wessidemike

I've been doing some soul searching lately, which has led me to consider going back to flight school.

I am 31 Years old. I stopped flying about 6 years ago, and have regretted it ever since. I have a SEL Commercial License, but have not flown in years. I made it all the way to my CFI checkride, didn't pass, and have not flown since. I miss it. I have close to 300hr but I am not current. I'm not even really sure where I stand with regards to getting my pilots license back.

My immaturity during that period of time led me to drop aviation as a career for reasons that are still difficult to admit aloud. My love for aviation then took me to ATC school, coupled with my flight experience allowed me to graduate in 6 months at the top of my class. I was offered a job in Denver Center, but declined due to the non-contract that ATC was going through at the time, (they took a 30 percent paycut right after I graduated) A and B pay scales ETC...

I then went to business school, graduated SDSU in 2011 with a B.S in Business Administration - Marketing with a cumulative 3.02 GPA. I am currently seeing work in that field, but honestly I don't feel passionate about it, and jobs are scarce.

Here are my questions.

Am I too old to take up flying again as a serious career path, or has this lapse in time cost me too much?

What would you guess I am looking at in terms of costs to get back to where i left off. (I made it through my ratings pretty close to FAA minimums and I consider myself to be a pretty good pilot).

What is the current outlook for CFI's in terms of building hours?

Last question, what is the outlook for hiring by regionals over the next few years (or span of time it should take to build enough hour to be hirable)?

So what do you guys think is realistic under these circumstances in terms of getting back into aviation?

My current situation is, I have a job now that affords me fairly flexible schedules (espeically during the day) pays about 50k a year, I have no debt, and I have quite a bit of money in savings. There are no career advancement opportunities with my current job.

rickair7777

No. You already have a CPL and have been through the wringer on the CFI (which has a high fail rate for first-timers)

I'm guessing you would need to essentially repeat the initial CFI training from scratch and take the checkride. You could regain your currency while doing that.

Not as good as it was 6-10 years ago, but there are still opportunities. Flight schools tend to hire their own graduates as instructors. The conventional wisdom is to find a school where you can do your CFI/CFII/MEI and then have a high likelyhood of getting hired as an instructor. The money you're going to spend on your instructor ratings has value to flight schools so you should avoid spending that money on a school which you know won't hire you.

You will need 1500 hours total time and an ATP to get a regional job (new federal law in case you hadn't heard).

I think the regionals will generally be shrinking over the next few years, and that will accelerate over time but that should be offset by major airline retirements to hopefully there will be movement.

Seems realistic to me. You sound like you've done some self-assessment and matured.

Try to keep that job as long as you can while you train and work as a CFI.

Hopefully you don't have a spouse and kids?

USMCFLYR

If you didn't like ATC pay - have you honestly looked at CFI and Regional pay?

wessidemike

I'm not chasing pay anymore, I want a job that I don't loath going to each day.

porqueno

You're definitely not too old, but you have to be prepared to earn close to nothing for the next 5-10 years. I'd start by popping your head into the door of your local flight school. Ask them if they're hiring CFIs before telling them that you lack the rating.

Timbo

While you are there, pull one of their CFI's aside and ask him how much he made in 2012, and how many hours he was able to log, and what he expects to make/log in 2013.

RunnerMark

You are not too old. More importantly however, are you married? Do you have children? That would be the biggest factor for me.

As far as cost... You need to start CFI from scratch. You should consider CFII and MEI as well. I'm not exactly sure the current cost there, and of course it varies, but I would set aside $5000 for the CFI if starting over.

There are plenty of CFI jobs out there if you are willing to move anywhere... and live with some roommates or have a sugar mama. I lived alone as a CFI and regret it. It was tough eight years ago, tougher now. There are several routes here, 141 schools, local flight schools etc... Can go a lot of ways, pros and cons, everyone has an opinion. If you're just looking for building hours, I'd say go for a 141 that has contracts.

Regionals WILL be hiring over the next few years, but you absolutely shouldn't limit yourself to that avenue. Keep yourself open to other opportunities (some may be MUCH better).

CheckPower

If you can afford it, get your ME Instrument and start time building as quickly as possible. At the same time, start applying to all the regional airlines. I was hired with 600SEL and 60ME. Commute Air and Silver are the bottom of the barrel but you will fly your butt off and get paid a little while you acquire enough time to be competitive for the majors.

Also, I am a career changer too. I am 40 yrs old and have been flying at the regionals for 5 years. Took what seemed to be alot of time money and effort but, I will be going to the majors soon.

Flying is my passion. I was making below poverty wages for 3 years but seldom had a bad day at work. If flying keeps calling you back, go follow your dream. When you love what you do, you will never work another day in your life again.

skypilot35

The fact of the matter is the only person who can decide on whether the move is a good one is YOU. I am a recently retired Marine, 41 years old, and I started flying at a VERY low paying regional this year. In fact it is the lowest paying regional in the country, Great Lakes Airlines. I had 850 hours and GLA was the only airline that would touch me. The commute to work is horrible, the hours are long and exhausting, the overnights are short, and I get treated like a dog. I LOVE it. The pilot group is outstanding! The aircraft (B1900D), while ugly as hell and antiquated, is a blast to fly and the view is tremendous. This is a lifelong dream for me and am having a blast.

If I had to venture a guess, I would say you have a passion for flying. If that is the case, then you should pursue it. But, pursue it with your eyes open. Remember that the ATP rule goes into effect August of this year. What that means to you is that you will need 1500 hours before any regional will look at you. How will you build that time? CFI'ing is a great way and probably the most realistic, but it will not happen over night. Rickair7777 made a great suggestion and that was do it on the side while keeping your current job. It may take a little longer, but at least you will not be dependent upon the whims of your students.

Good luck to you. I understand your trepidation, but if you do decide to go after it, you will have a blast.

I see you said you went to SDSU. Are you still in San Diego? If so, there are a ton of flying clubs and there are several that are reputable. I spent 3 years flight instructing here and l still live in the area. I have a couple of buddies who are active CFIs and could recommend some if you would like.

Rama

You still have 30+ years to go. If it really matters to you, give it a shot.