Hi, I 'm 35 year old and I'm a plumbing designer. I want to change my profession to airplane pilot.?

Question

Can someboby tell to me wich is the average age for to start a carrer in aviation? What is the best aviation school arround Los Angeles? What is average pay first year on regional airlines? Do you have some tips for me? I'm interested to get in contact with graduates from ATP Long Beach ,Fast Track (an e-mail address will help)

Answer 1

While its not too late to start, the younger you begin an aviation career the better.  The median age for new hires at the major airlines is around 35 years old, and by the time a pilot is qualified for the majors he / she has probably already been flying professionally for 5 to 10 years. While the majors do occasionally hire up to around age 55, the typical cutoff is around 40-45 except for people with a LOT of experience behind them already. Obviously you've got a lot of catching up to do fast if you think you want to make a go at a career with anyone other than a regional air carrier.

A typical new-hire salary at a regional airline is betweeen $18k and $22k per year by the way, which is pretty dismal, and top pay for a 10-year captain on a regional jet is in the high $60's to low $70's. Don't think you can support yourself with a second job as a regional pilot, because you won't have time unless that job can be extremely flexible.  Starting pay at the majors is only around $30k or so, but it goes up very quickly once you get that first year of probation behind you.

I hope you're either single with some substantial savings, or your wife has a really good job, because you're looking at quite a few lean years in the beginning of an aviation career. It is extremely competetive and flying jobs aren't exactly there for the taking, especially in the current economic climate. Financially, as far as retirement goes, you have to look real hard at what it's going to cost to become airline qualified as well as the reduced pay you'll receive until you get there, IF indeed you ever get there. My guess is that the career change won't pencil out unless you're not well paid now, but if money isn't a worry for you, go for it. There's a lot to be said for doing what you like and want to do.

I've now been flying professionally for 23 years and it has been a rocky road. About 20% of that time has been spent unemployed or on furlough due to all the ups and downs in the industry. I did all the right things, got the right kind of flying experience, the college degree, etc etc, but I made some poor choices as far as employers go and I never got a shot at majors (sometimes I think its like trying to win the lottery).

After a number of years as a captain with a large regional airline I couldn't take the stress, schedule, and low pay any more so I quit to go fly the bush in Alaska for 7 years. I now fly for a small corporation, but when I got hired with them I started as a copilot at $30k and didn't see decent money until I moved to the left seat after 5 years...at the age of 51. Now I have barely more than a dozen years left to try and put something away for retirement AND put my kid thru college. Not an uncommon story in aviation.

if you're already making pretty decent money with an assured retirement, my advice is that you should probably stick with it and fly for fun. However, if you still want to go ahead (don't let me talk you out of it if that is where your heart is), you NEED to read this book: http://www.aviationcareercounseling.com/... It's called "Flight Guide to Success" and it will help you make the right choices so you won't waste time and money getting to where you want to go in the airline business. I spun my wheels getting nowhere in the early part of my training and also wasted a lot of money. I sure wish such a book was available back then.

Along those lines, the best flight school around LA is the one you like who can work around your schedule, charges a reasonable price, has a good reputation and is financially sound. I won't give you a specific recommendation since I haven't trained with or instructed for any of them, although I am familiar with most of the better known schools since I lived and flew in SoCal for 5 years.

If you have the money, I strongly recommend that you buy (or finance) your own plane and hire an independent  instructor to get you through the private, instrument, and most of the commercial ratings. You can rent a "complex" airplane and multi-engine airplane when needed later on, but owning your own plane gives you tremendous flexibility and you'll learn a lot about owning and maintaining an airplane that you won't get at a flight school.  This can be valuable experience. Owning your own plane might even be the cheaper option (it was for me, substantially), but you have to be careful about what you buy.

Also, most "traditional" flight schools do not have highly experienced pilots working as flight instructors since instructing as a profession is quite low paid and most pilots want to move on from there quickly. One of the few jobs a new commercial pilot can get is instructing, so most of the people you might learn to fly with at one of those schools aren't going to have very much "real world" experience, which is what you need to really put you on the fastest track possible.

I'm not putting down "accelerated" flight schools or young instructors, but for the highest chance of success starting at your age, an older experienced instructor, preferrably one with airline or other commercial experience besides instructing, might be the best way to go for you. Those are usually airline or corporate guys (and gals) who teach on the side, or they're now retired. I'm one of those pilots who teaches on the side (and I'm damned good at it too), but I don't live in LA so I can't help you.

Good luck. Feel free to EM me anytime, and get that book!.

Answer 2

Be prepared for a major drop in income coming from the plumbing world.  It takes years to build up enough hours to make decent money as a pilot, and you'll be competing with 25 year olds for the jobs.  the regionals pay around 20k starting out, and i don't know if you have a family but I'm sure you know that doesn't go far in L.A..  But if its your dream then go after it.  I have a 50 year old auto mechanic in my class who's switching to flying and A&P mechanics so it can be done. The good thing is that you have a skill you can do part time or fall back on while you fly.  I know a few regional pilots who hold down part time jobs to make ends meet.  So be prepared to shell out 30-40K for training to make peanuts for the few several years.  Keep up on your plumbing design skills for a safety net.  Also, look into Airframe & Powerplant mechanics, you might like that as well.

Answer 3

dont change

Answer 4

Well  I am a A&P Mech and you would have more stability in what you are in now.

Pilots and flight attendants are a dime a dozen with frequent lay-offs depending on the economy/party in office.

http://www.transstates.net/careers.html#...

oh say soo long to Douglas Aircraft  soooon.

Answer 5

regional airline starting pay, neighborhood of $20k.

six months ago we were facing a pilot shortage.  today we're grounding airplanes due to price of fuel.  Not the best time for a career change -- but sometimes you gotta follow your dream.

My brother-in-law accumulated hours & acquired instrument & multi-engine rating working as a flight instructor at an FBO at a general aviation airport, flies Embraer jets now.  Took maybe two-three years altogether.  It's expensive.  You gotta start by getting your single-engine license.