Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek


#232150 1-Apr-2018 14:24
Send private message

Something Ive always dreamed of is being a Pilot, but got sucked into IT for the money like many, along with a technology interest.

 

I feel like in a few years I need a career change. Its hard to know if jobs are limited by being agist.


View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic
 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
mentalinc
3229 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #1986791 1-Apr-2018 14:36
Send private message

Air NZ not currently hiring.

 

I was going to say yes but this suggests there are pilots over 70 at Air NZ (http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/4882356/Ageing-Air-NZ-pilots-refuse-to-retire) but that was 7 years ago.

 

 

 

Will you still pass the required medical based on family history to be able to pay off the large student loans





CPU: AMD 5900x | RAM: GSKILL Trident Z Neo RGB F4-3600C16D-32GTZNC-32-GB | MB:  Asus X570-E | GFX: EVGA FTW3 Ultra RTX 3080Ti| Monitor: LG 27GL850-B 2560x1440

 

Quic: https://account.quic.nz/refer/473833 R473833EQKIBX 




Dingbatt
6755 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #1986796 1-Apr-2018 14:45
Send private message

Yes. 50 is too old. Considering you have to start at the bottom in commercial aviation. And by the bottom I mean the hardest job, on the minimum pay with long hours, while you try and build your hours to get to the next rung on the ladder.
@Hairy1 is probably better to comment, but there is also significant financial commitment involved to get started. One that you are unlikely to recoup. In the airlines they would need to see a return on their investment if they provide the aircraft type conversions. Otherwise, even more expense on your part.
If the pundits are to be believed, the current bunch of commerical pilots are likely to be the last 'pilots' in the traditional sense. While autonomous aircraft may still be a little way off, the change is probably inevitable.

The best advice I have heard an airline pilot friend give someone was to get a great job in IT and earn enough to fly for fun if you want to, because high paying jobs in aviation are a thing of the past.




“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996


TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek


  #1986797 1-Apr-2018 14:45
Send private message

mentalinc:

 

Air NZ not currently hiring.

 

I was going to say yes but this suggests there are pilots over 70 at Air NZ (http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/4882356/Ageing-Air-NZ-pilots-refuse-to-retire) but that was 7 years ago.

 

 

 

Will you still pass the required medical based on family history to be able to pay off the large student loans

 

 

Yeah the time and money is the biggest factor. Im actually thinking more on call domestic work, possibly even Cessna 172 tourism type work.

 

Im hoping in say 10 years Ill be able to semi retire and being able to do a job you love part time would be amazing. But Im worried about age, if thats not an issue I guess it comes down to health? I wouldnt imagine its something Id do for more than 10 years, so fully retiring at 65.

 

Id absolutely love to be a Choppa pilot but that takes some serious hours.

 

Thanks for that link, very interesting. I guess when you have a job you would pay to do like that link, why would you want to retire. A bit like Footy players that go on too long and find it hard to let go.

 

On the flip side, if you did it long enough to buy yourself a personal plane, what a bloody fun hobby......




TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek


  #1986798 1-Apr-2018 14:50
Send private message

Dingbatt: Yes. 50 is too old.

The best advice I have heard an airline pilot friend give someone was to get a great job in IT and earn enough to fly for fun if you want to, because high paying jobs in aviation are a thing of the past.

 

Thanks for that. That is semi what Im looking at, but doing small plane tourism work, 10 years from now when Im ready to semi retire. I want to live in a more country atmosphere but it would require living in a tourism town.

 

Places I have wanted to live maybe out of the question.

 

Whangarei

 

Whitianga

 

New Plymouth

 

Some other places might be good for this sort of work

 

Nelson (anywhere in Marlborough)

 

Te Anau

 

Queenstown (although I might not be able to afford a place there, Id have to live out of town).

 

 

 

I think Im looking for a little bit of encouragement of chasing my dreams rather than working in an office for the last 10 years of my working life after already having spent 30 years in a cubical lol.


rb99
3422 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #1986799 1-Apr-2018 14:52
Send private message

Not having flown for decades and not having the money now (which is probably irrelevant actually), I should imagine you'd have to make do with Dingbatts last paragraph.

 

Or maybe you could get into ag-pilot or glider towing or something ? not that I've researched it.





“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

 

rb99


TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek


  #1986800 1-Apr-2018 14:53
Send private message

Perhaps giving these guys some questions would be the best bet?

