Flight Training - March 2012 - 48

CAREER PILOT»

“During the last hiring boom in 2007 and 2008, when the airlines were hiring more than 1,000 pilots per month, many of the new hires were career changers who were much older as a group.” The age of the newly hired pilots during those days ranged from 25 to 57 at the major airlines and 21 to 52 at the national and regional carriers. So, if you are 48 years of age and thinking about jumping on board the upcoming hiring gravy train and take that ride to United or Delta as a pilot—well, not so fast. The average major airline new-hire has about 6,000 hours. But, this doesn’t always mean that you need 5,000plus hours to land that front seat at a big air carrier. It depends.

“Age is not the criteria for determining competitive flight experience; it is actually years of professional flying that are used to measure the amount of flight experience that is scored as competitive.” Darby points to the scoring system at one major airline. “The airline subtracts the date of your commercial license from the current date and divides this time into your total time to get your average hours per year. It is your hours per year that produces your score, and may even make you uncompetitive with thousands of hours over a long period of time.” This is why some pilots with only 2,500 hours are hired by a major airline rather than someone with 5,000 hours.

That 2,500-hour pilot flew about 1,200 hours per year the past two years flying freight while the 5,000hour pilot flew only about 35 hours monthly for 12 years in light twins. But, that first job at the lower rung of the airline career ladder is quite doable for the 40-something career changer. Darby says, “Today, a pilot at any age could enter training in one of the accelerated professional programs and get all of the training required in about five months if they train full-time, or a year if they continue to work.” In 2007, the regional airlines were taking new pilots with fewer than 300 hours of total time and 50 hours of multiengine experience. These hours are quite attainable

CAREER ADVISOR

'I JUST WANT TO FLY’
Should he consider the Air Force first?
» By Wayne Phillips

»Q. I am currently a junior in high school

looking to fly for a living. I have completed my solo in a Cessna, have 12.5 hours signed off, and plan on obtaining my private pilot certificate by the end of high school. I am also looking to military service as well. Would it be wise to serve four years of active duty in the U.S. Air Force, then come out and attend an accredited flight college, or would it be smarter to complete the flight college and serve afterward? Also, which colleges are the best choices if a person is looking to work as an airline pilot?
»A. You are on the right track by develop-

ing a career strategy, not simply “winging it.” So many young folks merely say, “I just want to fly!” You should also be

proud of your decision to serve your country in the U.S. Air Force. Your first question about whether to enroll in college first or enlist in the Air Force deserves some very serious thought. I would suggest talking to an Air Force recruiter for guidance. From my perspective, the first item to consider is just where do you want to go in the USAF? If you aspire to an officer’s commission or a flying position, then you will want to invest in those four years of college before service. There are hundreds of host institutions of higher learning in the United States that feature the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). Additionally, many of these colleges and universities have excellent flight programs where you can pursue both an officer’s commission and a professional pilot track simultaneously. Schools such as Arizona State, Auburn, Embry-Riddle, Kansas State, Purdue, San Jose State, and University of Alaska-Anchorage

have outstanding flight programs as well as Air Force ROTC detachments. The cost of education and flight training at any of these institutions is quite pricey. However, the USAF may very well grant you a scholarship to support you during your collegiate years. This is why it is so important to sit down with an Air Force recruiter near your hometown and develop a plan. Yes, you can delay college and earn that degree after the Air Force. You can even earn a degree online. But, as you grow older, you will find demands on your time and resources may interfere with earning that degree. However, you may want to consider the new G.I. Bill, which pays for flight training and college. This way you could serve as an enlisted airman and get your college and flight training paid for. That would be a substantial savings.
Send your Career Pilot questions to careers@aopa. org and we’ll answer them here.

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Flight Training - March 2012

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