Perhaps you’re considering a career change because your current job isn’t what you thought it would be. Or maybe you’re wanting to chase and realize a childhood dream that you’ve always had. Many of us don’t have the financial resources to become a pilot until later in life, and so it’s a common question: What is the maximum age limit to become a pilot?
The minimum age to receive your pilot’s license in the United States is 17, and there is no maximum age for being a private pilot. However, airline pilots in the United States currently have a forced retirement age of 65. Airline recruiters generally prefer you be 35 years or younger when applying for an entry level position, however there is no law that regulates the maximum age to begin your aviation career (just a forced retirement from the airlines).
If you’re not wanting to make aviation a career or an employment opportunity, then there is really no age restriction you should be worried about at all. Intellectual capacity and fine motor skills wane with age so it just comes down to if you can competently pilot an airplane with good decision making. It’s not uncommon for pilots to fly into their 70’s or sometimes 80’s.
However, if you’re looking to make aviation a career, there is a forced retiring age for airlines in the US – 65 years old. After that point you can still be hired as a pilot in other settings (or other countries for that matter), but the airlines will no longer be an option for you.
The rest of this post we’ll walk you through the quickest way to become a professional pilot, the trajectory for getting your required ratings, and then what you can do after you’ve reached 65 years of age. Aviation is one of the most rewarding skills you could pursue and whether or not you turn it into a profession, it can lead to a lifetime of adventure.
Also, for those of you starting your journey as a pilot, I put together a mini-library of 23 different resources and answers that I wish I could have consumed before I started flying or early in my training. You can grab that (for free) here:
The Quickest Way to Start Your Aviation Career
If you’re 35, 40, or older, and want to pivot to an aviation career, your main focus needs to be getting your required ratings but even more importantly your required hours. 1,500 flight hours is generally the minimum amount you can have before a (US) airline is going to take a look at you. 1,500 hour is a lot when you aren’t flying for a living.
Getting your required licenses and ratings (private, instrument, commercial, and multi-engine) will probably only get you to about 250-300 hours or so, and so getting the remaining 1,200+ hours can be quite expensive. The most affordable (and quickest) way to get this (short of joining the military) is to then become a flight instructor. You’ll get paid to fly and can build hours “for free” and work towards your airline minimums.
Some programs such as ATP and American Flyers (here’s my review on American Flyers) have a full-cycle program that take you from zero experience to airline-qualified in about two years, and some of these offer tuition reimbursement from the airlines. If you’re starting from scratch, this is probably your fastest way into the airlines.
There isn’t a hard and fast rule on maximum age to be recruited by the airlines, but from my experience and research most will like you to be 35 or younger. They’ll only be able to keep you until you are 65 and so they want the longest “runway” (if you will) out of you.
That being said, there is a major pilot shortage happening and so if you are serious about pursuing aviation, if you just get your hours and ratings, I can nearly promise you there will be opportunities for you at the end of it, regardless of your age.
The Path to Becoming a Professional Pilot
Whether you decide to do an airline-focused program that takes you from zero experience to airline ready in two years, or get your ratings at your own pace with an instructor of your choosing, you will likely follow the below path to becoming a professional pilot. If you’re just wanting to be a pilot for recreational reasons, you can stop at any point and not get additional ratings! We’ll outline some of the minimum and maximum age requirements as applicable.
Private Pilot
The first license you will get is your private pilot’s license. This is a basic license that certifies you for single-engine, non-jet-powered aircraft. The minimum age to get your private pilot’s license is 17 years old, but you can solo (fly by yourself without carrying passengers) at 16 years old.
I soloed on my 16th birthday which fell on a Sunday, and the next morning I went and got my driver’s license. You can alternatively get your sport pilot’s license which has certain limitations but is less stringent on the medical and flight experience requirements. Note though that if you want to become an airline pilot you will need your private license and not your sport license.
Related reading for the private pilot’s license:
- How much does it cost to get a private pilot’s license?
- Vision requirements for private and commercial pilot’s licenses
- How long does a pilot’s license last? (how to maintain it)
Instrument Rating
The instrument rating will allow you to fly in clouds and low-visibility scenarios without being able to see outside of the airplane. This rating usually follows the private license because there are relatively few prerequisites. You’ll obviously need your private license first and then also 50 hours of cross-country time as pilot in command. This means you’ll usually have to fly around a bit as a private pilot and get cross-country hours before you are eligible for your instrument rating, but 50 is not that many.
