Career in aviation

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Doug K

Filing Flight Plan
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May 30, 2013
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Seymour Johnson AFB
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Doug K
I know there are a lot of blogs and info out there but I had a specific question to my own life...

I am currently in the USAF and I am trying to figure out my next step in life. I am not a pilot just a regular joe who builds bombs... I absolutely love flying and I have wanted to as a career for a long time. My main questions are as follows:

I am 34 and I retire at the ripe old age of 39 will that be too late to start on a career? I have been working on my private cert right now... well not right now as I am deployed again.. but I have about 40 hours and I should be able to hopefully pick up my cert not too long after getting back.

What can I do at this point? What should I be looking at? Would it be worth the time/effort to keep at it? I still plan on working towards getting instrument ratings. I would like some real world answers not the "shoot for your dreams" type stuff because I am trying to be realistic. I will continue to fly either way I just want to make sure my money is going to the right place.

I guess I just rambled on about it but I really want to know if people have real world experiences and thoughts on the matter.

Thanks everyone.

Doug
 
You can do it, maybe not get to the big jets. Plenty of work. You'll have a pension and medical that is huge. If you have a wife and or kids then forget it.
 
If you want to do it, then go ahead. No one can answer that question for you. Whatever you decide be sure to have a fall back career.

As for me I didn't start flying until I was 34. Had all my certificates by age 36, started my first pt 135 job at 38. At age 40 I was in a regional..... for a total of 12 weeks then went back to pt 135 flying and never looked back.

Don't let age bother you. I met a 72 year old man in Alaska that had been flying in Alaska for 50 years, and was still going strong when I left. I have heard he has since retired with health problems.

I may have cheated though, a few other people and myself bought an aviation business and expanded it. We are still expanding.
 
ClimbnSink said:
You can do it, maybe not get to the big jets. Plenty of work. You'll have a pension and medical that is huge. If you have a wife and or kids then forget it.
Click to expand...

Yeah the wife and kids are what I am worried about.. but I have been thinking like most have said about pt 135.. just seems like a tough place to get in.

We will see.. I might also just take a job back in Govt work so I can actually spend time with the wife and kids and just continue to fly for fun!
 
As others have said, having guaranteed income and medical is huge. I'd say build as many hours as you can now. When you retire, get a (non-flying) job, use your retirement money as "flying money" to get a CFI-I, then start CFIing on the side. Once you have a reputation (or flight school) that will allow CFI income plus retirement income to support your family, ditch the "real job" and see if you can make a go at it.

I'm neither a professional pilot nor military nor an established-career person though, so take it for what it's worth.
 
Get a good job with a pension and benefits,and fly part time for a 135 company.
 
Yes, you have plenty of time to become a professional pilot. Remember, there are plenty of professional pilots who never sat in an airline cockpit.
 
Zeldman said:
If you want to do it, then go ahead. No one can answer that question for you. Whatever you decide be sure to have a fall back career.

As for me I didn't start flying until I was 34. Had all my certificates by age 36, started my first pt 135 job at 38. At age 40 I was in a regional..... for a total of 12 weeks then went back to pt 135 flying and never looked back.

Don't let age bother you. I met a 72 year old man in Alaska that had been flying in Alaska for 50 years, and was still going strong when I left. I have heard he has since retired with health problems.

I may have cheated though, a few other people and myself bought an aviation business and expanded it. We are still expanding.
Click to expand...

What regional scared you away so quick? Did you buy into a flight school or pt 135?
 
Mike5250 said:
What regional scared you away so quick? Did you buy into a flight school or pt 135?
Click to expand...

Comair. It was a bad time to be there with contract disputes and talk of an upcoming strike. A real waste of time for me.

A few other partners and myself bought a small family owned pt 135 air ambulance operation. The owner was wanting to retire due to health problems and the kids didn't want to stay there either.

This is why I could never be talked into going to an airline, unless the better ones were given to me lock, stock and barrel....:lol::lol::lol:

I enjoy the business end as much as the flying, even though I am doing less and less flying.
 
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