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Hey everyone,

I’m a 31-year-old physician who recently finished residency and have been practicing for about a year now. This is something I really haven’t talked about with anyone because I don’t think most people in medicine would understand it.

Ever since I was five years old, my aspiration was to become an airline pilot. Both of my parents are doctors though, and medicine was always pushed very heavily. When I was around 14, I visited an aeronautical school because I was seriously interested in aviation, and I still remember my parents basically dismissing it as being a “glorified bus driver” compared to medicine. After that, the idea pretty much died before it even started.

So I stayed on the medicine path: college, med school, residency, the whole thing. Over a decade of training after high school. There actually are parts of medicine that remind me of aviation — high responsibility, procedures, teamwork, systems thinking, etc. — which may be part of why aviation still appeals to me so much. But ever since finishing training, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I actually want long term, and this keeps coming back up.

What’s weird is I’ve almost started avoiding airports entirely because they make me sad. I haven’t flown anywhere in about two years and usually just drive instead, even for long trips across the country. I pretty much only if I need to cross an ocean. Seeing airline crews walking through terminals gives me this uncomfortable “what if I chose the wrong path?” feeling.

Financially, I could afford flight training if I wanted to pursue it seriously. My concern is whether making a switch at 31 is realistic or just reckless considering how much time I already invested into medicine and everything I’ve sacrificed to get through all of it.

People have suggested flying recreationally on the side over the years, but honestly I don’t think that would be enough for me. My goal was always flying passenger jets. I’d honestly be happy flying anything bigger than an E175, but the ultimate goal was always long-haul flying on widebody aircraft eventually.

So I guess I’m asking:

-Has anyone here switched into aviation later in life?

Is 31 actually considered late?

-Does anyone know pilots who came from medicine or another professional field?

-And for those already in the industry, do you still enjoy it?

Appreciate any honest input

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