Change of career

ahmad

ahmad

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Midwest Aviator
I would like to hear stories of career change INTO aviation. Tell me your own or someone you know of who changed careers into aviation and at what age. I am be having some mid life crisis issues. Is 48 (just a ppl with 200 hrs)too late to consider some type of career in aviation?
 
Kind of the same situation here: About to turn 37, wife, two toddlers and just moved into a Manager position. But I'm always watching to the skies and I keep crunching numbers and thinking if I should go and get my commercial license (and beyond.) Commenting so it moves up in the posts section.
 
There's no reason that a 48yr-old wouldn't have a decent professional flying career. However, you'll obviously need to get the IR/COM added to your ticket and then pile up the meaningful hours to be employable at the bigger operators. The difficult part is usually that most people by that age have a level of wages that make it difficult to drop back down to $40-50K/yr for a while until they get the requisite number of flying hours/experience to get them an interview with bigger operators.
 
Go for it. It’s a great time for aviation for now. Get in on the front of the wave
 
Retired out of tech at 39. Thought I'd try my hand as a cargo 135 ca. Hated it. Doing the thing I enjoy for work, for someone else, really soured it. I think it was more the "for someone else", as I have done other "jobby" things in aviation and enjoyed them. Although the 4am show time was definitely contributory :) I do cherish my beauty sleep.

I hope you have a better run of it. It seems like a nice time to try your hand right now.
 
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I get a lot of people asking me the same thing. This is my standard answer. You can still have an aviation career at 48, but you have to be committed full time to getting all your necessary credentials. If you are trying to keep your full time job while working on your ratings and hours, then this might not be a good idea. Do you have enough savings to afford flight training and hours while unemployed for at least 2 years? Age 65 rule for airlines, but other options are available after 65. There may be a setback in aviation that will result in temporary hiring freezes or layoffs. Younger pilots can ride that out, but this may be devastating for older pilots that are just starting their careers.
 
Right now flight instructors and flight schools have limitless opportunities. Not super paying, but dead reliable and reasonable paying management slots.

Only need a CFI to get started, which is minutes after a commercial…. After that you can start collecting credentials.

Can hardly think of a small airport around a person who was motivated couldn’t make this work. Ain’t easy, but it’ll work. Having some life experience is gonna be a huge plus.

If it turns out to be fulfilling, the sky is the limit…. GOOD instructors are RARE. They command a premium and stay booked.
 
I had a job doing island hoping. One of the other pilots was a retired school teacher. She never even had a flight lesson until after she retired. She was an awesome lady and pilot. She was 77 at the time I moved on to another job.
 
lsaway said:
I had a job doing island hoping. One of the other pilots was a retired school teacher. She never even had a flight lesson until after she retired. She was an awesome lady and pilot. She was 77 at the time I moved on to another job.
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Amazing! Where was this?
 
It’s a journey worth pursuing. I was 36 years old (August 2018) and had been working in an office non-aviation since college. I worked on PPL/IR in my free time, then decided to go all-in and quit my job. Commercial then CFI(I) ratings. Was out of work about 3-4 months, then became a CFI. I had about 333 hrs and had spent $45amu on part-61 training/rentals.

One year as a CFI making about $38k. I had 1500 hrs, and hiring was still not happening on the tail end of C-19. Earned my multi engine commercial, then left a voicemail with an outfit about an hours drive from my house. They called me back and hired me even though my multi ink was still wet. Worked a year as an FO for $37k. Got about 400 hrs of SIC jet time, then boss man rolled the dice on me by sending me to ATP/CTP, CE-500 type, and ATP checkride.

For the past year I’ve been a 135 Captain making $100k. Recurrent training is next month. I have about 2600 total time, 900 jet, 500 jet pic. Once I hit 3000 total time, I become more valuable as an ARGUS captain.

I really like the variety of part 135 flying. We go to big airports, tiny podunk airports, and everything in between. Coast to coast. Telluride, Aspen, Eagle, Santa Fe, Durango, Pagosa Springs, and with free time to go hiking occasionally. Customers are great. Return customers are my favorite. It feels like I’m flying family/friends. The boss says when and where, but I get to do everything else. Fuel planning, route, W/B, weather checks, etc.

