how old?

[757200ba]

Hello.
My question is probably the question of many people.
Im 39, im finishing my CFII here in the US.I have 270 hours plus my portuguese glider hours that put me like 600 hours.After the cfi i will take my multi.
Question is for you guys that are in the round of airliners, am i still at time?
|They also told me that just because i can speak 4 languages its also a good thing (Portuguese, English, Spanish and a bit of French).
I know that the market is down a bit, but i also know that there are lots of pilots that are in theire retirement age.
What are your thoughts, most people tell me this is like the russian roulet, you can be lucky and get in or YOU DONT.
Many Thanks.

[RitterKreuz]

i seem to recall a 50 year old new hire who was hired about a year after me.

kind of odd seeing him in the crew room, the only First Officer a day over 30

[expat]

The company I work for, we have quite a few, lets say "senior" co-pilots. However, I would think that it is down to the individual airline. Saying that, age and maturity are often looked for.

Matt

[beaky]

Bear in mind that being near 40 already, with a pretty long way to go before you have enough flight time to be considered for an airline job, and a mandatory retirement age of 60, you won't have a lot of time to make the most of an airline career (rising through the ranks to the more desirable pay/equipment/routes).

A better option for a "late bloomer" might be the bizjet world (charters, fractional-ownership, corporate flight departments)... if I remember right, the chances of employment in that area are better for "newbies" over 40, and there is no mandatory retirement age, as far as I know. Maybe your dream is to fly jumbos, but hey, a Gulfstream is nothing to sneeze at, either!

And being multilingual, you could have an advantage there. Bizjet crews often have to deal themselves with maintenance, regulatory agencies, etc. when overseas, and they can wind up almost anywhere from day to day.

Also, that world of bizjet flying is often less brutal, starting out, than the airline world... although you probably still won't get top pay right away, nor will you get routes and schedules that are most convenient for you, you might find that to be a more agreeable path. I've heard that starting pay is often better, and there may be more job security there, as well- the bizjet world seems to be a little more stable than the airlines.

[expat]

Bear in mind that being near 40 already, with a pretty long way to go before you have enough flight time to be considered for an airline job, and a mandatory retirement age of 60, you won't have a lot of time to make the most of an airline career (rising through the ranks to the more desirable pay/equipment/routes).

Mandatory retirement at 60, you have been short changed in the US. Here in Europe (certainly Germany where I am) it is 65. So why 60?

Matt

[beaky]

Bear in mind that being near 40 already, with a pretty long way to go before you have enough flight time to be considered for an airline job, and a mandatory retirement age of 60, you won't have a lot of time to make the most of an airline career (rising through the ranks to the more desirable pay/equipment/routes).

Mandatory retirement at 60, you have been short changed in the US. Here in Europe (certainly Germany where I am) it is 65. So why 60?

Matt

Didn't realize it was not a global thing... who knows why 65? It seems unfair, but no to a young F.O. still stuck with a regional airline.