Expert: David A. NewMyer - 1/12/2009

Question
Mr. NewMyer,

I'm 43 and looking to make a career change.  I've had a lifelong interest in aviation -- I've followed the field as a hobbyist, and earlier in my career, worked in aerospace software development for 13 years.  I'd very much like to spend more of my working life more directly involved in flying, and the path of the corporate pilot has a lot of appeal for me.  My question is, is this a realistic goal for someone at my relatively advanced age?  Is there enough time for me to complete my training, log my hours, and pay my dues in the job search to have any hope of landing one of these coveted jobs?  I'm basically a zero-time pilot -- just now starting to obtain my PPL.

Thanks in advance!

Answer
Hi, John:

Thanks for your question....it is an important question and one that has a customized answer to it that, in the end, only you would have.  But, let me give you some input that would, hopefully, help you with figuring out an answer.

Basically, what the decision comes down to is desire (to be a pilot) and resources (money and time) that you have to devote to becoming a professional pilot.

There are three basic steps involved, some or parts of which you might already have or have underway:

Education

Certification

Experience

On Education, you need to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree just to be competitive with others who will be in the pilot career field with you.

On certification, you are already aware of the fact that you need to start with the Private Pilot License or PPL.  You need to move on from there to a Federal Aviation Administration Commercial Pilot Certificate with Instrument and Multi Engine Ratings.  And, to help you in your experience building, it might be good to get a Flight Instructor (Airplane) Certificate (if possible, also a CFI (I) and a CFI (ME).  With the CFI certificate and ratings, you can build your flight time by teaching others to fly.  Another key part of certification to keep in mind is the Federal Aviation Adminstration medical certificates....you need to be able to pass a high level of medical certification to fly sophisticated aircraft.  Talk to your FAA medical examiner and to potential employers about their FAA medical requirements.

On Experience, the issue is that, right now, with the industry down in terms of hiring, there are a lot of pilots out there with a lot of experience who are looking for jobs.  Furthermore, in terms of obtaining a corporate flying job, they typically are looking for applicants with 3000 to 5000 hours of flight time as well as some pilot in command (PIC) flight time (or Captain's flight time) in turbine aircraft.  This means that they want to know that you have flown an aircraft that is sophisticated (jet engines, etc) and one that has a crew of two.  They are looking for 500 to 1000 hours of PIC turbine time.  So, the corporate aviation community tends to hire people who are coming out of the airline industry, the air taxi industry, or, out of the military, since they are hiring experienced people.

In terms of the time it will take you to do all of the above, it will be, realistically, 18 to 24 months for basic certificates to be done if you are doing them on a part time basis.  Experience, then, takes another five years to build.  So, you are talking six to seven years from right now to build up to the point where you can be hired in the corporate aviation industry.  It might be a bit quicker than that depending on how fast the economic recovery is....or, it might be a bit longer (if the recovery is slow).  After the 9/11 attacks, the pilot hiring situation was cleared up in about 4 years, with peak hiring occuring about six years out.  I am expecting something similar with the current situation.  So, in other words, if you can AFFORD to spend the money and the time, your TIMING in terms of a hiring peak is pretty good.

And, considering that airlines are now employing pilots to age 65 in the USA AND the fact that corporate flight departments do not typically have an age limit, you will have at least a 15 year career in flying depending on where you end up (again, with the assumption that your FAA medicals exams will go well).

I hope that this helps with you decision making.  It all boils down to how much you want to make this change to the pilot career....if, after the PPL, it is something that "is in your blood," then, it is something you will likely pursue no matter what.  If it is not something that drives you that hard, then, maybe not!

I hope that I have given you some things to think about.  I wish you the very best in your deliberations.  Please email me another question if you have any follow-ups....

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
http://www.aviation.siu.edu