CFI QUESTION

[petemoss]

What would be a good CFI job for a new 49 year old CFI?

[tonyw]

You're going to have to give more details, my friend! Single or married? If you're married, does your spouse make enough money to support the family with you making very little money? Is money a big issue, little issue, in between? How much savings do you have and how much are you willing to burn? What's your ultimate goal?

I know that might seem a little nosy, but the answers to those questions will affect the advice you'll get.

[petemoss]

I know I am starting out late with this whole thing.But i would love to fly as a pro. pilot not sure what that would be. (advice please). i do own my own business,my wife works, 2 children and all the bills to go with all this.How far can i go in this field? Would someone even hire as a CFI? Thanks. Would not be able to move for a while......

[avi8tor]

What are your goals in aviation? At the flight school that I work at we have a CFI there who is in his upper 60's. I wouldn't drop and sell off the business and all to run off to flight school. Your best bet would be to continue working and work on your ratings one by one at a local flight school eventually earn your CFI and maybe instruct part-time while working full-time. From there you could fly freight or corporate part-time.

[petemoss]

Would I still have a chance to fly part-time corp. or something? I can not leave the business for $$ reasons. But still want to fly professionally......very confused about my age issue, I hear all kinds of things, give up , just do it for a hobby. Health is great,first class no problem.. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif[/img]

[tonyw]

How much time does your business take up? Is it something that you can step away from for several days at a time and then come back?

For now, I would suggest going to a local FBO and working part time as an instructor.

[Cosmo1999]

[ QUOTE ]
I know I am starting out late with this whole thing.But i would love to fly as a pro. pilot not sure what that would be. (advice please). i do own my own business,my wife works, 2 children and all the bills to go with all this.How far can i go in this field? Would someone even hire as a CFI? Thanks. Would not be able to move for a while......

[/ QUOTE ]
If you are not able to relocate frequently then this is a tough buisness. Its hard enough finding jobs however sometimes you have to goto places clear out in the middle of no where . I was lucky enough to have a CFI job in my hometown but to work for mesa I had to move down to phoenix then got displaced to nashville. I am currently nearing my 2nd month of exile and will be going back to phoenix shortly. Luckily I am able to commute out here but it sure is a pain. Bottom line is that if you arent able to move to find a job then it could make it nearly impossible. That being said if you are persistant you will find work at least as a CFI in your home area. Perhaps you can do it for fun while you are waiting tosee if you want to fly full time. There is no such thing as too late in this buisness. The only time its truly too late is when you turn 60 years old at an airline and you can instruct as long as you want. If you do want to work at a regional though then you will almost certainly have to move. Commuting is an option but depending on where you commute to it can make life difficult. good luck! You can go as far as you want. theres always jobs out there just get to know the right people

[DE727UPS]

You could buy your own plane and do free-lance instruction. Also, if you can make the right contacts, doing local corporate flying is a possibility. Your age shouldn't be a major issue since you're not looking for a career at the regionals or majors. Being tied down to one area does limit your opportunities but that's no reason to give up.