I am retiring from the military in 2020 and by then I will be 43 years old. I have always wanted to get my pilot license and eventually work at one of the major airlines. Some of the comments I have read so far is that age is not a factor when it comes to completing the 2 year flight program. How about getting hired by one of the airline companies? Is age a discriminator?
Samuel,
As long as things continue as they have been predicted to go, your age will not hinder you from getting hired at a regional. Depending on how quickly you can upgrade to captain, their may still be a chance for you to get hired as an FO for a major. The oldest new hire at a major that I’ve heard of was 60. This person also had an extensive flying background and connections inside the airline.
Tory
Samuel,
Age discrimination is against the law. The problem is however airline pilots have a finite number of years they can work as mandatory retirement is 65. As Tory said, you’ll have no issues getting hired at a Regional but flying for a Major is a whole other conversation. Regardless of age, some people make it to the Majors, many do not. If you believe you’d be happy with a career as a Regional pilot then by all means I’d go for it. If it’s a Major or bust then I might consider a different next career.
Adam
Samuel,
You have an excellent chance of being hired by a regional, your age should not matter one bit there. The majors can be another discussion, I would say that you would have a tough time getting on at a major, but I have been seeing more older pilots newly hired at my airline recently.
Chris