Mid-life Career Change to Airline Pilot. It's Doable.

Larry in TN said:
It's not generally for people traveling between CLL and IAH or CLL and DFW. It is for people who are traveling from CLL to all of the destinations that they can connect to from IAH or DFW, and vis versa.
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Rather like Colorado Springs (COS) to Denver (DEN), it's about a 60-90 min drive depending on traffic on I-25. It's a 30 min flight with the obligatory parking the car, TSA (which is much simpler and faster than DEN), luggage, etc. Works out to be about the same time in the end, and you don't have to deal with the I-25.
 
murphey said:
Rather like Colorado Springs (COS) to Denver (DEN), it's about a 60-90 min drive depending on traffic on I-25. It's a 30 min flight with the obligatory parking the car, TSA (which is much simpler and faster than DEN), luggage, etc. Works out to be about the same time in the end, and you don't have to deal with the I-25.
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Now that one, I totally understood. COS is 2-3x the B/CS population and all the .mil & .mil support travel is a ton of demand.

Take A&M away and there’s just not a lot of demand left in College Station.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
PV
After the 8 procedure trainer sessions comes the procedure validation. It is a checkride in the CPT sim. I came in stressed, tunnel vision, anxeity, all the stuff that goes into a checking event.
The examiner was super cool, cracking jokes and doing his best to diffuse any nerves I had. We did the flight and the whole time, he was really casual and just being a fun loving pilot monitoring while I did the pilot flying portion. After, I said I appreciate your style, it was very comfortable flying with you. He said "IF you hadn't been doing such a good job, you might have gotten a totally different version of me".
That was a boost of confidence and kinda lit a fire under me that this might actually happen.
I suffer from the worst imposter syndrome and live my life knowing every day, this is the day I get fired.
I don't know where it comes from but it was amplified during this training so this was a good experience for me.
Everyone in the class that made it this far passed their procedures validation.

SIMS
We had access to full motion simulators that were for lack of a better word, Bad Ass! Feels, sounds, behaves like the actual jet which I can now confirm as I have 30 hours in the Jet.
The sims were a little less stressful then the CPT because they were the same 8 lessons so nothing new other than now we were "Flying".
Everyone gets 8 two hour sim sessions as pilot flying and 8 two hour sim sessions as pilot monitoring. This portion of the training was fun for the most part. It is mostly focused on emergencies and how to handle them.
We almost never land the sim. Every time you see a runway, there is a dear on it or a truck on it or something. In my sleep I hear "Go around, Flaps 2!" that is the phrase most spoken in the sim.
Towards the end of the sims it started getting more difficult. I was doing just ok but really struggling with the single Engine ILS w/ no autopilot. That is just a terribly difficult maneuver for me.
Due to this and a couple setbacks, when they asked how are you doing and I said I am 80% there, they offered some additional sim sessions and I accepted them.
There were a handful of others in the class that accepted them as well and this sort of became the point where the class is no longer a class but individuals finishing their training.
The group chat goes dark and we all fight as individuals for the finish line.

CHECKRIDE 1: MV
The Maneuvers validation is the hard checkride. This is where you have to do stall recovery, emergency descent, V1 cuts, engine fire, and anything else they want to throw at you including for me the dreaded single engine ILS, hand flown. I nailed all of the maneuvers and totally botched the Single Engine ILS which they know is tough so they leave it for last. They have contingency built into the training for botched maneuvers and I used all of the contingencies offered up to the point where I had the examiner behind me stating "This is it I need you to do this or it's game over" My legs were shaking. I did a v1 cut and setup for the ILS. I clicked the autopilot and auto throttles off and I was on top of the flight director, absolutely glued to it. Speed set, configured, "flaps 1", "Flaps 2", "Gear down, Flaps 3", "Flaps 5 Landing Checklist". Set power to 69%. Runway in sight, "Minimums" and I nailed that landing. I stopped the plane and the examiner goes. "It would have been less stressful if you had just done that the first time. Sat complete by the way, congrats".