Time has flown by. Enjoy the training. Enjoy the difficulty, and the successes. One day at a time, and you’ll be there before you know it.

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schmookeeg said:
Retired out of tech at 39.
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I'd like to take some career advice from you! I spend way too much money to retire ;)

schmookeeg said:
Thought I'd try my hand as a cargo 135 ca. Hated it. Doing the thing I enjoy for work, for someone else, really soured it.
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This is the big risk I'm worried about. Though technically I do IT for someone else and while I like the work, the job definitely has something left to be desired. Honestly, if I could do 2/3 of my job, 2/3 of the time, for 2/3 the pay, I might not leave.

In the end, part of my journey is that I have always "worked to live" and if I went pro-pilot, I would definitely be "live to work".


texasclouds said:
It’s a journey worth pursuing. I was 36 years old (August 2018) and had been working in an office non-aviation since college. I worked on PPL/IR in my free time, then decided to go all-in and quit my job. Commercial then CFI(I) ratings. Was out of work about 3-4 months, then became a CFI. I had about 333 hrs and had spent $45amu on part-61 training/rentals.

One year as a CFI making about $38k. I had 1500 hrs, and hiring was still not happening on the tail end of C-19. Earned my multi engine commercial, then left a voicemail with an outfit about an hours drive from my house. They called me back and hired me even though my multi ink was still wet. Worked a year as an FO for $37k. Got about 400 hrs of SIC jet time, then boss man rolled the dice on me by sending me to ATP/CTP, CE-500 type, and ATP checkride.

For the past year I’ve been a 135 Captain making $100k. Recurrent training is next month. I have about 2600 total time, 900 jet, 500 jet pic. Once I hit 3000 total time, I become more valuable as an ARGUS captain.

I really like the variety of part 135 flying. We go to big airports, tiny podunk airports, and everything in between. Coast to coast. Telluride, Aspen, Eagle, Santa Fe, Durango, Pagosa Springs, and with free time to go hiking occasionally. Customers are great. Return customers are my favorite. It feels like I’m flying family/friends. The boss says when and where, but I get to do everything else. Fuel planning, route, W/B, weather checks, etc.

Time has flown by. Enjoy the training. Enjoy the difficulty, and the successes. One day at a time, and you’ll be there before you know it.

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Incredible journey! This seems like one to model!
 
Zeldman said:
Dang...How times have changed. I spent 18 months (Aug96-Feb98) as an instructor and made around 22k... while living in my 5th wheel on the airport property...
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I was working 6 days a week, charging $40/hr, and the company kept $10/hr. Owner was trying to help out the CFIs, and keep costs down for students. Most places aren’t that generous.

It really enjoyed the students, but it was time to move on.
 
So what's the max age to get hired for 121? Obviously no airline is going to hire you at 64 years old, but where's the line?
 
56, multiple opportunities, no problem…

My gut is 60…. maybe a little later.
 
It's always been about the financial pivot for me. There are time and places where those pivots aren't economically feasible. A bunch of people with no family encumbrance, or extended family straight up covering their hide on the home front, is not really going to yield universally practicable advice. To wit, back when I was mulling over an early 121 transition in lieu of "straight-thru" active military retirement (opted for the latter), many of my peers, good intentioned as they were, would blatantly dismiss out of hand my wife's desire not to stay at home (for context, we don't have support structure worth a damn, TX isn't home for either of us, though we're raising a child here). At any rate, their remarks were backed in major part, by the notion that the lifetime FAE of my airline career would in fact be higher than the combination of my current servitude with uncle sammy and whatever nursing pursuit she'd end up in (she was a mere adult nursing student at the time).

They weren't arithmetically wrong (though they presume too much about the income continuity of an airline career), but my lord had I taken that advice at face value I would have incurred the mother of all Pyrrhic victories in life. I'm sure they didn't mean anything personal against my wife, even though the tacit contempt for the lesser-earning spouse in such an utterance is unreal. Point being, that -ish might work in their household's social contract, but in mine that would have been fighting words. So consider the source when you get advice. People are terrible at providing context wider than the aperture of their own periscope.

