Mid-career switch to aviation — looking for real-world advice

[Thomas7575]

Hi everyone,

I’m 46, based in Ontario, and seriously considering a career change into aviation. My plan would be modular training (PPL → CPL → Multi-IFR) with the goal of a regional FO position.

I’d love to hear from anyone who started later in life or recently went through the process — especially what surprised you, what you’d do differently, and whether you’d make the same choice again.

Thanks in advance for any insight

[leafs95]

I wouldn't normally recommend it but given your age and life-experience, maybe you'd consider one of the Cygnet cadet programs. ab-initio training with a guaranteed right seat at jazz or porter (depending on the program you're enrolled in).

Because of your age and any family commitments you may have at this time, it may be more beneficial to get on a stable regional immediately after training as opposed to slugging it on a ramp up north or flight instructing for x amount of months or possibly years. Of course this will cost you more than doing it modular, though I truly believe you'd reap the benefits from these sorts of cadet programs.

Best of luck whichever path you decide to take. Cheers

[khedrei]

I did it at 33. I was financially comfortable and had no kids. I had a ppl when I decided to leave and finished up my cpl before actually leaving. I did it the modular way at a local school. Instructed after then got into corporate. I don't regret it mainly because I hated the company and industry I was in before.

Obviously my situation is not as "later in life" as yours. Depending on your family commitments and lifestyle, the previous posters suggestion of an organized, "guaranteed" path might be a good way to minimize the training time and hit on your lifestyle while also avoiding doing the ramp up north as well as accomplishing your end goal at a regional.

With that said, if you make good money and dont hate your job too much and want this simply because you just love flying, I wouldnt do it. Buy a plane and fly for fun.

Good luck.

[canadianfly]

Hey Thomas 7575,

I've been in professional aviation since 1999, becoming a pilot was my childhood dream. Now back to your question:

There is nothing wrong with switching careers however this move will obviously come at a cost and not only financial especially in aviation.

If everything goes right in terms of your energy, efforts, motivation, family, financial and geopolitical situation...and that's a big IF, after you graduate you can expect to go as a rampie (if not in cadet program) for 2-3 years or instructing somewhere or going way up north for your first underpaid job, that will take a serious hit on your psychological state of mind. even if you make it to 705 ops Jazz type of stuff, you're still going to be bottom list not necessarily anywhere near your home town, your current lifestyle and work balance as you know it will be a thing of the past and you will end up with a new rearranged reality that will not probably suite you.

This decision needs to be made in close collaboration with your partner and your kids (if any) as this shift will affect all of them.

My advise to you is to stay away from flying aircrafts (professionally). If you have some savings i would suggest you self educate and invest them. Get a PPL and grab a C-172 or a Warrior from time to time to ease down your long dream of becoming a pilot. it's probably not what expected to read but I'm giving you my honest opinion from the bottom of my heart as i don't want you to regret your move.

I hope this helps.

[Red_Comet]

To add to the wisdom of the above posters, in my opinion the aviation employment market is back to pre-covid levels. Even new instructors are having a hard time getting hired at FTUs, as airlines/charters have drastically slowed their hiring rates causing the entire pilot pipeline to slow to a crawl.

The modular route is great, but as a pathway to the airlines it is a false sense of security. This is because you will end up spending far more time/money training part-time and it will cost the same or more than if you went full time ab-inito once you include opportunity cost of lost employment. Not only this, but I can guarantee that outside of these programs, very few (if any) 250 hr CPLs/iATPLs are being hired directly into regionals at the moment. We've had dozens of top Seneca/Confed/Sioux grads train as instructors because they aren't getting picked up by regionals like they were in the past few years. Anecdotally, I don't know of any pilots being hired at regionals without ~1000 hours (all commercial/instruction experience) in the past few months.

Airlines are likely bracing for economic uncertainty driven by the US shift in foreign policy in addition to a domestic economic storm brewing. For all these reasons, the advice I would have given a few years ago is not the same as I would give today. At present, the best path may be to begin your modular training part time without disrupting your life, and if you enjoy it enough, keep progressing incrementally without expectations of an airline job. Flying is much harder than most people (myself included) expected prior to training. It will be the most difficult thing you do unless you're unusually gifted. Even so, the ground school is also not trivial. All that said, it is an extremely rewarding experience for passionate aviators.