won't be flying anything the US gov't owns!!!
30 years later I started training. CPL- Vision is correctable-Macht nichts
Tell me, were you a Texas resident when you joined up and were active duty a full enlistment w/ hon. discharge?
There's a big @#$%% diff between flying when you want to & when you have to. Give me a shout & I'll get you a ride on one of our 402's at night in bad weather, when you know you HAVE to go anyway, THEN decide.
31? are you shaving yet?

Am I reading this post wrong or does it sound... unusually condescending?

And how many versions of "texas" pilots do we have around here?

[Doug Taylor]

X-1. Stone Cold is a former member of the "Texas Monikered Screen Name" Gang.

[Stone Cold]

Originally Posted by Doug Taylor

X-1. Stone Cold is a former member of the "Texas Monikered Screen Name" Gang.

I am the Original, thankyouverymuch!!! And this is why I changed my name!!

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by Stone Cold

I am the Original, thankyouverymuch!!! And this is why I changed my name!!

Good call!

[Steelman43]

You know I'm in the same boat as you in a way. I had a cushy job selling IT equipment to the defense industry that came to an end a year after 9/11. Since then I've earned only my PPL because it seems like one thing after another has gotten in the way and five years later I'm still a dreamer and not a doer. Part of the problem was I was not honest with either myself or my wife and needed to make some personal changes that now that I have earned me the full support of my wife and every time my father, 35 years with United, basically tells me I'm nuts she is right back in his face about letting me live my own life. Also, I did fall in love with computer science during the past three years and am earning my MS in Computer Science and E-Commerce from DePaul University all online which is really nice.
Here's what I've learned. I've seen publications that state two years after I get my advanced degree, four years from now, I could pull down as much as 125,000 between regular and freelance jobs in DB admin and security. But if you go to websites like this one people are saying almost the exact same thing. Outsourcing is a worry. I need to enhance my skills so I don't get laid off when I'm 50 and not find another job because there are younger people willing to work for less. I would never have my kids go into IT. The point is that life can be hard for everyone at times and you better find a way to hit the floor smiling in the morning or you will end up hating the world and it will hate you back. This bug you have will never go away. Also, my dad used to take me with him to work back in the 70's when security was not nearly as tight as it is now and I would sit there all day and watch him work. Once I even did a walk around with an FO. My second point is that I have not found a product yet that will erase the memory of what the jet fuel smells like when you are at the gate and the sick thing is I would live in card board box the rest of my life if it meant that I could get up and go to work at the airport everyday.

[texas_pilot]

Sorry if I sounded conscending with the shaving comment- good thing I have this great career, my humor wouldn't support me as a comedian.

I let people put me off 3 times and didn't start til I was a 48 year old.

I became Texas_Pilot long before I found this forum. However, after reading this thread, (my own comments included) I probably would have pursued flying with different options.
Can you get a plane for $55 an hour wet? If you want, my CFI buddy is up here in Waco and will use his 150 to get you through.
I'll help any way possible.

[ComplexHiAv8r]

Originally Posted by texas_pilot

Sorry if I sounded conscending with the shaving comment- good thing I have this great career, my humor wouldn't support me as a comedian.

I let people put me off 3 times and didn't start til I was a 48 year old.

I became Texas_Pilot long before I found this forum. However, after reading this thread, (my own comments included) I probably would have pursued flying with different options.
Can you get a plane for $55 an hour wet? If you want, my CFI buddy is up here in Waco and will use his 150 to get you through.
I'll help any way possible.

So what stage of it are you now??? If I can ask age and progression. Thanks!

[texas_pilot]

CPL, 1340TT, 174 MEL, IFR Part 135
Assoc degree under part 141 @ 53 years old
Figured if I had no family & house was paid for and all the good circus jobs were already taken- I wouldn't have a better chance at flying. Prior to 2002, I was grossing 80- 90 K as X-Ctry truck owner operator.

[ComplexHiAv8r]

Originally Posted by texas_pilot

CPL, 1340TT, 174 MEL, IFR Part 135
Assoc degree under part 141 @ 53 years old
Figured if I had no family & house was paid for and all the good circus jobs were already taken- I wouldn't have a better chance at flying. Prior to 2002, I was grossing 80- 90 K as X-Ctry truck owner operator.

Thanks, I'm now 41 (42 shortly) working on career change!

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by ComplexHiAv8r

Thanks, I'm now 41 (42 shortly) working on career change!

Dude, here's the challenge. We both need hours, and from what it sounded like through your PM, we need them in the same timeframe.

The goal is: 250 hours.

The deadline is: 1 July.

We both fly part-time only, and, though I am a CFII, you own an airplane, so all is fair.

Let the games begin.

(BTW, I had planned on 10 hours a week, but this weekend's batch of low ceilings and icing squashed all that! I'm already behind the power curve!)

[ComplexHiAv8r]

Originally Posted by ChinookDriver

Dude, here's the challenge. We both need hours, and from what it sounded like through your PM, we need them in the same timeframe.

The goal is: 250 hours.

The deadline is: 1 July.

We both fly part-time only, and, though I am a CFII, you own an airplane, so all is fair.

Let the games begin.

(BTW, I had planned on 10 hours a week, but this weekend's batch of low ceilings and icing squashed all that! I'm already behind the power curve!)

LOL, is your job 60-70hr week job too?? Actually I am out of town on business, but can't fly either as ceilings are 400-600 again here in PA.

I want to get 15 hours on the plane before the end of the month because it then goes in for annual....

GAME ON!

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by ComplexHiAv8r

LOL, is your job 60-70hr week job too?? Actually I am out of town on business, but can't fly either as ceilings are 400-600 again here in PA.

I want to get 15 hours on the plane before the end of the month because it then goes in for annual....

GAME ON!

Let's see... 0630 to 1700 = 52 hours per week, plus occasional half days on Saturdays - so lets call it 55 hours per week. Close!

Unfortunately, I'm limited by students AND weather.

And PA ain't too far from here. If you're up this way and want to fly/hang out.... just let me know.

[ComplexHiAv8r]

Originally Posted by ChinookDriver

Let's see... 0630 to 1700 = 52 hours per week, plus occasional half days on Saturdays - so lets call it 55 hours per week. Close!

Unfortunately, I'm limited by students AND weather.

And PA ain't too far from here. If you're up this way and want to fly/hang out.... just let me know.

I'll put you on my places to fly! I owe a trip to IN first though.