What Age Is Too Old to Become a Pilot? (2020)

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If you’re an airplane aficionado or looking for a career change in middle age (or both!), you may be considering applying to be a pilot. Pilots are able to fly all over, make a good salary, and are important for the American travel economy.

Pilots should be at most around 50 years old in order to ascend the ranks of an airline as a pilot since the forced retirement age is 65. However, younger pilots may fare better during the intense training and strenuous first few months or years of the career.

Read on to dive deeper into why age may matter for pilots, what training entails, and the ins and outs of the first years of the job. Also, learn about a few of the many benefits of working as a pilot, the reasons why many are attracted to a career in the air.

How Much Age Matters for Pilots

The Maximum Age

If you’re thinking about becoming a pilot and you’re middle-aged, keep in mind that there is a max-age that a pilot can be and still fly commercial airplanes. The Federal Aviation Administration requires all pilots to retire at 65 years old. The age used to be 60 years until, in 2009, it was petitioned and changed to 65.

The matter changes for private pilots, however. If you want to fly a personal aircraft, there is no strict age limit provided you have good physical and mental health, since you’re not going to be employed by an airline. Many retired pilots are still able to fly this way, and if you’re looking for more of a hobby than a job, private flying lessons may be the way to go.

The Minimum Age

If you’re looking to enroll in flight school at an older age, you might be in with a good amount of 20-year-olds, since the minimum age of a commercial pilot is typically 23. However, the requirements for each airline may differ..

However, a person can apply for a student pilot’s license at 16 years old and can fly solo or private planes (or gliders) with limitations.

Seniority

Seniority in pilot ranks doesn’t correspond directly with age. Rather, it refers to how long a pilot has flown with an airline. Typically, pilots who are older have more seniority. However, this is not true for those who started their career later in life.

Seniority determines a pilot’s pay grade, retirement fund, and schedule. New hires will get paid the least, and the pay rate usually tops out after about 12-15 years on the job. This means that if you applied at 50 years old, you would be maxing out your pay grade during your last years of work. Additionally, a percentage of your pay is added to a retirement fund, so the more you make, the cushier your retirement can be – another incentive to start early and move up sooner.

Another huge aspect of seniority is the work schedule. New hires get the least desirable flights, from long days, flying overnight, or working holidays. Pilots with families may find this part of flying the most difficult – you might miss a lot of weekends or celebrations, and come back from work exhausted. An older pilot with a family may be less eager to take on the early years than a young, single pilot.

What Training Entails

Education

First, if you’re looking to be a pilot, you must have a degree from a university, preferably one with an aviation program. Most airlines these days want college-educated pilots, and a degree in the form of a bachelor’s in aviation or a related field is preferred. If you’re younger and know you want to be a pilot, joining aviation clubs in college is encouraged. However, older pilots shouldn’t fret about this – it’s not necessary.

Flight Time

After graduating, commercial pilot hopefuls are required to get a certain number of hours in the air before qualifying for a license. The typical number for an Airline Transport Pilot license is 1,500 hours. Other types of licenses, not for commercial jets, will have a lower hour requirement.

The training is usually completed through a flight school, one approved by the Federal Aviation Association. Other options are hiring a personal instructor or using simulations for in-flight instrument practice.

Tests

After completing the requisite hours, the student must pass both a written exam and a flight exam, ensuring they can safely operate a plane.

Additionally, many airlines move potential pilots through psychological, physical, and drug tests. It’s important that pilots are able to fly long hours and stay sharp, keep cool during an emergency, as well as be able to swim if a water landing is needed.

The First Months

Before a pilot moves onto becoming a captain, they often spend a few more weeks training specifically with their airline. This often involves more flight hours, as well as trips as a co-pilot with a more seasoned captain.

After that, pilots acquire seniority over time, as well as through more advanced training for longer or more strenuous flights (for example, night flying). During this time, they will be assigned to holidays, weekends, or otherwise less desirable flights. Older hires should be prepared to be in this position, despite possibly having a few years on some of the more experienced pilots.

The Benefits of Becoming a Pilot

Even at an older age, the many benefits of becoming a commercial pilot draws many to the job. Here are a few great benefits of becoming a pilot that anyone would enjoy:

Free travel. Not just on-the-job travel, but pilots often get benefits that include free stand-by (meaning only if a free seat is available) travel on their airline. Some airlines, like Alaska, allow for a pilot’s family to use this privilege too.
You can cruise through the day. Despite the notion that pilots must focus and steer the plane all the way through the trip, much of the time is spent on autopilot. While this doesn’t mean you can take a catnap, pilots aren’t too stressed most of the time.
The best views. Whether flying during sunrise, over a mountain range, or just through the clouds, a pilot gets to see more beauty during their workday than they would at a typical office job.
Good pay. While the pay scale for pilots differs greatly depending on seniority, company, and the size of the aircraft, a typical pilot will make just under $70,000 in their first year and up to $180,000 at peak seniority.

Conclusion

Training to become a pilot is best for those who are 50 or younger. Being about 35 would be a sweet spot, as you have enough time to get a degree, train, and move up the ranks to get to peak seniority to have a full career. However, as long as you have the flexibility to accommodate a rigorous new schedule, the time and passion, anyone who is younger than 60 can become a pilot.

To train to fly a commercial jet, new pilots must have 1,500 hours under their belt. They must also pass a multitude of aptitude, mental, and physical tests. After that, the newest hires have the most undesirable schedules, with weekends, holidays, or back-to-back flights, while more experienced pilots get an easier workload.

However, being a pilot is a great job for those who like travel and being up in the air – and it doesn’t pay half bad, either.

What Age Is Too Old to Become a Pilot?