Since you didn't provide the context of what your head of household situation is, I'm not gonna suggest anything either way. If it's too personal to discuss, well, you're asking in a public internet message board. It really depends, and it's not a given that the financial pivot can be done in the interest and welfare of the people you love and/or are entrusted with their care. That to me would be the more salient conversation on this topic, rather than the banal and easily online-researched answer to the question can an ATP be attained in time to get a flying jerb. Even the question of ROI horizon is dependent on your circumstances (medical ability, or even desire to work xyz schedules flying airplanes in your 50s or 60s). Too many variables to give an answer to.

Good luck on the midlife crisis, hope it doesn't lead to divorce like it currently seems to be afflicting a lot of my peer group at work (early 40s, and surprisingly enough, it's the [often non-working] females that are having the crises and breaking up the homes in my circles). It's a flaky world out there, don't lose the most for the least.
 
Zeldman said:
Dang...How times have changed. I spent 18 months (Aug96-Feb98) as an instructor and made around 22k... while living in my 5th wheel on the airport property...
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Yup, times really have changed, but what you made in 1996 is pretty comparable adjusted for inflation. $22k in 1996 is worth $42k today. I think you made out well for that time period. When I was training at that time, instructors were begging to give me free lessons in my plane so they can build hours. I bought my first plane back then for $5k. A PA38-112 with 1800 hrs. TT.
 
I did some part time flying part 135 at an older age. It was fun but you won’t get rich.
 
lsaway said:
$22k in 1996
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That was for the entire 18 months..:lol::lol:

But yes, I lived rent free and the only bills I had was food for me and gas for my truck. My truck held 70 gallons of gas and I usually filled up once a month. Plus living on the airport, when everyone went home it was quiet.
 
Zeldman said:
That was for the entire 18 months..:lol::lol:

But yes, I lived rent free and the only bills I had was food for me and gas for my truck. My truck held 70 gallons of gas and I usually filled up once a month. Plus living on the airport, when everyone went home it was quiet.
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Pilots had to be really dedicated back then. After all that struggling, it was still difficult to land a good job. Todays prospective career pilots have it so much easier.
 
lsaway said:
Pilots had to be really dedicated back then. After all that struggling, it was still difficult to land a good job. Todays prospective career pilots have it so much easier.
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For now. It all goes away in an instant (2008 collapse, C-19, etc.) where the demand falls off sharply. Those prospective pilots right now might barely get their foot in the door right before the door gets slammed in their face. Game of chances.
 
SoonerAviator said:
For now. It all goes away in an instant (2008 collapse, C-19, etc.) where the demand falls off sharply. Those prospective pilots right now might barely get their foot in the door right before the door gets slammed in their face. Game of chances.
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I remember the "Will Fly For Food" signs
 
Define what you mean by "into aviation". There are lots of aviation related jobs that don't require you to be a pilot. You can open an FBO or flight school, become a mechanic, work as ground support for banner or crop dusting operations, go work for one of the major kit manufacturers, etc.
 
My last BFR was from a retired navy guy that started flight training at age 54 after retiring from the service. He said he was aiming to fly in the airlines until they kick him out. I turn 37 in a couple weeks, and have a date with the DPE for the commercial checkride. Followed by commercial multi add on. I'm an engineer and in a comfortable job but I'm not going to be happy staying in a cubicle for the rest of my life. Made the decision to switch careers a couple years ago and have been reducing debt, saving, but also having kids. My youngest son is 6 weeks old today. Hard to consistently make time to advance in aviation with a day job and other adult duties. However, my wife just got a huge raise, enough that we could survive fine with my greatly reduced income. I can work some side hustles to bridge the gap to my next thing. I live within an hour of a dozen flight schools so the plan is to quit my job and sprint to CFI. Even have a few students lined up that say they would train with me. Obviously that's just talk but I can't wait until I'm able to call their bluff!
Ahmad, I say go for it!
 
kmacht said:
Define what you mean by "into aviation". There are lots of aviation related jobs that don't require you to be a pilot. You can open an FBO or flight school, become a mechanic, work as ground support for banner or crop dusting operations, go work for one of the major kit manufacturers, etc.
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That's a good point and good ideas. I have been thinking about starting a quick build facility (if rules change to be more favorable for that) or working for one of the kit manufacturers.
 
