About to start flight training late in life.

[phelps4824]

I'm about to be 50 and will be starting training next week. Been a dream of mine for my whole life, but life has always been in the way. I guess it's kind of a midlife crisis. I work 5 days a week, so the training will take some time; I understand that. I am currently doing the ground school online and will start the actual flying lessons next week. Just wondering if anyone has any advice for me on things that I can do to help improve my success. Anyway, thanks for allowing me to be a part of this page, and I look forward to communicating with you in the future.

 

[strikes2k]

Hey, you're in luck. I'm a 59 year old who earned his PPL about 4 months ago. My advice is to get ahead of your ground school. What I mean by that is learn in advance in ground what you're going to practice on your next flight. I did them both kind of piecemeal and as a result it took longer than it probably would have had I been better prepared via ground school. Talk to you instructor about each lesson in advance so you know what you need to be prepared for so your instructor will spend less time explaining things to you instead of you practicing it. If he has to spend 10 minutes demonstrating and explaining slow flight to you that's 10 minutes of your lesson wasted. And you'll do several maneuvers in a flight so if he's spending time explaining each one it wastes a bunch of time. Try to fly a couple times a week and, I don't know where you fly out of, but due to various reasons where I fly out of you can expect a decent number of flights to get canceled so plan accordingly. Maybe schedule some extra ones on the assumption that some will get canceled. If you have significant time gaps between flights you may end up taking a step back and again waste some time getting back up to where you were previously.

 

[GeorgeC]

50 is late in life?


Make sure your medical is in order BEFORE you walk into an AME's office. Or better yet, go MOSAIC.

Oh, and welcome to PoA!

 

[TCABM]

The best thing you can do right now is determine if you can meet your flying goals using a driver’s license instead of an FAA medical or BasicMed.

If you absolutely have to have a medical, you need to sit down and read to understand the MedXpress User Guide. When it comes to question 18, they ask “Have you ever in your life…”. The really do mean going back to birth.

 

[phelps4824]

Thanks for the advice; just to let you know I got my medical already. I did my research, and I wouldn't even attempt to start without that. Oh, and yes, I guess I just assumed that 50 was late in life LOL.

 

[rk911]

I'm about to be 50 and will be starting training next week. Been a dream of mine for my whole life, but life has always been in the way. I guess it's kind of a midlife crisis. I work 5 days a week, so the training will take some time; I understand that. I am currently doing the ground school online and will start the actual flying lessons next week. Just wondering if anyone has any advice for me on things that I can do to help improve my success. Anyway, thanks for allowing me to be a part of this page, and I look forward to communicating with you in the future.

My story is similiar. I began training for the Sport Pilot cert in my early 60's. Two suggestions:

1-Find a CFI that has experience with older students. My first CFI had none (didn't know it at the time) and was very impatient. That lasted two lessons. It was obvious he had no interest in actually teaching me. His replacememt was the polar opposite. Although 30-years younger than me he was partient and intent on actually teaching me and not just building hours. We're friends to this day. IOW, don't be shy about interviewing potential CFIs or asking for a new one.

2-Fly as often as you can...at least twice a week, more if you can manage the time. The less time between flights is to your advantage.

Good luck!

 

[sarangan]

My story is similiar. I began training for the Sport Pilot cert in my early 60's. Two suggestions:

1-Find a CFI that has experience with older students. My first CFI had none (didn't know it at the time) and was very impatient. That lasted two lessons. It was obvious he had no interest in actually teaching me. His replacememt was the polar opposite. Although 30-years younger than me he was partient and intent on actually teaching me and not just building hours. We're friends to this day. IOW, don't be shy about interviewing potential CFIs or asking for a new one.

2-Fly as often as you can...at least twice a week, more if you can manage the time. The less time between flights is to your advantage.

Good luck!

I would argue that some time gap between flights is actually a good thing. If one could do the entire private pilot training in one week, would you? I would say not. What you learn fast you also lose fast. Your goal is long term retention. A slower pace where you lose some of what you learned and then relearn what you lost strengthens the memory traces. It's like running 1 mile every day vs running 350 miles once a year. Your brain is just another muscle.

 

[M20K]

Make sure your medical is in order BEFORE you walk into an AME's office. Or better yet, go MOSAIC.

Curious... How do you get your "medical in order" before seeing the AME that is the one that gives you the medical.

As for MOSAIC, not a bad option for some, but you really need to consider the limitations.

 

[GeorgeC]

Curious... How do you get your "medical in order" before seeing the AME that is the one that gives you the medical.