The instrument rating can be a difficult rating but it’s so rewarding and also incredibly foundational for your future endeavors as a pilot (whether professional or recreational). It costs about $10k on average (more info in article link below) but you can limit this amount by swapping approved simulator time versus actual flight time for some of the rating, and also by flying often so that you don’t have to repeat lessons.
Related reading for the instrument rating:
- How much does an instrument rating cost?
- How long does it take to get an instrument rating?
- Do I need an instrument rating to get a commercial pilot’s license?
- 16 actionable tips and tricks for the instrument rating
Commercial Rating
The commercial rating requires 250 flight hours (among other things) and so if you are trying to go start to finish through all of your ratings, there is usually a bit of a gap between the hours you have logged getting your private license and instrument rating and what you need for your commercial. But the commercial rating is relatively easy and is mainly focused on new flight maneuvers that were not taught during your days in private training.
There are a few requirements of this rating, such as a 300 mile solo cross country, and 10 hours in a complex airplane (flaps, retractable gear, and constant speed / variable pitch propeller), that can take some time to cross off if you haven’t already. If you are starting from scratch, make sure that you double dip where you can during your private training to cross off some of these requirements for your commercial.
Sometimes your private lessons might be in a complex aircraft so that you can be getting some of those hours completed to make your commercial easier to achieve later. I had to repeat my 300nm (nautical miles) solo cross country because my longest solo only counted for 292nm… 8 miles short!! And I had done a 300nm cross-country but with a passenger in the plane, so it didn’t count. Planning ahead for these scenarios will save you money as you won’t have to repeat flights.
Related reading for the commercial pilot’s license:
Multi-Engine Rating
Next you’ll get your multi-engine rating which certifies you to fly aircraft with more than one engine. This is a really straightforward rating as you are primarily learning how to handle the airplane when only one of the engine quits in any phase of flight. This can be a pretty quick rating, sometimes even within a week or so.
Certified Flight Instructor
As mentioned, the most affordable way to build 1,500 hours of flight time is to become a certified flight instructor (CFI). Whereas the minimum age to become a private pilot was 17, the minimum age to become a flight instructor is 18 years old. I guess they didn’t want minors teaching adults how to fly?
This is a pretty intensive license as the FAA is really strict (as they should be) on who is able to certify student pilots to fly by themselves (among other things). I recommend completing this in an academy-styled setting… many flight schools will have a 30-day intensive academy where you are in class or flying every day 8am-5pm. Not only is there so much knowledge to retain, but you have to know how to teach it and that can take time to practice. Becoming an instrument flight instructor (CFII) and multi-engine flight instructor (MEI) are separate check rides as well.
Airline Transport Pilot (ATP)
Becoming an airline transport pilot requires that you have at least 1,500 flight hours and are 23 years old. Most, if not all, airline programs will either want you to already have your ATP or at least be eligible for it. Some companies will actually pay for you to complete your ATP if you sign a contract with them, so you don’t need to necessarily possess your ATP to be hirable. But before you make the jump to the airlines, you’ll need to have your 1,500 hours (or at least be really close to it).
The ATP isn’t that difficult and is mainly focused on flight maneuvers with very strict airspeed and altitude deviation tolerances. The idea here is to be able to demonstrate total mastery over the aircraft in flight, and also have logged a solid base of flight hours.
Recruitment and Retirement Age
Once you are 23 and either have or are eligible for your ATP, you are ripe for airline recruitment. Airlines in the US have a forced retirement age of 65, and so they prefer to get you into the recruiting pipeline as early as possible to get the most value out of your pilot “lifespan”.
That being said, there is no published or mandated maximum age at which you are eligible or no longer eligible to fly for the airlines (provided you’re under 65). Based on my experience and research it seems that the airlines prefer you are 35 years or younger when you are first recruited, but again with the worsening pilot shortage I think they will be interested in just about anyone possessing the right prerequisites.
Life After 65 as a Pilot
The airlines will force your retirement as a professional pilot once you reach the age of 65, although this isn’t the end of your pilot career if you don’t want it to be. So many other charter and cargo operators are still able to hire you as a pilot. There are many opportunities for the retired airline pilot if you want them. It mainly comes down to your health and competency. It will begin to dwindle at some point with age so making sure that you are staying healthy and skillful is the most important factor in your decision to still fly.
In case you missed it above, you can grab my Ultimate Starter Guide to Your Aviation Journey below. It’s packed with 23 different resources I wish I could’ve consumed before or early into my flight training. It’s totally free and jam-packed with actionable, practical content for you as a new aviator or someone exploring their license.
Related Reading
If you are thinking about starting your flight training, here are a few other articles that you might find useful as well:
