Will I have to be a Flying Instructor after gaining CPL/IR fATPL???

[P1 Forever]

Hi everyone,

Once I have qualified for CPL/IR fATPL MCC with 250 hrs, then will I have to be a flying instructor for X amount of years before getting an air taxi/charter or small turboprop job.

I know that before JAR that almost everyone went this route to gain the required 700hrs, however is this still necessary and why are still so many people being FI as you can only expect to log single engine piston time.

Any thoughts......

[benhurr]

You cant do single pilot ops without 700 hours (JAA). You can do multipilot ops with less than 700 hours.

So to get the required hours for an air taxi outfit you have 3 choices:

1. Pay for the extra 350 hours required or buy an aeroplane.
2. Work for an airline to get the 350 hours, leave your big shiny jet and then do your single pilot ops.
3. Get an FI rating.

I guess that explains why, with current market conditions, so many people are going the FI route.

When you have the required instructing hours you could always instruct on a twin, night instruct, IMC, CPL/IR...

SEP hours are equally valid for reaching the magical 700 and all of the instructors I know enjoy the job for the first 1000 hours or so.

[Pilot Pete]

ben

just to point out your obviously deliberate mistake in making Forever think that he will only need 350hrs upon qualification to get to single pilot ops level............another 100 would help;)

Now isn't that better than slagging a guy off for an innocent miscalculation?:)

ben is obviously right as regards the requirement under JAR to fly air taxi. The other problem you face Forever is that there aren't many flying opportunities around should you not be successful with airline applications immediately upon qualification. The question is, how long are you prepared to wait trying to get that F/O position if it just isn't happening, which is the most likely scenario in the current marketplace? If you don't FI and someone else does then in 8 months time your cv still says 250hrs whereas his says 750hrs. What if the airline who are recruiting require 750hrs minimum? Who gets the phone call?

Especially in the current climate, I would bank on being an FI, if you get a job before the course then fantastic, don't do it, but if you don't then at least you are making yourself more employable every day.

PP

[benhurr]

Pete,

Sorry it is me who needs the extra 350 hours to reach the magical 700. Guess I have become fixated!!:O

[FlyingForFun]

I don't think that becoming a flying instructor is necessary at all. P1 - you obviously (from the tone of your post) don't want to instruct, in which case I would suggest that you don't. If you land yourself a job instructing which you don't want, you won't enjoy it, and more to the point you will be doing your students a dis-service by lacking any desire to teach them properly.

How about aerial photography? Glider towing? Dropping parachutes? Tourist flights? Banner towing? You may find you have to go abroad to do some of these - would that fit in to your personal circumstances? They all count just as much as instructing.

There is nothing worse, IMHO, than an instructor who doesn't want to instruct, and only has the job to build hours. (Nothing against the many instructors who are hour-building but enjoy the instructing while they're doing it - it just doesn't sound like you'd fit into this category.)

FFF
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[Pilot Pete]

Agreed FFF

There are other options, but it's unlikely any of them are going to provide the same number of hours as quickly as a seasons instructing. Also, instructing may pay badly, but para-dropping is usually done for free!

I think not particularly wanting to be an FI but being professional about achieving your own personal goals and trying to do the best job possible if you become an FI is not outwith the character of many a Wannabe. I didn't want to become an FI, but saw it as my next career progression step once qualified with no airline offering me a start. I dived in headlong and enjoyed the course, luckily getting a break to go fly twins as a direct result of the FI course I was on.......so I never actually instructed but I certainly would have made the most of it and given any student the best I could.

You could use the same argument about guys who want to fly jets. Many aspire to that but take a job on turbo-props because they can't get straight onto jets. Does this mean they should not be there because they don't ultimately want to stick at this kind of flying and therefore are doing a disservice to the fee paying passenger? No, it means they are being professional about getting where they want to be and doing the best job possible whilst they are there.......and probably having fun too.

Agreed the most important thing is to keep the hours ticking over, whatever you get the opportunity to fly, the more the better, the higher quality of hours the better and (dependant on age) the quicker the better!

PP

[FlyingForFun]

Good point, PP - I agree completely.

FFF
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[FougaMagister]

Overall, I agree with Pilot Pete and FFF, however;

- Para-dropping: usually done for free (or thereabouts), the para jumping clubs virtually always employ pilots connected to their own club (i.e., who are either parachutists themselves or who are willing to stay around for hours afterwards to listen to parajumping stories), plus... I'm not sure I would trust pax whose only desire is to jump off my plane!

- glider towing: again, a VERY "connected" occupation (don't misunderstand me, I do like gliding), and most clubs in Britain being not for profit associations, it's also usually free of any salary.

- banner-towing: there is actually some training/rating before one can do that, and I guess any job must be either seasonal and/or centered on seaside airfields.

- FI: certainly the best way to build hours, but remember a number of airlines will come back to you with: "Oh, you've got 1,000 hours on a Cessna-152... We meant 1,000 hours turbine/twin, etc!" Also, be prepared to have to renew your ratings at your expense anyway, while bringing home sometimes no more than £250 during the winter months... Tough!

Personnaly, I'd rather carry on bringing home £1,500 working in the cabin, use some of that to keep in practice every month - and keep networking "from the inside".

Cheers.

[one shoe]

P1, Please try to remember back to doing your PPL and whom you believed to be good instructors!!

The best instructors all got enjoyment out of what they were doing.

Try and come down of your high horse because you will not be a training Captain on a BA 747 for your first job even though you believe you are good enough!!

[maxy101]

Oneshoe , Just out of interest, the BA747 trainers don´t tend to be the most experienced and best pilots.