I could have worded that better. I meant to not just show up unprepared and wing it. Sounds like the OP did his homework.

 

[FrequentPilot]

I would encourage you to avoid indulging in midlife crises. It never ends well. At best it destroys your finances, at worst it destroys the other 50% of your life.

If it's always been your dream, go for it, but don't do it just on a midlife crisis whim.

 

[Gilbert Buettner]

I have trained many students. One of the best ones always came with a list of questions to ask me based on his studying. That made the process faster and easier. He only had one wrong answer on his knowledge exam and was convinced that his answer to that question was the correct one.

Your age is not an issue. I have a 62-year-old student right now. I am 80, in good health. And I fly as an instructor every week.

 

[robin ardoin]

I started at 57. Since you have a medical, that is not a concern. Fly as often as you can while simultaneously reading the AFM and Pilot’s handbook of aeronautical knowledge (PHAK) and completing an online ground school. Also, I know this has not been mentioned but, fly as often as you can.

 

[Albany Tom]

... Also, I know this has not been mentioned but, fly as often as you can.

This.

I started in my late 40's. The fastest progress I made was scheduling 5 days of flying, about 2 hours a day. The more time between lessons, the slower the progress. And if you try to cram more in one day at least my experience is that you get a bit of overload. If possible, try not to go two weeks w/o flying.

Other advice if you're a bit of a geek, as I am and I think a lot of pilots, do your best to learn the feel for it all first. Spend some time flying slow flight to the edge, stalls, and get comfortable with slips and simulated power off landings.

Final thought, do it now rather than put it off longer, and best of luck!

 

[M20K]

I meant to not just show up unprepared and wing it.

Sorry, I'm still not sure what you mean. A medical is not something you study for or bring in homework.

Sure, if you're going for your 1st Class there are all sorts of things that are recommended. Not too much sugar the day before, hydrate, get plenty of rest, etc. All basic things not to throw off the results of the tests you need to do for the 1st Class. But since you mentioned MOSAIC, then the odds are if you went for the PPC, then it would be a 3rd Class. You really have to be in pretty bad shape to fail a 3rd Class.

 

[KirillMetrik]

Welcome, and honestly I don’t think 50 is too late at all. If anything, starting later probably means you’ll take it seriously and be more disciplined about preparation.

The advice about flying consistently seems really important. If work only allows limited time, I’d try to schedule more lessons than you think you need, because weather, maintenance, and life will cancel some of them anyway. Even if you can’t fly three times a week, avoiding long gaps should help a lot.

One thing I’d add is to treat each lesson almost like a small project. Before the flight, ask the instructor what you’ll be working on next, then read/watch/study that specific thing beforehand. After the flight, write down what went well, what was confusing, and what you want to ask next time. That way you’re not just “showing up and flying,” you’re building on each lesson.

Also, don’t be afraid to evaluate the instructor fit. A good CFI who is patient, structured, and actually interested in teaching can make a huge difference, especially when you’re balancing training with work and normal adult life.

Good luck with it. Starting next week is exciting and probably much better than waiting another year and still wondering whether you should do it.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Go for it. Never to old to enjoy life. I had a friend who began training when he was 65. Earned his certificate, owned several airplanes. Flew regularly. Good pilot. He passed away when he was 92, but was still flying his Comanche at 90.

 

[Initial Fix]

Congrats on starting lessons! When did 50 get old??

Fly as often as you can at least until you solo. At least 2-3 times a week. Talk with your CFI to align your schedules. Don’t wait to schedule until after your lesson, do it now for the next 3 or more weeks. You can always cancel for weather.

 

[bflynn]

I'm about to be 50 and will be starting training next week. Been a dream of mine for my whole life, but life has always been in the way. I guess it's kind of a midlife crisis. I work 5 days a week, so the training will take some time; I understand that. I am currently doing the ground school online and will start the actual flying lessons next week. Just wondering if anyone has any advice for me on things that I can do to help improve my success. Anyway, thanks for allowing me to be a part of this page, and I look forward to communicating with you in the future.

Never give up. Flying is a skill almost everyone can learn.

When it gets frustrating, sit back and remember…you’re flying.

 

[crash7]

Sorry, I'm still not sure what you mean. A medical is not something you study for or bring in homework.

Sure, if you're going for your 1st Class there are all sorts of things that are recommended. Not too much sugar the day before, hydrate, get plenty of rest, etc. All basic things not to throw off the results of the tests you need to do for the 1st Class. But since you mentioned MOSAIC, then the odds are if you went for the PPC, then it would be a 3rd Class. You really have to be in pretty bad shape to fail a 3rd Class.

