What is the Maximum Age Limit to Become a Pilot?

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 toreceive your pilot’s license in the United States is 17, and there is nomaximum age for being a private pilot. However, airline pilots in the UnitedStates currently have a forced retirement age of 65. Airline recruitersgenerally prefer you be 35 years or younger when applying for an entry levelposition, however there is no law that regulates the maximum age to begin youraviation 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 toStart 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.

The Path to Becominga Professional Pilot

Whether you decide to do an airline-focused program thattakes you from zero experience to airline ready in two years, or get yourratings at your own pace with an instructor of your choosing, you will likelyfollow the below path to becoming a professional pilot. If you’re just wantingto be a pilot for recreational reasons, you can stop at any point and not getadditional ratings! We’ll outline some of the minimum and maximum agerequirements 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 16^th 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 andlow-visibility scenarios without being able to see outside of the airplane.This rating usually follows the private license because there are relativelyfew prerequisites. You’ll obviously need your private license first and thenalso 50 hours of cross-country time as pilot in command. This means you’llusually have to fly around a bit as a private pilot and get cross-country hoursbefore you are eligible for your instrument rating, but 50 is not that many.

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:

How long does it take to get a commercial pilot’s license?

Multi-Engine Rating

Next you’ll get your multi-engine rating which certifies youto fly aircraft with more than one engine. This is a really straightforwardrating as you are primarily learning how to handle the airplane when only oneof the engine quits in any phase of flight. This can be a pretty quick rating,sometimes even within a week or so.

Certified FlightInstructor

As mentioned, the most affordable way to build 1,500 hoursof flight time is to become a certified flight instructor (CFI). Whereas theminimum age to become a private pilot was 17, the minimum age to become aflight instructor is 18 years old. I guess they didn’t want minors teachingadults how to fly?

This is a pretty intensive license as the FAA is reallystrict (as they should be) on who is able to certify student pilots to fly bythemselves (among other things). I recommend completing this in anacademy-styled setting… many flight schools will have a 30-day intensiveacademy where you are in class or flying every day 8am-5pm. Not only is thereso much knowledge to retain, but you have to know how to teach it and that can take time to practice. Becoming an instrumentflight instructor (CFII) and multi-engine flight instructor (MEI) are separatecheck rides as well.

Airline TransportPilot (ATP)

Becoming an airline transport pilot requires that you haveat least 1,500 flight hours and are 23 years old. Most, if not all, airlineprograms will either want you to already have your ATP or at least be eligiblefor it. Some companies will actually pay for you to complete your ATP if yousign a contract with them, so you don’t need to necessarily possess your ATP tobe hirable. But before you make the jump to the airlines, you’ll need to haveyour 1,500 hours (or at least be really close to it).

The ATP isn’t that difficult and is mainly focused on flightmaneuvers with very strict airspeed and altitude deviation tolerances. The ideahere is to be able to demonstrate total mastery over the aircraft in flight,and also have logged a solid base of flight hours.

Recruitment andRetirement 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 aPilot

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.

What is the Maximum Age Limit to Become a Pilot? | AirplaneAcademy.com (2024)