HOW OLD IS TOO OLD?

One of the most popular questions asked at our seminars around the UK and Europe concern age and whether there is an age beyond which you should not consider an airline pilot career.

The questions often come from those in their early to late thirties and sometimes those in their forties. We have known students of all ages (even a grandmother of 48) start training and succeed in obtaining a First Officer position.

Obviously, a lot depends on the state of pilot recruitment in the industry at any given time. When there is a shortage of pilots, more mature graduates are much more likely to be successful than if there are few jobs around when they qualify, though we can say the same for graduates of any age. Furthermore, mature low hours pilots have amassed a wealth of life and interpersonal skills which young graduates do not have and which is be perfectly suited to this career where maturity is important.

Here is an interview with First Officer James Cook who started training at around 40 years old and now flies for Jet2.