how old is to old?

[yakker]

Hey guys one more for ya. I'm about half way done my commercial and have heard more and more guys saying they are to old to get on with a Airline. My question is at what point would a airline consider you to old to work for them if you are coming into the industry with little experience?
I personally want to fly up north but at some point I might want to switch gears and settle a bit.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!

[North Shore]

How old are you? I'm sure that if you show up at age 60 at Air Canada, just meeting their minimums, then it's going to be "Thanks for coming out, but no thanks." In your mid 40's why not?

[E-Flyer]

I don't think flying up north has a certain age limit to it.

There are guys who changed careers from sitting infront of a computer to flying when they had kids, mortgage, and a wife to keep happy.

I would actually think that having an older candidate apply for an airline would bring about some positive attributes that a young lad would not bring, because the older candidate has more life experiences. Obviously the line is drawn when you're too old.

North Shore said it, I think the 40's would be ok

[Embraer190]

It always changes. If they need people, they will hire anyone who has the qualifications. They also try to diversify the hiring (in terms of age) so they don't have mass retirements at a particular point in time in the future.

[Irishgypsy1962]

Yakker, I am 45 and I am doing it and hopefully if all goes well, I will have my commercial with about 100 + hrs on floats and will be heading North at that point. I am in the somewhat in the same position as you, I do want to work up North and don't want to jump around from company to company. All I want to do is hook up with the same company each year and head south for the winters and do the same with a company down there. I have done my research and I have concluded that if one is flexible, willing to travel and not afraid of hard work, then it will all work out. Just have to keep moving forward and if it is a dream, then keep working towards it.

Good Luck

[Strega]

How old are you? I'm sure that if you show up at age 60 at Air Canada, just meeting their minimums, then it's going to be "Thanks for coming out, but no thanks."

If they told me that, I would tell them to expect a letter from the human rights commisioner..

[E-Flyer]

They dont' have to say that - they will legally waive him off due to his age.

They will say "there were better candidates for this position, thank you." As mean and unjust as that sounds


But hey, ACA isn't the only company.

[Rockie]

There is a cost involved in training, and unless they get a certain amount of service out of you it's simply not worth it. They won't train current Air Canada pilots on another aircraft within 18 months of their retirement so they aren't about to hire anyone within that time frame. Getting around the age discrimination thing is too easy, and unless the company explicitly states on the rejection letter that the candidate was too old it's a pretty hard thing to prove. No company is that stupid, although there has been at least one that came close.

[yakker]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm turning 34 this summer and the way these 25 yr old flight instructors talk it seems like I've missed the possibility of a aviation career with a airline.

[MorganAirCFI]

34 is still young, you still have lots of time. My commercial ground school the majority of people were over 30, wanting to change careers. Most of those guys are either in an airline or capt on twin otter or the like at this point. My float instructor flew commercially up until 2 days before he passed, he was over 80. Airlines retire you at 60. I think there is talk about bumping it to 65.

[E-Flyer]

unfortunately training in north america has indefinite standards when it comes to the knowledge base of the pilot's who become instructors. Almost anybody can become a flight instructor. Not saying that it's easy, but it's definitely not hard. I don't know which principle those instructors were using when they said you're too old, but if you do the basic mathematics of how it normally takes 10-15 years for a typical candidate between training and the airlines, that would put you into a 12-17 year career with an airline assuming that you would retire at 60.

You're cruising at 34 man. I say get into it and have fun

[BibleMonkey]

how old is to old?

117..118 years old, I'd say. You definitely should start thinking of slowing down around a hundred.
Depending on what the wife and girlfriend think-you should take their thoughts into account.