Piloting... Forced to quit due to medical reasons..?

Question

Hi everyone,

I am thinking about my future as a pilot but this thought suddenly struck my mind..

Let's say, i am now a 40 years old commercial airline pilot who owns a mechanical engineering degree..

But then in a medical check up, it is found that i have to quit my job due to medical reasons.. now , what can i still do after losing the job as a pilot??

I realise that although i have a mechanical engineering degree, but it is still tough to secure other job as an engineer because there will be more competitive fresh graduates..

In brief, my question is what are the alternatives for a pilot that is forced to quit his job due to medical reasons? ( considering the fact that his only working experience is in a cockpit )

Thank you! Help greatly needed..

Cheers~

Answer 1

sorry to hear this but i hope one day u will regain ur strength and have a better future

Answer 2

I work at a training facility for pilots who want to earn new type ratings or upgrade their existing type ratings. We are always looking for ground school and simulator instructors. In fact, I have had several instructors that worked for a short period of time while they were on medical leave from their airline jobs. In certain circumstances, we even give instructors type-ratings on a certain aircraft.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Answer 3

Get "Loss of License insurance"  and enjoy your job flying.

Answer 4

Does the medical reasons also prohibit you to become a co-pilot? i would think so but I'm not sure.

Answer 5

That is where disability and or loss of license insurance comes very handy. It isn't cheap but worth the security and peace of mind.

Answer 6

My father is a retired EE  and has been in Research and Development for a few different firms in his lifetime, two of which he helped found, Dicomed Corp and Candela -  both competitors of Kodak Eastman.  He said to me recently, that if a person has a good background in mathematics and physics, then he always considers them as good candidates for hire.  

I would suggest that you look into such companies at Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Pratt & Whitney and the like, from a Research and Development Engineering angle.  You have a wealth of  relevant experience as a pilot, using their equipment.  You would have very meaningful feedback and ideas that you could contribute to development of future aircraft and spacecraft.  Rework your resumé to reflect this aspect of things and you should find success.  

Forty is still young for the engineering workforce.  What the new grads have in latest information, they lack in applied knowledge.  That is where you have the advantage.

Good luck to you.

Answer 7

You can get an airframe & powerplant mechanic's ticket which would be a walk in the park if you have a ME degree.  As a pilot, A&P, and ME you would be unstoppable.  Being an aircraft mechanic might be below you but you might enjoy it too.  If you do get grounded, may I suggest designing mechanic friendly airplanes??

Answer 8

What you're describing is a risk that every professional pilot faces.  If you have reason to suspect that you have a medical condition that will develop into a problem later, then you need to consider it in depth with the medical examiner and make the best-informed career decision you can.

If you don't have a problem now, then your problem is with the way you are thinking about it.  All professional pilots also face the risk of being sued, of being run over by a truckload of turkeys, and of being hit by an anvil that falls from the sky.

You just can't base your life on the risks of things that "could happen someday."  You will solve every problem but the one that kills you.

Do what you want to do, and let tomorrow, or 20 years from now, take care of itself.

Good luck!

Answer 9

Try to get a job with a company that designs and builds flight simulators

Answer 10

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. If you loose your job as a pilot because you can no longer maintain your medical certificate, you go get a job that an employer is willing to hire you for. If you're a mechanical engineer, great, you have that option. It's the same in any job, if you are a mechanical engineer for 20 years and decide to drive big rigs you'll have to be licensed and then find a company that does not require experience. That's what happens when you choose a career path. You head down that path and hope because people on other paths are gaining experience in areas that you are not. Simple really.