CHECKRIDE 2: LOE
Last checking event in the sim is Line Operating Experience. This is 2, 2 hour flights from gate to gate. They just want to see you fly. They will throw very minor emergencies at you just to see how you run the checklists, etc. It is calm, slow paced and low stress. Mine was fairly uneventful. If you mess anything up you have 2 chances to repeat it. We debriefed my landing at the end. The examiner said it wasn't pretty and I would liked to have seen x,y,z but everything was done to standards. He printed out my ATP and Type rating and we went to the sim to snap a couple photos.

IOE & LINE CHECK
That brings us to the last 2 weeks in the actual jet. Last week, I went to Miami, Jacksonville, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Alabama, Amarillo, College Station, and DFW about 6 times. I've been everywhere man. I've been everywhere. The jet flies like the sim but it is easier to land and there are these nice people that bring you food and coffee. On the longer flights it moves very slow and is very calm. Up in the flight levels, it is beautiful and the radio gets really quiet especially late at night. There are stressful flights. We had a flight to DFW and back out where we had a 30 min ground stop and had to switch planes which meant after the flight, I have to do a post flight walk around, grab my bags, get to the next gate, do a pre flight walk around, then get the flight plan and performance loaded while all the passengers are already there. You can feel rushed when that happens but you have to fight it. All through training the moto was "Don't rush" the tendency to do so is real. On my 2nd flight, we had a bird strike at 10,000 feet. It was loud AF. On my 3rd landing, I had an APU fail. when we got the next plane, the APU was inop. Flying into Miani, we were dodging thunderstorms all along the coast. So the first time in the jet I got exposed to a lot. The last flight yesterday was my line check and it went well. A short hop from OKC to DFW so a lot to do in a short period of time but I got it done and the examiner signed me off. It was the perfect end to a check ride. I greased the landing. And having strangers shake your hand and say "Great Landing" On their way out might be the best end to a check ride ever.

I posted these in another thread but some cool moments.
My wife hitched a ride out to College station so she could get on one of my flights. That was awesome.
She made a video of her on the plane while I was making a PA. She is super happy about my being employed again and I think she digs pilots.
View attachment 144442

Let me know if you know what kind of bird that was. I wonder what he was doing at 10,000 feet.

View attachment 144443


All in all, I do believe this was the hardest thing I have done in my life especially given all that hangs in the balance. The training is damn hard but a full career swap at nearly 50 with two kids about to go to college and mom holding down the fort and praying this works out compounded it significantly. She took on a lot of additional clients to offset some of the financial strain but we're on the other side now.

I am happy to be working again. I am happy I made the change even though it was starting to feel like my only option since the IT world and I are no longer compatible.
I still feel like the new kid on the first day of school at the airport but that should fade. I like the airplane a lot and I really love the company. Their focus on safety isn't lip service they are very serious about it.
Even though I barely have a toe in the water, I suspect I will be a lifer here. I could see myself retiring into the training department should this last.
The culture and emphasis on safety, fatigue, prioritizing family, etc is nice.

I did make 1 single joke over the last 3 months. On the long flights, we take turns eating. Captain said its quiet if you want to eat first, this is a good time.
I handed her a can of tuna and a can opener and said can you open this while I get my utensils out of my bag?
The stare I got back was priceless. The can was not opened.
That is about the level of "fun" that can be had on the flight deck.

That's it. That's the story if anyone is curious about the airline training process, the E-175, or any non company specific things, I am happy to do deep dives into any of the stuff above.
It was all a mystery to me as I was going through it and I learned a ton.

Also, for all the people that post "I'm 26, 36, 46, 56... Is it too old to get started?", You are not too old to start, you are not too old to change things about your life that you don't like.
It is hard to change but we can do hard things if we need to.

Last Call,
-F.O. SixPapaCharlie
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That tuna can thing could have gone wrong. Good morning ladies. I’m gonna assume she hasn’t heard the joke. Be careful before pulling that one again.
 
Congrats, Bryan, not just for the accomplishment but even more for the courage to begin the journey. Well done! Long way from your Traveler, huh?

