You have a good outlook regarding "not wanting to burn a hold in the sky."
Regardless of were you do it, if you're preparing for a modular course, be certain to use those hours to actually do something. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to have students show up for a modular course and not have the sort of expreeince or skills that should be present in a person wiht 150 hours.
Practice R/T, performance and flapless landing along with glide approaches.
I had two students recently who didn't know how to track a VORs or NDB. This should have been something that they should have been practicing BEFORE our very short time together to prepare for the CPL. I had 10 hours to teach them CPL maneuvers in a twin (barely enough time to do that alone, and absolutely NO time to teach something that they should have already been good at)
Get some experience flying something with a constant speed prop and retractable gear. That'll make the modular CPL course much less "foreign." If you don't have the means, at least read up on these two systems or use a flight simulator (microsoft will do) to learn how manifold pressure and propellor RPMs are used during different flight conditions.
LEARN HOW TO LAND IN A CROSSWIND!!!
Now, if you're not preparing for a CPL, my advice is worthless, but hopefully other "hourbuilders" will read this and understand that it's not time that you need to build, it's experience.
Now, I've got a question for all of you folks considering the modular route:
If you needed to build time before beginning a modular course, would you find a package taught in the USA by instructors employed by a well-known British FTO (on their days off) for the purpose of teaching some of the things listed above usefull?
Is that something that some people would willing to do? You'd essentially be using your hour building to prepare for the course and fill the gap left by the PPL and CPL courses...
All sounds good to me and is exactly the sort of thing I need to do. Yes I am hour building to get to the magic 100 hours PiC before I can enrol on a CPL course. I have enough dual hours.
The only snag I can see with your final suggestion is that if the pilot is requiring instruction then is the time in the air still counted as PiC?. Also as I am hour building, cost is a major factor. Other FTOs do offer "structured hour building" but I wonder what this really involves?
Squawk I guess you are an instructor for OAT as you are at Phoenix, do they not already offer "structured hours building"?
I think there would be mileage in the idea in some sort of publication that details sortie profiles specifically aimed at hour builders. Obviously I can piece something together myself but a well put together and illustrated book written by an expert would be a real winner! Any takers??? I can draft read it for you
Anyway back to the ATPL studies urgggghhhhhhh.......