500 Hours get you a job?

[gpiper]

I visited a couple of websites with current pilot jobs on the market. It is possible for someone to get hired if they got 500 hours or even 300 hours under their belt. It does't specify anything about the 500 hours, meaning that anyone with that amount of hours can apply. My question is, can someone after finish the ATPL, manage to get 500 hours, provided he or she pays for it? And also, how likely is this to happen considering someone who finished the Integrated course with 100K, and someone who finished the Modular with 60K?
Lastly, I would like someone to confirm that when they say 500 hours, or even 300 hours, they mean hours on your logbook done on small A/C.

[Bealzebub]

It is possible but not very likely.

Airlines generally look for pilots with experience. Traditionally that has been in the 2000+ hour bracket and often then with a block of turbine experience. There is not (and broadly never has been) any difficulty finding large numbers of applicants with at least this level of experience.

Where an airline is seeking a minimum level of type experience or turbine (turboprop/jet) experience, this level is often set at a minimum of 500 hours, which is likely to be what you are confused about. There are a number of companies selling experience to this level in order to supposedly place candidates in a more marketable position.

Airlines who set these minimum levels do so in the full knowledge that most desirable applicants will have acquired their experience in verifiable and quality backgrounds. Again, there is no shortage of such applicants.

Low experience applicants to quality companies generally qualify by virtue of those airlines cadet programmes. The terms and conditions for qualification to these programmes are usually published on the airlines websites, and often discussed in much detail on these forums.

[gpiper]

So in other words you are saying that 500 hours of flying required is to be done on a jet, or any other A/C such as turboprop. A student modular or integrated fresh out of the school will have roughly between the region of 200 to 250 hours of flying. For them, even if they did a type rating, how is it possible for them to get a job in an airline? Can someone with 200 hours on a turboprop pay for another 250, 300 hours so they meet them minimum 500 hours? And another thing, {this level is often set at a minimum of 500 hours, which is likely to be what you are confused about. There are a number of companies selling experience to this level in order to supposedly place candidates in a more marketable position. }, meaning that the newly hired pilot actually pays to be employed by the airline so he can get hours??

[squarehole]

Gpiper - Yes, it isn't a popular topic on here but there are many companies/airlines out there where you can pay for hours/line training on the aircraft you desire.

[P40Warhawk]

And thats just something you should not promote. It is already bad enough that these programs exist. And bringing down T&C's .

[B2N2]

G,

This is where advertising gives you a false picture.
Any and all flight training is for a Commercial License or Certificate and can never be for "Airline Pilot" because you are only a Airline Pilot when you fly for an airline.

Consider becoming a surgeon:
4 years of 'basic' medical school
3-4 years of speciliazed training
Lots of working under supervision before your first solo 'cut'

Now im not comparing difficulty levels here (flying is easier :hmm:) but the road to get there.
Does anybody seriously believes the 'Airline Pilot training Course' of 18 months?

yes there are jobs with 300-500 hours:


Banner tow
Traffic watch
Sight seeing
Mapping
Wildlife patrol


After about 6-700 hrs of that you go on to Air Charter and after 1-2000 hrs of that you go big shiney jet and now...you are an Airline Pilot.

* Insert sarcasm where appropriate *

[B2N2]

What I also meant to say, but maybe didn't, is to not just blindly stare at airline jobs in the hopes of getting one.
You are not a failure for not getting an airline job.
Becoming a pilot is a proces, sometimes a lenghty process.
It may take years before you become that coveted 'airline pilot'.
Don't discount other jobs on the way there, you are just as much a pilot as everybody else.