Now this,
SixPapaCharlie said:
Captain said its quiet if you want to eat first, this is a good time.
I handed her a can of tuna and a can opener and said can you open this while I get my utensils out of my bag?
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is funny. Pulling out a flask might have been even funnier. :devil:

I understand it's important for airline pilots to protect their pee. Have you considered Depends?

Enjoy your new gig!
 
Nice "after" picture, but we need a side-by-side with a scruffy "before" picture without you cleaned up and buttoned up.

SixPapaCharlie said:
I handed her a can of tuna and a can opener and said can you open this while I get my utensils out of my bag?
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If I'm ever on the receiving end of this (doubtful), I'll have to respond with "Well, I guess that means I gotta eat this" and then pull out a can of chicken.

Congrats!
 
How many hours did you have when you made the decision?

For me it’s not so much a job lost but just sick of my job. I make captain money in my 9-5 directors role right now. I’d love to be able to just switch but not so easy. Working the ideas just to see.
 
SebIp said:
How many hours did you have when you made the decision?

For me it’s not so much a job lost but just sick of my job. I make captain money in my 9-5 directors role right now. I’d love to be able to just switch but not so easy. Working the ideas just to see.
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I had 1,049 hours when I made the decision to get my commercial as the first step in this process.
For what its worth, being an FO, my salary is less than 1/2 of what it was in IT. I won't be making what I used to require for quite some time.
But I also don't have to sit and listen to some rich dude that cant tie his own shoes ask why this is taking so long. It should not take this long.

I knew I was out of love with IT when our CEO had me go to his house and setup his computers / printers to do remote work.
I told him to plug in the computer in the outlet under his desk and he asked "Which one do I have to plug it in to, the top or bottom?"
Like dude, just lick it at this point. How did you get this far in life?

But he signed the checks so I told him the top. Its always the top one.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I had 1,049 hours when I made the decision to get my commercial as the first step in this process.
For what its worth, being an FO, my salary is less than 1/2 of what it was in IT. I won't be making what I used to require for quite some time.
But I also don't have to sit and listen to some rich dude that cant tie his own shoes ask why this is taking so long. It should not take this long.

I knew I was out of love with IT when our CEO had me go to his house and setup his computers / printers to do remote work.
I told him to plug in the computer in the outlet under his desk and he asked "Which one do I have to plug it in to, the top or bottom?"
Like dude, just lick it at this point. How did you get this far in life?

But he signed the checks so I told him the top. Its always the top one.
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Maybe that is one reason the company failed.

I need a lot of hours and the wife isn’t the higher earlier or it would be easier.
 
Great job and congratulations Bryan! That is so awesome. Glad I could be a small, very small part of it. Glad to see you hung in there, first through the time building and then through the training. It is definitely a lot of work, but hopefully you find it worth it!

I fly [your airline] pretty routinely out of here, to DFW, to wherever I need to go. Hopefully one of these days you'll be the one I have to let know that I'm in seat 27F, you know, if you need help or anything...
 
SebIp said:
Maybe that is one reason the company failed.

I need a lot of hours and the wife isn’t the higher earlier or it would be easier.
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They inherited dad's company he died a few years earlier and they spent all the money chasing shiny things. I think it's a pretty common story with inherited wealth.
 
RussR said:
Great job and congratulations Bryan! That is so awesome. Glad I could be a small, very small part of it. Glad to see you hung in there, first through the time building and then through the training. It is definitely a lot of work, but hopefully you find it worth it!

I fly [your airline] pretty routinely out of here, to DFW, to wherever I need to go. Hopefully one of these days you'll be the one I have to let know that I'm in seat 27F, you know, if you need help or anything...
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I hope so man I made that flight twice yesterday.
 
eman1200 said:
man, think of all the IT stories you're gonna regale your captain with! "this one time, a guy got a BSOD and I had to tell him to reboot twice haha!"
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These cappies are tired of airplane stories, when you mention a non-aviation first career they perk up bigly. Then usually are either a) happy for you to have gotten hired in 5 yrs, or b) miffed bc it took them 20 yrs to get their first seat.
 