farangutan said:
My last BFR was from a retired navy guy that started flight training at age 54 after retiring from the service. He said he was aiming to fly in the airlines until they kick him out. I turn 37 in a couple weeks, and have a date with the DPE for the commercial checkride. Followed by commercial multi add on. I'm an engineer and in a comfortable job but I'm not going to be happy staying in a cubicle for the rest of my life. Made the decision to switch careers a couple years ago and have been reducing debt, saving, but also having kids. My youngest son is 6 weeks old today. Hard to consistently make time to advance in aviation with a day job and other adult duties. However, my wife just got a huge raise, enough that we could survive fine with my greatly reduced income. I can work some side hustles to bridge the gap to my next thing. I live within an hour of a dozen flight schools so the plan is to quit my job and sprint to CFI. Even have a few students lined up that say they would train with me. Obviously that's just talk but I can't wait until I'm able to call their bluff!
Ahmad, I say go for it!
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Predictable family life is what drove me away from a professional flying career to begin with. It's tough to coach baseball/softball/soccer practices or go to school events/help with homework when I'm overnighting in a different city. I have several friends who do it, and have spouses that (obviously) agreed to that lifestyle. It's not something I was willing to give up for a flying career. Once my kids are in upper high school or college I'd be happy to dive into it. Unfortunately I'll be about 55 by that point, lol. I'd also have to take a pretty big income hit until I was a Captain with the majors for a number of years (which I wouldn't want to fly 121 ops anyway).
 
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Had my PPL since 28. Got my Instrument. Didn’t get my commercial until 33. I did nothing with it until 2021 when I decided to get my CFI. I was 36.

Got my ME commercial, started CFIing with 390 hours. Got my CFII later. 10 months later, I have 1100 hours, 90 multi, and 45 turbine. Had I gone full time, I’d probably have 1500 by now, but I’ve got a wife and kids and had to keep some other income rolling. I’m employable now, but with a family, I want to take the right opportunity.

A fair warning. If you don’t beat the ground for opportunities, you’ll languish. Talk to everyone. Be pushy, but in a nice way. Be personable and presentable. Be someone people want to fly with.

Even at 48, if you get to 1000 total time and 25+ multi, you’ll easily get a job in 135 to get started. It’s that first 300 or so after the CFI that is the hardest. You are getting time, but learning to be a good instructor is a process. After that, they really start stacking.
 
bflynn said:
So what's the max age to get hired for 121? Obviously no airline is going to hire you at 64 years old, but where's the line?
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Lol my company has hired plenty of 64 year old pilots. 121 part. Check them out, fly them for a bit, make them instructors.

To the op. Go get a job flying airplanes, you'll never regret giving it a shot.
 
My only advice is to get on the stick right now if you want to make a change. I don't know if you SHOULD do something, but 48 turns into 68 a lot faster than 28 to 48.
 
I just started my retirement job, at just under 1000 hours, the insurance companies won't cover me in anything. I am told that I need minimum 250 hours in a PC12 before I'll be allowed to be PIC in that same PC12. I've been to Flight Safety for Caravan initial, insurance company says I'll need 225 to 250 hours before I can fly it single pilot. I'm told to get hours, but at the rate I'm scheduled to fly it will take a few years to get the hours required by the insurance company. I flew more hours before it was my job. But, the insurance company wants turbine PIC, how do you get turbine PIC if they need you to have over 200 hours before they will cover you as PIC in a turbine?
I'm going to go fly ag, I've always wanted to give that a try. That ought to bump up my hours pretty quick!
I'm 52, with the insurance requirements, I don't think I'll ever captain a jet.
 
What do you eventually want to do? Fly corporate charter, or fly for something like Delta?

As we age, the ability to learn new things does slow down. Each of us is different of course. Only you can determine what your ability is and how far it can take you. So be flexible, and have back up plans.
 
kmacht said:
Define what you mean by "into aviation". There are lots of aviation related jobs that don't require you to be a pilot. You can open an FBO or flight school, become a mechanic, work as ground support for banner or crop dusting operations, go work for one of the major kit manufacturers, etc.
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This and more. I have a slide in my Young Eagle presentation - careers in aviation. All above AND
run an airport,
operations manager
ATC
flight attendant
avionics tech
cargo pilot (pax don’t complain)
get your AGI & IGI and teach ground at a local school or college
work for FAA
go back to school, get degree in aerospace engineering, design airplanes
 
ahmad said:
I would like to hear stories of career change INTO aviation. Tell me your own or someone you know of who changed careers into aviation and at what age. I am be having some mid life crisis issues. Is 48 (just a ppl with 200 hrs)too late to consider some type of career in aviation?
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I'm a late life career changer. Left a decent paying union construction job and got into flying in the '08-'09 recession. It created a bit of financial hardship for a while as entry level flying didn't pay much then. CFI and some ferry work at first to build time, but eventually got on in Alaska flying 207s, 208s and now PC12s, both Alaska and L48. It's been nothing if not a fun ride. I had always wanted to fly for a living and had the commercial ticket and CFI while still working construction. But construction was really slow during the recession and recovery. One day while sitting at home, I saw an ad online for VFR pilots in Juneau, Alaska. Not really knowing what I might be getting into, I answered it with a quickly cobbled together resume, was offered a job and down the rabbit hole I went. It didn't pay much, but I was able to do it since my son was grown and the wife had long ago hit the road. So now for last 12 years, it's been AK in the summer for one employer and L48 in the winter for another with some PC12 contract work and CFIing thrown in here and there. Started the journey at about 1500 hours and am now pushing 10,000.

To your original question, it will take some doing since you're only at 200 hours, but it can be done if you work at it and are willing to make the appropriate financial sacrifices along the way. 48 is not too old to make the change, but don't wait. As another poster said, 48 will be 68 very quickly.
 
schmookeeg said:
Retired out of tech at 39. Thought I'd try my hand as a cargo 135 ca. Hated it. Doing the thing I enjoy for work, for someone else, really soured it. I think it was more the "for someone else", as I have done other "jobby" things in aviation and enjoyed them. Although the 4am show time was definitely contributory :) I do cherish my beauty sleep.

I hope you have a better run of it. It seems like a nice time to try your hand right now.
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That was my issue. Sitting in one seat for hours on end, was excruciatingly boring for me. And then my free time I didn’t want to go near a plane. Doing for work seriously killed my love of flying. So now I fly on the side, part time CFI for fun, and do something else for full time work.
 
I spent more than 35 years in broadcasting - local radio and television jobs. But in my 50s, I got my CFI rating as a plan for a retirement job. I was a part time CFI for many years, doing Flight Reviews and taking on a few primary students. But 13 years ago, I retired from my last TV job and went to work full time at the local airport. It has been the perfect retirement job for me. I am part time now, but still flying about 250 hours a year. There is a lot of repetition, but also a lot of gratification. I had one student take six weeks to get certified, and another took six years. I have former students flying an F/A-18, a regional airline jet, and a medevac helicopter.
 
Amazing stories here so far. Thank you all for sharing. I love reading the successful transition stories. I have a lot to think about and I have done some thinking. I am not even sure I can or how long it might take to get a 1st class medical. I just got a 3rd class SI which took several years and lots of work. The other issue I struggle with is the fact that I am well established(since 2009) in current career with a good 6 figure income. I was in debt up to my eyeballs (student loans and business acquisition) untila year ago. I spent the last 5 years living under a rock below my means to pay off everything but the house mortgage (50k remains). I have saved some (started saving a year ago)but not enough to allow me to be without an income for a few years. Jumping ship into aviation means I'd try to go accelerated mode to get to earning some $$ which would still take some years. Last but not least, I have a 13 year old son and elderly parents that I need to provide for.

Tough decision to make for sure. Working as a pilot would be a dream come true but I have a tall mountain to climb. I wish I hadn't taken the advise of many pilots I talked to in the 90s who told me aviation was not a good career choice. Back then many were laid-off and so I went my plan B and now regret it.
 
If it’s the passion go for it! I’m a VFR hobby pilot and high school teacher with retirement in around 10 years. I’ll stick with the teaching path and enjoy flying as a hobby. Sure, I’m pursuing my instrument and maybe after that commercial and CFI, but not in a hurry and just enjoying life as it is.
 
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