You can be in great shape the day of the exam. It's those pesky 18 "Have you ever in your life..." questions that can screw you over. One example (and sadly not the only one) was a healthy 35-ish year old that had some sort of surgery when he was 5. Got deferred for weeks while trying to dig up 30 year old hospital records.

So... yes. Do your 'homework'. To quote a favorite of mine line in a movie: "Hope ain't a tactic".

 

[Flocker]

Just wondering if anyone has any advice for me on things that I can do to help improve my success.

This is a good resource. I found it very helpful during my training.

FAA Flying Handbook

 

[SLB]

Some of the most difficult things for me (I started at 56) were consequences of 40 years of muscle memory from automobile driving--particuarly manual transmission cars. Don't steer the plane with the yoke on/close to the ground. Don't drop the Johnson bar from full flaps (I thought my instructor was gonna have a stroke on that one). Don't shift with the throttle....foward is always more. On the upside, you are likely a little more patient, a little more cautious, a little more aware of the fact that other people drive (fly) like jacka**es and need to be watched. Cut yourself slack on the bad days, take a deep breath, and get back in.

 

[Gary Ward]

My advise is the same as others before me in this thread.

I started training at 55 with no aviation experience.
At first I didn’t give it all my attention because I was working full time and other stuff in my life was going on.
Took me 1.5 years and 100 hours.
The second half I buckled down, all I thought about is flight training and took a lot of time off work. Scheduled 3 times a week and flew at least twice a week.
I had at least 5 different instructors all younger than me. Not that was a bad thing, they got enough hours and moved on in their careers. I learned something from each one. That is a fact about flight schools and I understand that. Then my last instructor was almost 70, at first I didn't like it because he was older and smelled like coffee. lol
I was so lucky to fly with him, he had so much patience with me. He helped me finish my training.

I wound up flying a friends 172 mostly by myself and then I really learned to fly a 172. It was so rewarding.
Shortly thereafter I bought my 172 from him and started flying it just about every day.
Still have it, but not my dog Cruiser, who flew with me 95% of the time. Cruiser made it to 15 years old. He knew that was his ride home and always stayed near the plane.
Good luck to you. It's worth it.

 

[Cesarmx]

The best thing you can do right now is determine if you can meet your flying goals using a driver’s license instead of an FAA medical or BasicMed.

If you absolutely have to have a medical, you need to sit down and read to understand the MedXpress User Guide. When it comes to question 18, they ask “Have you ever in your life…”. The really do mean going back to birth.

If you are going for your PPL you will have to get at least a third class medical cert, a requisite for BasicMed (may be done by any state certified Medical doctor ) is to have had any class of FAA medical cert first thru an AME in the previous 10 years.
So, it is very important to know first what your overall medical condition is before you sit down and fill out the Medxpress form so you won’t be denied by the AME and possibly be referred to SI process and indefinitely wait for a response which potentially could make you spend some extra money in necessary extra testing if the FAA finds a deficiency in Your medical condition.

 

[Gary Ward]

Some of the most difficult things for me (I started at 56) were consequences of 40 years of muscle memory from automobile driving--particuarly manual transmission cars. Don't steer the plane with the yoke on/close to the ground. Don't drop the Johnson bar from full flaps (I thought my instructor was gonna have a stroke on that one). Don't shift with the throttle....foward is always more. On the upside, you are likely a little more patient, a little more cautious, a little more aware of the fact that other people drive (fly) like jacka**es and need to be watched. Cut yourself slack on the bad days, take a deep breath, and get back in.

I was a top alcohol dragster racer before flight training.
It didn’t matter because I was more scared of the C172 than I was of a 275 mph dragster.
I still respect that 172.

 

[GMascelli]

I'm about to be 50 and will be starting training next week. Been a dream of mine for my whole life, but life has always been in the way. I guess it's kind of a midlife crisis. I work 5 days a week, so the training will take some time; I understand that. I am currently doing the ground school online and will start the actual flying lessons next week. Just wondering if anyone has any advice for me on things that I can do to help improve my success. Anyway, thanks for allowing me to be a part of this page, and I look forward to communicating with you in the future.

Congrats on following the dream. Advice? Fly as often as possible. It will be frustrating at times but we all pushed through it, so will you. Most of all HAVE FUN!

I was in the same boat and decided at age 47 it was now or never, and the rest is history. Now soon to be 69 and enjoying the times I do fly.

