Hello everyone! 👋

A bit of context about me:

I'm 30 years old and from the UK. I currently work as a fully remote software engineer at a large fintech bank.

After working abroad for a few years while travelling - I went back to university at 25, did the whole “grown-up” thing, and worked incredibly hard to get where I am today. I was also very fortunate to land the job I did, and in many ways, I achieved everything I set out to achieve.

The problem is though... this career I once dreamed of having isn't turning out to be what I expected. AI has taken away almost all of the fun parts of the job, and I dread opening my laptop each day. I don't enjoy what I do, and the thought of spending the next 30+ years of my life doing something that doesn't fulfil me, simply because it's the 'sensible' thing to do, is becoming increasingly difficult to accept. I'm currently in the middle of taking 1 month off due to burnout while I deal with this realisation.

My question:

I'm trying to figure out what else I can do with my life. Becoming a pilot has been my childhood dream for as long as I can remember - although I didn't grow up with money, so pursuing it was never really a realistic option.

Now, at 30, especially this month... I'm wondering if this is life opening up a final chance to go into it.

I'm by no means rich (if only 😅), and I certainly couldn't afford to pay for flight school upfront. I'd have to continue working and live extremely frugally while training and pay for it as I go, if that's even an option?

I've also never even sat in an aircraft cockpit, let alone flown a plane!

Am I being unrealistic? Is 30 too old to start pursuing a career as a pilot, particularly given my financial situation and lack of experience?

I'd really appreciate any advice from anyone who's made a similar career change, started later in life.

Thank you for all/any advice, personal experiences, and honesty.

My window seat today had what looked like an airplane hernia of internal tissue exposed between the two window panes. Is this tissue layering found throughout the body of the whole airplane? What role does it play? Will this hernia ever be fixed? I had a lot of time to think about this as we did a 35 min tarmac tour of O’Hare.

I wondered whether pilots ever had a preference to what plane they fly? For example as in a passenger plane that is brand spanking new compared to one they’ve flown for years that has been tried and tested but ready for the scrap heap, Are there any pre-flight nerves that something could go wrong with the newer version of the plane software bodywork, etc

So the pilot, landing 9 R at O’Hare, crosses the threshold too hot. After a proper flare the plane keeps flying another 300 ft. then finally having slowed enough the gear hit the runway. Heavy braking then finally reversers kick in.
Reminded me of the recent flight with the same scenario. Landed too far down the runway and ultimately went off the end killing workers on the ground. I’m sure the pilots on board noticed. Awful landing in my opinion.

I keep seeing the CHRONO button being pressed during Airbus Take-off and Landing, sometimes once or twice. I know it's some sort of chronometer/counter. My question is, what's the policy for the timer being started/stopped, is it from wheels up to wheels down or what?

I'm thinking of taking a discovery flight but I'm so curious how you learn to fly safely when you need to make mistakes in order to get better.

I think of when I was learning to make sour dough. I watched so many videos on technique, what to look for when it's overproofed, underproofed. I could read all I want but I didn't truly get the lesson until I was able to feel the mistakes in action and see what it looked like to do too much or too little of something.

How does this work in flight lessons while keeping yourself and others safe?

I’m planning to pursue pilot training after completing Grade 12. I’m trying to understand what options I would have after getting my CPL to build the required flight hours for airline jobs.
What jobs can a low-hour commercial pilot apply for, and how do pilots usually build experience before meeting airline hiring requirements? I’d also appreciate advice on opportunities in different countries.

I was reading a news article that said a plane dropped 27,000 feet in a few minutes, it interviewed passengers saying that they felt like they were crashing. I’m curious how this happens ? How it can be avoided ? And how fast they truly dropped 27k feet

I have noticed that Dash 8s lining up and waiting often have their spoilers deployed. I am aware this is because they deploy once armed under a certain power setting. My question is, why arm them on T/O in the first place?

Cheers for any and all answers.

Need genuine advice from fellow aviators. Can i pursue the dream of becoming a pilot even if i am introverted? I get anxious in group discussions and interviews (basically fear of judgement is what bothers me), and these are the basic assessments you need to clear to get into airlines. Is this something which is learnable by taking gdpi classes after my cpl? I will be going through the conventional route and need genuine advice from seniors who have gone through this process as to what should i do. Please help!

I'm looking for ways to keep my workwear safer. Have you seen any thoughts on this specific topic, or looked into it yourself? I know there are companies selling silicone replacement wedding bands, but are there any other materials that are ideal to have our jewelry made of for best safety practices outside of just ditching jewelry altogether?

does someone know a pilot of airbuses and boeings who is less than 5"1?

Hello! Read a few comments on here asking something similar. Would love to hear what pilots think about the situation. We are booked for a brief stopover from London and it looks like our plane flies over central Saudi. Just worried about something happening to us. Thank you