Airline pilot (regional and legacy) has slowed to a glacial pace. Getting into a 121 with a 1500hr CFI background is not even competitive anymore.

The post covid windfall days are long gone. The old heads close to retiring have done so, operators are nowhere near as 'top heavy' as they once were.

I agree you could churn out your ratings/hours but that leap to the 121's is back to mid 2010's hiring levels.

A more realistic 2025/26+ timeframe is you have 3-5 years to build time, then luck into a regional, then 5-8 years to a legacy.

Delta has been on a hiring freeze (save FA's) this year.
 
pfarber said:
Airline pilot (regional and legacy) has slowed to a glacial pace. Getting into a 121 with a 1500hr CFI background is not even competitive anymore.

The post covid windfall days are long gone. The old heads close to retiring have done so, operators are nowhere near as 'top heavy' as they once were.

I agree you could churn out your ratings/hours but that leap to the 121's is back to mid 2010's hiring levels.

A more realistic 2025/26+ timeframe is you have 3-5 years to build time, then luck into a regional, then 5-8 years to a legacy.

Delta has been on a hiring freeze (save FA's) this year.
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www.aopa.org

Demand for airline pilots 'normalizes'

An industry expert says hiring rates for airline pilots remain healthy as they settle toward pre-pandemic levels.
www.aopa.org

“Over the next 15 years, Genc said, about 42,000 airline pilots will reach 65 years of age and retire, providing a fairly steady flow of opportunity for younger job seekers.”

“Still, conditions are not historically poor. United Airlines is leading with 759 new pilots hired so far in 2025, followed by American Airlines with 606 and Delta Air Lines with 500. Other carriers including Frontier Airlines and UPS, account for the remainder.“

500 is a lot for someone in a hiring freeze. ;)
 
Doc Holliday said:
www.aopa.org

Demand for airline pilots 'normalizes'

An industry expert says hiring rates for airline pilots remain healthy as they settle toward pre-pandemic levels.
www.aopa.org

“Over the next 15 years, Genc said, about 42,000 airline pilots will reach 65 years of age and retire, providing a fairly steady flow of opportunity for younger job seekers.”

“Still, conditions are not historically poor. United Airlines is leading with 759 new pilots hired so far in 2025, followed by American Airlines with 606 and Delta Air Lines with 500. Other carriers including Frontier Airlines and UPS, account for the remainder.“

500 is a lot for someone in a hiring freeze. ;)
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You forgot this part of the headline "continuing to relax the pace of the hiring surge that defined 2022 and 2023."

Those numbers are a trickle compares to the covid boom.

ALso there will always be turn over.

Here is a current count of piliot hiring by the majors: https://www.fapa.aero/pilot-hiring-history?mc_cid=5ff5d18074

See all those zeros? The big 3 accounted for almost all hiring.

"The airline has already hired more than 500 pilots this year and is now fully staffed for the remainder of 2025. Delta plans to reevaluate its pilot staffing needs in the fall as it begins planning for summer 2026"

Best number I can find is that there are 17,500 pilots at Delta. A 500 new hire for 2025 is a churn rate of 2.8% but Delta isn't flying 100% of its aircraft, either. I don't see a 3-5% churn rate as reason to drop $120k+ for an ATP ticket when you would still have no real qualifications other than 1500 hrs.

I've been on the MX wait list since Aug 2024 (took the tests and everything) Delta recruiters have told us no new AMT hire in all of 2025.

Read some ATP forums... they are saying the same thing... hiring is way down, and 1500hr CFIs are no competitive.
 
texasclouds said:
Envoy runs CLL to DFW.

The United CLL IAH flight died of Covid.
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Cool story, I did that flight once (well, more than once, but the story happened once).

We were delayed several hours leaving CLL after an overnight due to an issue with the inbound plane. Fortunately were able to stay at the hotel. Finally headed out to the airport. Went through TSA. I looked around the terminal, which has like 2 gates, and no one was there. "Where are all the passengers?" I asked. TSA said they all left. Flew an empty plane back to IAH.
 
pfarber said:
You forgot this part of the headline "continuing to relax the pace of the hiring surge that defined 2022 and 2023."

Those numbers are a trickle compares to the covid boom.

ALso there will always be turn over.

Here is a current count of piliot hiring by the majors: https://www.fapa.aero/pilot-hiring-history?mc_cid=5ff5d18074

See all those zeros? The big 3 accounted for almost all hiring.

"The airline has already hired more than 500 pilots this year and is now fully staffed for the remainder of 2025. Delta plans to reevaluate its pilot staffing needs in the fall as it begins planning for summer 2026"

Best number I can find is that there are 17,500 pilots at Delta. A 500 new hire for 2025 is a churn rate of 2.8% but Delta isn't flying 100% of its aircraft, either. I don't see a 3-5% churn rate as reason to drop $120k+ for an ATP ticket when you would still have no real qualifications other than 1500 hrs.
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But you stated “Delta has been on a hiring freeze (save FA's) this year.”.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I had 1,049 hours when I made the decision to get my commercial as the first step in this process.
For what its worth, being an FO, my salary is less than 1/2 of what it was in IT. I won't be making what I used to require for quite some time.
But I also don't have to sit and listen to some rich dude that cant tie his own shoes ask why this is taking so long. It should not take this long.

I knew I was out of love with IT when our CEO had me go to his house and setup his computers / printers to do remote work.
I told him to plug in the computer in the outlet under his desk and he asked "Which one do I have to plug it in to, the top or bottom?"
Like dude, just lick it at this point. How did you get this far in life?

But he signed the checks so I told him the top. Its always the top one.
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FOs make more now than CAs made just a few years ago :cool:
 
Thanks for the great write up. I interviewed there early this month, waiting to hear back on a class date. Not sure when that will happen. Havent really had any communication since I got the Pre CJO. Hope to see you out there.
 
Larry in TN said:
I once rode CLL-DFW on a Rio Airways Beech 99. That admission may be dating me.
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Going into CLL before Rio Airways there was Davis Airlines flying C-402s. Before Davis Airlines there was TTA, known as Tree Top Airlines but was really called Trans Texas Airways flying DC-3s, which was the first commercial plane trip for me. TTA eventually became Continental Airlines.

Suddenly I feel old...
 
Well,....

Learnin’ to fly… said:
Talk about walking the talk of ‘you can be anything you want’ in front of your kids.
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SixPapaCharlie said:
For what its worth, being an FO, my salary is less than 1/2 of what it was in IT. I won't be making what I used to require for quite some time.
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"Kids, you can be anything you want. Or you can afford to raise a family. I decided I wanted to be an airline pilot, so one of you has to go. Sorry!"
:devil:
 
Half Fast said:
Well,....

"Kids, you can be anything you want. Or you can afford to raise a family. I decided I wanted to be an airline pilot, so one of you has to go. Sorry!"
:devil:
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:D The struggle is real. I might have enjoyed flying 135 a lot more if it wasn't about 1/6th my IT rate AND scheduled me such that I couldn't do IT stuff in my downtime between legs.

This story makes me wish I had stuck it out a bit more though. Flying a desk today is wildly unsatisfying.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
For what its worth, being an FO, my salary is less than 1/2 of what it was in IT. I won't be making what I used to require for quite some time.
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You might be surprised how well you do on half salary.
 
To me, the biggest obstacle is that I'm still at ~ 550TT. I'm working on my CFI to accelerate it, but having a full time job in... you guessed... IT, it makes it a lot harder.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
…For what its worth, being an FO, my salary is less than 1/2 of what it was in IT..
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And you likely work half or more less. And you also haven’t figured out how to optimize your what you bid and what you fly.

My guess is you’ll ‘work’ about 1000 hrs in the next year. Your last year in IT you probably worked 2x that.
 
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