Best way to hour build after CPL issue?

[Lightheart]

Would appreciate other wannabees' thoughts on this. What is the best way to hour build for a mature pilot on receiving CPL/IR?ME at 250 hrs TT?

1. Get instructor ratings and teach.

Positive: Cost less.
Negative: Much single engine time. Slow.

2. Get on FO Programme
Positive: Turbine time
Negative: SIC/P2 time only. Expensive

Thanks and happy, safe flying.

[VFE]

Both options mean you'll be encountering further financial outlay with little increased chances of employment. My advice would be to saturate the market with your CV every week for about a year and then reassess whether you need to be spending more money.

Pilot recruitment is changing fast (for the better) so I would wait before spending anymore money unless you have deep pockets in which case could you please lend me a few £K to get an ATR type rating? ;)

VFE.

[ATP_Al]

There is a third option which shouldn't cost you anything. Go out and look for opportunities to build hours in general aviation!

There are plenty of things a low hours pilot can do, such as glider towing, banner towing, traffic reporting and parachute dropping. You might not earn much but you won't have to put any money up front and you'll learn a lot and have a great time.

Think about it!

Al

[Lightheart]

Thanks for that. I got the following from a US website:

Get Your MEI And Fly Right Seat
You can fly right seat and log it as instruction given.

Become An Instructor
One of the easiest ways and the quickest to build time is to become an instructor. That time is all loggable, and you will learn something at the same time.

Fly As A Safety Pilot
Many IFR students need to build time under the hood. Offer to be a safety pilot in turn for a little flight time. If you are an instructor, offer to fly that seat for free.

Offer To Help With Annuals
A lot of the cost in an annual is the time it takes to open up the airplane. Offer to help with opening and closing the airplane in turn for some flight time. This builds friendships.

Go Through The Hangers To Find Out Who Is Not Flying
Many times you can go through hangers and find airplanes that don't fly, only to find out that the owner doesn't want to fly alone and has trouble finding others to go along. Offer to ride along. This may lead to some PIC time.
Tow Banners

Banner towing can be a lot of fun, and is a great way to build time.

Fly For A Radio Station
Many local radio and TV stations are in need of a pilot for traffic reports.

Flight Cost
Split flight cost with another instructor to build flight time.
Establish A Breakfast Trip

Once a week at your local airport, gather as many pilots with airplanes as you can and offer to ride along .
Work For Someone Who Owns An Airplane.

Buy Your Own Airplane
This can be cost effective if you are able to do the maintenance yourself.

Partnership
Buy an airplane with another person. If you are an instructor, fly with them, and you can log the time.

Buy All Your Time
Very costly!!

Practice Approaches
There are many IFR students who need safety pilots who will let you fly an approach or two for helping them out.

Find VFR Pilots
Find VFR pilots that own their own planes and offer to fly trips with them to show them what IFR flying is about.

Currency
IFR pilots need to keep current. Offer to fly with them to help keep them current.

Wash Airplanes
Trade washing an airplane for flight time.

Corporations
Many corporations fly single pilot operations. Ask if you can ride along. Who knows, later down the road they may offer you the job. An instructor I know received three part-time twin jobs time this way.

However, not all of these ideas will give you the right type of experience (Jet, Multi crew). It's one thing getting the experience, but another getting the right type.

I could saturate the market for about a year, but what would you do meantime? Fly weekends to slowly build time?

It's a difficult one. I need to keep current/gain the right experience, whilst studying for the ATPL.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Buy a cheap single seater for around £3k and go for a tour around the country in it at probably an average running cost of £15/hr, when you've got enough hours, sell it (although by then you'll probably be so fond of the beastie you won't want to).

Could probably write a book about it as well to try and defray all the debt.

G

[englishal]

Buy a plane as per Genghis's suggestion but do it as a company......"XYZ Aviation"....

Buy your time, i.e. pay for the fuel and everything and build all the hours you need in the first year.

Year two sell the plane and go back to being employed, as well as having "XYZ Aviation" running.

The loss you have made in your first year of trading as "XYZ Aviation" can be offset aginst your taxes for the following two years. So play your cards right and the tax man may end up paying for a number of your hours. You may need to do some creative accounting, but I'm sure there are many accountants who could help you.

:D