 

[Half Fast]

I'm about to be 50 and will be starting training next week. Been a dream of mine for my whole life, but life has always been in the way. I guess it's kind of a midlife crisis. I work 5 days a week, so the training will take some time; I understand that.

That situation is much more common than you might expect. I also started training when I was in my 50s, with an eye toward being able to fly after I retired. I got my Sport Pilot ticket in 2017, then Private in 2019. I retired in 2020, then bought my Beech in 2021.

As it says in my sig line, "You're never too old to have a happy childhood."

Now, as to advice, many people have been telling you to fly as often as possible. That will certainly help you complete training faster, if that is your goal, but I'll offer a different perspective for you to consider.

Think about how often you will fly after you have your certificate. You might be budget constrained, you might be limited by job or family responsibilities, whatever. Any time you go a while without flying, your skills will experience some atrophy. If you train at approximately the same frequency you expect to fly later on, by the time you're able to pass your checkride that atrophy rate will have declined to the point that you can still fly within standards even after a layoff.

A slower training rate won't get you the ticket in as few hours as possible, but it might make you safer in the long run.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

As above, try to fly 2-3/week. Fly with a different instructor occasionally. Don’t get discouraged with 2-steps forward, 1-step back.

You’ll make mistakes. Learn from them. I kept a notebook of stuff we did, and what to improve (and how).

I started because I was going to turn 50. I took a 3 month break due to “life”. Didn’t take as much as I thought to get up to speed.

Keep us updated!!

 

[4RNB]

Don’t quit.

 

[crash7]

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[phelps4824]

Thanks for all the great advice. I know I need to fly as much as possible to due to my work schedule and family responsibilities I will probably only be able to fly once a week. I am not in a hurry so I am not worried about the timeframe. I will be doing plenty of studying and sim practicing between flights though.

 

[markair]

I'm about to be 50 and will be starting training next week. Been a dream of mine for my whole life, but life has always been in the way. I guess it's kind of a midlife crisis. I work 5 days a week, so the training will take some time; I understand that. I am currently doing the ground school online and will start the actual flying lessons next week. Just wondering if anyone has any advice for me on things that I can do to help improve my success. Anyway, thanks for allowing me to be a part of this page, and I look forward to communicating with you in the future.

SIR IM 63 YRS THOUGH YOUR STORY IS COMMON,MANY PEOPLE START EVEN OLDER THAT YOU.GOT SEVERAL EAA FRIENDS GETTING THE SPORT RATING AND A PRIVATE.I,VE BEEN IN AVAITION FOR 50 PLUS YRS AND SEEN IT ALL,FROM MY AIRFORCE YRS,TO THE AIRLINES(pan am&united airlines) so go ahead and do it.as long as you can get the faa class 3 medical.if you have an issue and denied?DON,T GIVE UP,FIGHT LIKE HELL TO GET IT.THAN YOU DO LET IT LASPED,GO GET THE BASIC MEDICAL CERT.YOUR PCP CAN DO IT,(sign offZ)for 4 yrs and also you take a free online coarse(mostly about meds and how too ground yourself when you don,t feel well.

mark san francisco calif.

 

[markair]

That situation is much more common than you might expect. I also started training when I was in my 50s, with an eye toward being able to fly after I retired. I got my Sport Pilot ticket in 2017, then Private in 2019. I retired in 2020, then bought my Beech in 2021.

As it says in my sig line, "You're never too old to have a happy childhood."

Now, as to advice, many people have been telling you to fly as often as possible. That will certainly help you complete training faster, if that is your goal, but I'll offer a different perspective for you to consider.

Think about how often you will fly after you have your certificate. You might be budget constrained, you might be limited by job or family responsibilities, whatever. Any time you go a while without flying, your skills will experience some atrophy. If you train at approximately the same frequency you expect to fly later on, by the time you're able to pass your checkride that atrophy rate will have declined to the point that you can still fly within standards even after a layoff.

A slower training rate won't get you the ticket in as few hours as possible, but it might make you safer in the long run.

i have the same situation? been non currant for 30 yrs now at 63 almost im getting back.got coarses from king schools(great videos) and sporty pilots shop.also did aopa,s rusty pilots coarse so i agree slower training,a structured instructor(cfi) and you will be ok.

mark san francisco calif.

 

[Half Fast]

BTW - “chair flying” helps a lot. You don’t even need a sim. Just sit in a chair, close your eyes, and practice landings and maneuvers and emergencies, over and over. Visualize the scene, make radio calls, move your hands as though they were on the controls, activating flaps, adjusting the throttle, etc. It internalizes flows and builds muscle memory.