 

https://www.aviationinstitute.co.nz//

 

 


rb99
3422 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #1986801 1-Apr-2018 14:54
Send private message

There's always Whakatane (or Tauranga). Wouldn't flying tourists = commercial licence = empty money pit.





“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

 

rb99


 
 
 

GoodSync. Easily back up and sync your files with GoodSync. Simple and secure file backup and synchronisation software will ensure that your files are never lost (affiliate link).
TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek


  #1986804 1-Apr-2018 14:56
Send private message

rb99:

 

Not having flown for decades and not having the money now (which is probably irrelevant actually), I should imagine you'd have to make do with Dingbatts last paragraph.

 

 

Did you find it enjoyable?

 

Its not my only option for part time semi retirement but Im pretty sure Id enjoy it. I guess getting some hours under my belt would be the best way to be sure before going head on into it.

 

What else do semi retired 55yos do?

 

I know people keep working to 65, but Im a firm believer life is to short not to be doing something you enjoy, at least for some part of your life....


TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek


  #1986805 1-Apr-2018 14:56
Send private message

rb99:

 

There's always Whakatane (or Tauranga). Wouldn't flying tourists = commercial licence = empty money pit.

 

 

Really is that an aerial tourism market region?


blackjack17
1705 posts

Uber Geek


  #1986807 1-Apr-2018 15:06
Send private message

What about taking it up as a hobby? Microlight or autogyro.

Note only thing I have flown is a kite




rb99
3422 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #1986808 1-Apr-2018 15:06
Send private message

I only ever had a PPL and I certainly enjoyed it, though I don't think I was very good at it. Learnt in northwest UK, circuit bashing, views over to North Wales mountains, climb through the scattered clouds to cruise above those puffy white things, trying not to get lost on cross countries, the odd (deliberate) spin. Never really had the money to do it properly though so I couldn't fly enough to be confident to take passengers. So if you've got a few bob its great fun, and you can find a club and take part in competitions, maybe precision flying, dawn till dusk stuff.

 

Or there's always needlework or knitting woolly hats.





“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

 

rb99


rb99
3422 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #1986810 1-Apr-2018 15:11
Send private message

They have (a few) warbirds in Tauranga and Whakatane does flights around the area and trips to White Island. Its not Queenstown but its not bad.

 

This kind of stuff  http://aerohire.co.nz/  - expensive hobby....

 

or http://www.whiteislandflights.co.nz/  





“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

 

rb99


TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek


  #1986814 1-Apr-2018 15:17
Send private message

rb99:

 

They have (a few) warbirds in Tauranga and Whakatane does flights around the area and trips to White Island. Its not Queenstown but its not bad.

 

This kind of stuff  http://aerohire.co.nz/  - expensive hobby....

 

or http://www.whiteislandflights.co.nz/  

 

 

Yes I just read Bay Of Islands in this link at the bottom.

 

Surely you must be able to tweak enough money from it to pay your bills and food?

 

https://www.aia.org.nz/Industry/Aviation+Industry+overview+aircraft+products++charter+flights.html

 

I know any jet requires more education. But if I limited myself to props, that would limit my on call work or demand.

 

Im looking at it for more than just a hobby but also a small income. If thats impossible then Ill need to rethink my options.

 

Would it be possible to own your own plane and run it as a tourism business?

 

I have a degree in Tourism of all things, along with a BCom.


TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek


  #1986816 1-Apr-2018 15:23
Send private message

This is interesting, Air NZ aiming to be the number one digital airline.

 

With my Project Management, Solutions Architecture and the one I enjoy the most UX design, this could be a way to work for Air NZ first. They wanted me 10 years ago but I had to go back to Aus, I semi regret it.

 

https://careers.airnewzealand.co.nz/belong-here/career-options/digital/#Digital

 

 


surfisup1000
5288 posts

Uber Geek


  #1986817 1-Apr-2018 15:24
Send private message

I have a good friend who flies large jets, passenger and cargo, for a large airline. He reckons there was both a bit of luck and definitely hard work to get to where he is now.

 

I get the impression from him you need to start reasonably young. You work the hard grueling smaller planes to build hours, and if you're lucky you might eventually be hired to fly as co-pilot on smaller planes. Then, pilot. 

 

Then, if you're lucky again, you might get selected to fly jets, but it takes a long time to become captain. 

 

But , once you get there, you can have your favorite barber in Kathmandu, go surfing in lots of cool places, and see some really cool things in cargo. 

 

Of course, you don't need to get to where he is at, you can be happy with small commercial. 

 

 


 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.