If buying an extra 30 hours of solo time is needed then so be it. Time is money and given enough time the extra hours can be taken care of
AussieB, it may sound callous, but be rather carefull how you spend your money in that way......
Fact is, when you get to around 5-700 odd hours and you are looking at moving onto twins within your organisation, you may be held back somewhat if you don't have an instrument rating (or at least a current one, or indeed one that is not long out of currency), and perhaps around 100hrs multi to satisfy insurance requirements.
All the night hours (especially multi), you can do at the moment are of paramount importance. I'd also look at training up as much as you can and do your CPL test in a twin. I know I'll get flamed for recommending this by some, but at the moment in my company I'm in just that dilemma. I fall about 15-20 multi (day or night), hours short, but I've been told I'll be able to do ICUS (and NO kids I don't have to pay for it), so that will be a fantastic bonus for me, but I have to wait until such a time as loads/ supervisory pilot availability/ and of couse the a/c availability all coincide together. That, I can certainly do.
The game that we have all gotten into is extrordinarily expensive, but much like the share market it is the "shares that you buy within yourself" that help you make the grade.
Radar, you know, thinking back I had probably 5-10 kg on ya when I went-a-meatbombing, so I reckon you've been fed a bucketload of Bollocks by whoever thought you'd listen to them. We could always name them here.......
No-one can say that to date you haven't given it one hell of a go. How's the "new" life? I'll give yer a buzz over the weekend to catch-up if you're gonna have yer mobile on.
Regards,
OpsN.