Thank you. I hope I do too!!! Funny you both told me to forget it… and I’ve had many tell me it will happen. Maybe they know something you don’t. I have been reading about pilots being hired at age 55 and or 56. Sometimes airlines prefer maturity. Maybe some don’t. But, being a woman will help I’m told.
Maybe I’m just looking at the wrong school perhaps???
I took my first lesson and 1st ride as well in a small plane today… LOVE!!! I could live in the sky!!!
Think about it for a bit, some schools will tell you whatever you want to hear to get you to come spend your money there, this school is giving you realistic expectations and telling you to be cautious before spending your money. Which one would you trust?
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The school you go to will not get you to the majors any faster. The school you go to will only effect how fast you build you required 1500 hours and the quality of the training that you get…
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I’ve also heard some airlines will hire older pilots because they know those pilots will never get up into the higher salary brackets nor will they collect any benefits after 65.
Nobody was saying you couldn’t get hired by a AN airline, just that making it to a MAJOR or LEGACY carrier is unlikely at your age, and even if you did you would have to accept that you would only be doing it for the ability to say you had been a First Officer at a major, you would spend the rest of your career chasing up the ladder and never really make it into the higher salaries besides maybe the last 2-3 years that you could possibly fly for an airline and even that wouldn’t be spectacular since your seniority would be low at that airline. You would also be stuck with the bottom rung schedules, reserve flying, etc. since you would constantly be resetting your seniority when you changed carriers.
It’s great that you’re enthusiastic and eager, but this industry is very set in stone in a lot of ways which is what many people come on to this forum to learn. There are definite minimums in terms of flight hours required for hiring, and ABSOLUTE maximums in terms of what age you can work up to and how many hours you can legally accrue per year, due to all of this you will not be able to jump ahead of anybody because you are mature or because you are a woman, these minimums and maximums apply to everyone in the industry and many of them are mandated by the FAA. The mentors here are simply trying to tell you that setting a realistic goal of making a career at a Regional Airline is a possibility but being eager and excited won’t change FAA rules nor will it get an airline to hire you below their hiring minimums.
If you look back through the many posts on this site related to age and starting a new career, the mentors have told MANY other people who were younger than you to consider these exact facts and to also consider that making a final career at a Regional may be more realistic and frankly more enjoyable since you would be able to build a little seniority and get better schedules etc. by 65 and the end of your career. Anyway, if you want it then do it, but you should research a bit more about the industry on your own, you’ll realize that what Adam and Chris are saying is 100% true, nobody here is trying to dump on your dreams whatsoever.
James
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Everything in this career is going to be earned, not given to you because of specific circumstances or who you know. The rules are there for reasons as James mentioned, and therefore they have been researched and proven to be the best for the industry even if we may not agree with some of them personally. Remember that these guys are here to help people like us make better decisions and plan out our futures to become successful Pilots. I have been on here for months and have never read anything I have disagreed with from Chris, Adam, Yarden, or anyone else associated with the forum. It’s great to have goals and it’s great to work hard to reach those goals, however these guys have experience and they’re going to always do their best to try to lead you in the best direction for you personally! Go into it with an open mind and you will be happy with whatever comes out of it!
EDIT: there is one thing I disagree with from Adam: pineapple on Pizza is actually really good 
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Fruit NEVER belongs on pizza… 
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Kimberly you sound defensive and as Chris said no one is trying to rain on anyone’s parade, why would we? That said your friends are telling you one thing and we’re telling you another? You seem to have made your decision of who’s right and that’s fine. Your life, your dream, your decision and you obviously can do whatever you like. But here’s the thing, most of us who want to fly dream of just that. While we all may have a “dream job” most are simply happy getting paid to do something we love. If you read my profile I say quite honestly I never believed I’d ever be an airline pilot. I simply wanted to fly. I was very fortunate getting hired by both my first choice of Regional and my first choice of Major BUT, if I hadn’t, while I may have been a little disappointed, if I were still flying that would’ve been fine. Now you seem to have a VERY specific goal and I get the impression that anything short of it would not be acceptable. Not saying there’s anything wrong with that, BUT if that were me, before I invested a whole lot of time and money I’d want a realistic assessment of the obtainability of that specific goal (not just from what my friends told me). So to that end I’ll leave you with one final piece of advice. There’s a wonderful organization called WAI (Woman in Aviation https://www.wai.org/) and they have conferences throughout the year across the country. They’re a large organization and their events are pretty big deals attracting aviation professionals from every airline in the country. I would encourage you to attend and go directly to the source. Delta’s at most events and it won’t be a friend or some jerk like me, there will be actual recruiters there and they will tell you with little uncertainty where you stand.
Good luck!
Adam
Gentlemen while I seldom make ABSOLUTE statements Kamrin you’re wrong and James is right. Fruit is to be served fresh or in a flaky pie crust ala mode. That is all.
Adam
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Adam,
I used to think that way, until I went to Monterey, Mexico and had tacos al pastor with pineapple in them, that changed everything for me.
Chris
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Thank you for the advice. Yours was more tastefully delivered in my opinion. It’s not just friends telling me what I’ve been told. I have done a lot of research and I still have more to do! It would be a huge investment for me so I do appreciate the advice. I look nor feel anywhere near my age and I want a new birth certificate!!! Lol. It’s not fair!! 
How many years do you have to fly for a major airline to have any retirement benefits?? Thanks. I’ve been trying to find that one!
Typically 10 years for flight benefits from what has been told to others on here, but the benefits are minor since your priority drops to the bottom of the list pretty much. There are no other retirement benefits, only 401k match while working just like any other decent profession.
LOVE pastor but I ALWAYS pull the pineapple and eat them for dessert 
Adam
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Chris and Adam have given me solid advice about age and reasonable expectations. In my research it is still possible to fly for a regional but you have to understand the time it takes to get to the so called “majors”. Full disclosure, I’m soon to be a 49 low time pilot and the regionals sound good to me.
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Pineapple? Really? Lol.
So is the age 65 only for commercial airlines or is that across the board in FFA guidelines that you can’t fly anything after the age of 65? I too am 51 and very interested in obtaining my commercial license. However I could care less if I fly major airlines, regionals are fine with me and I know that I could possibly instruct at some point if I wanted/needed to am I correct in my thinking?
Beverly,
The age 65 rule only applies to airline pilots. After age 65 there are still corporate and CFI jobs available, but remember that at some point nobody is going to feel very comfortable with an obviously aged person flying the airplane.
Chris
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So at 44 I’m doing ok? Regionals at this point would suit me perfectly. Any Thoughts? I’m starting in less then 2 months, and I’m a " New" 44 lol
CJ,
I think that 44 is a fine age to get into this and you might, just maybe, have a shot at the majors.
Let us know how you do throughout the program, please. What career field are you leaving?
Chris