Sounds silly but it really does work.

If you haven’t already learned mnemonics (alpha, bravo, charlie, etc.), try practicing them while you’re driving. Spell road signs, billboards, license plates, whatever, mnemonically.

 

[markair]

BTW - “chair flying” helps a lot. You don’t even need a sim. Just sit in a chair, close your eyes, and practice landings and maneuvers and emergencies, over and over. Visualize the scene, make radio calls, move your hands as though they were on the controls, activating flaps, adjusting the throttle, etc. It internalizes flows and builds muscle memory.

Sounds silly but it really does work.

If you haven’t already learned mnemonics (alpha, bravo, charlie, etc.), try practicing them while you’re driving. Spell road signs, billboards, license plates, whatever, mnemonically.

IM MARK IN SAN FRANCISCO BAYAREA AND 63 YRS OLD IN OCT.I,VE BEEN IN THE AIRLINES AND A PRIVATE PILOT NON-CURRANT FOR 26 YRS KNOW.DID RUSTY PILOTS WITH AOPA.LIKE TO ADD ON GOOGLE AI I,VE DONE FLYING EXERCIZES LIKE ATC COMMUNICATIONS AS WELL AS THE CHAIR FLYING AND YOU SHOULD TRY IT.ITS LIKE WORKING WITH A REAL CFI.ITS GREAT.

 

[davela]

I'm about to be 50 and will be starting training next week. Been a dream of mine for my whole life, but life has always been in the way. I guess it's kind of a midlife crisis. I work 5 days a week, so the training will take some time; I understand that. I am currently doing the ground school online and will start the actual flying lessons next week. Just wondering if anyone has any advice for me on things that I can do to help improve my success. Anyway, thanks for allowing me to be a part of this page, and I look forward to communicating with you in the future.

Wecome to the forum. You are not old, so enjoy your training and go for it. And like some others say, fly as often as you can when working on a rating - that's the way to do it, and it is actually more efficient that way too. Ask questions from those who learned before you if in doubt, and take everything you are taught about safety seriously too. Best of luck.

 

[dmspilot]

I know I need to fly as much as possible to due to my work schedule and family responsibilities I will probably only be able to fly once a week. I am not in a hurry so I am not worried about the timeframe. I will be doing plenty of studying and sim practicing between flights though.

It's not a matter of taking longer. Flying once a week you will most likely not make progress at all. I've only seen that pace work out for people under age 18.

 

[texasclouds]

The answer is yes. Yes, you should absolutely purchase a Cessna 195. Yes, it will be a great first airplane. And yes, you can store it in my hangar in exchange for unlimited use.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Thanks for all the great advice. I know I need to fly as much as possible to due to my work schedule and family responsibilities I will probably only be able to fly once a week. I am not in a hurry so I am not worried about the timeframe. I will be doing plenty of studying and sim practicing between flights though.

My “handle” is a reflection of when I started flying (38), but “Midlife Flight” started being used when I became a CFI. My target market was you. In a full-time non-aviation career, I referred to myself as the instructor for those whose schedule was as bad as my own. My students typically flew once, maybe twice a week, and even that was subject to schedules, maintenance, and weather.

One suggestion. Try to find an older instructor. It’s not about experience or quality of training. Most of the young, “time building” instructors I have known (including mine) were both good and dedicated. It’s a little about continuity (they do tend to move on in this market), but more about patience. Most going through private training are young. Even if not aviation career oriented, they tend to treat training like school or a job, giving it their full or substantial part time attention. Not only can there be a difference in learning pace, but the often “one step forward, two steps back” that takes place when lessons are far apart can be even more frustrating for them than it will be for you.

 

[Mileage]

I got my PPL at age 51 in 5 months. The only way I could make it work was prioritizing it above nearly everything in my life outside of work for that whole period. This included flying every weekend and as many early mornings before work during the week that I could manage. I only discovered after I started training that my flight school was going to close for two weeks over the christmas holiday when I had mentally prepared for a long block of flying, so that was a lesson learned. I also tried to book flying slots as far out as possible so i would have a plane and a CFI available. Finally, it was very hehlpful to get the written test out of the way as early as possible.

 

[write-stuff]

Dude, you're 50. That's not "late" in life. Perhaps "later"... But you are absolutely not too old to become a pilot. Go for it and have a great time learning something new!

Download this free 70-page ebook. No sign-up required:

Learn to Fly eBook

This 70 page eBook will show you how to earn your pilot certificate as quickly and economically as possible.

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