Commercial focus to hourbuilding: advice

[JamesTigris]

Does anyone have any good books or other form of guidance on tailoring Hour Building towards the CPL and a career in Commercial Operations?

How have others gone about it? My current plan is to buy a share then sit down with my flight school/CFI and put together a programme. However this is rather dependant on the quality of the advice offered by the individual instructor.

Any helpful guidance?

[IrishJetdriver]

Multi-engine IFR ideally. If you have only PPl and IMC then multi-engine. Failing that then do some cross country work and concentrate on your accuracy. Depends on your finances, licence and ratings etc.

If you can get a job instructing then that is probably a good route. Not too great a rush anyway as there aren't many jobs to be had.

[Subhuman]

Buying a share is the way I did it - I was lucky to buy mine, do my 100 hours, then sell my share immediately after for what I paid for it - all in all the A/C worked out at about £60ish p.h wet :p.

A few of the better FTO's have structured hours building - this basically is a "template" to follow and has a a few CPL test routes, some tricky airspace and nav routes.

The ME/IFR flying will cost a fortune - stick to SE VFR, and the key is good planning an accuracy. Try to make each flight as well planned as your PPL test, then when you get to CPL/IR it will simply be a logical progression instead of trying to remember how clock code works and asking where your garmin is :P.

[bajadj]

Another way of doing it would be to do a g1000 transition course and get to know the garmin inside out, then do your CPL/IR on a g1000 C172 and da42 twinstar, then you won't have to ask where your garmin is!!

[profot]

If it is of any use, I would suggest looking at the Standards Document 3, Applicant’s Guide to the CPL Skill Test from the CAA (available on their website - Civil Aviation Authority Home Page (http://www.caa.co.uk) under Personnel Licensing, Flight Crew Licensing, Standards Documents). At the very back of this is a table of the tolerances within which you have to fly on your CPL Skills Test. Try to fly withing those tolerances during your hour building.

I'd also make sure i did weight and balance calcs on every flight and plan a nav ex each flight rather than just cruising around aimlessly. That will make your CPL a lot easier as it will have become second nature.