IR or FI Rating or Type Rating??

[mustflywillfly]

Hello All,

Hmmmmm, decisions, decisions, decisions....

Post CPL I will have approx £28k left in the pot.

I reckon there are three options:

1) I could go straight for the IR which would leave me approx £16k in the pot, this could pay for an MCC and the FI Rating. At this point I am employable as a FI but on uber low wages and unable to afford a TR.

2) Get the IR, MCC and have £13k approx left for a TR. Are there any TRs for £13k ???? Go straight into Job hunting.

3) Sod the IR and do the FI Rating post CPL keep £21k approx in the bank for a year and then do IR but will only then have £10k approx left for a TR.

I am 32 in 5 days and need some advice asap. For info I will be doing all training at BCFT and if instructing would aim to instruct for them or work for FRA if poss.

Ooooh almost forgot, anyone know if there are many instructing opportunities in the USA?

Thanks :ok:

MFWF

[redsnail]

My opinion only.

You cannot get work in an airline or any charter company without an IR. Your exam credits are based on you getting it sooner than later as well.

From the GAPAN website it appears airlines are expecting you to turn up with an MCC as well. (they should pay for it but they won't while they don't need to).

Your type rating is only "current" for a year. After that, you'll need to do an LPC again. (You do an OPC after 6 months, and an LPC after 12 months). (I am not talking about the rating validity which is 5 years - UK CAA). So if you do a rating and fail to get a job, you'll have to budget that cost too. Which is a lot more than a piston IR renewal.

If I was you, I'd get the IR done asap, tack on an MCC when you feel like it and then do the Instructor Rating. Timing is every thing. The weather can make or break you in the UK. From what I understand, the instructors are being employed. If you're on a field that has some bizjets, say hello and see what they want to be hired. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Get some hours and experience under your belt all the while sending off CVs to various airlines.

[No Country Members]

Whilst not wishing to dispute your argument re timing, the people on my course who had already a year's instruting under their belts adapted much better to the IR. It used to puzzle me no end because surely their experience was a year's flying VFR, but in the end it seemed to me that there is just no substitute for flying experience and currency.

Am I right in thinking that for your IR there is a 3 year clock ticking on your exam credits, or has that changed now?

[mustflywillfly]

Cheers for that Redsnail,

I wouldn't expect to get employed by an airline without an IR but I believe that I could get employed as a FI without one?

Financially the ideal plan would be CPL followed by Instructing for a year and then the IR and the MCC.

The reason I say this is that my employer will offer me a career break for a year starting 01 May 08. At the start of the career break my budget is £20k (ATPL's will already be in the bag). This £20k could pay for the CPL and the IR but not much else! However, the £20k would pay for the CPL and the FI, the plan would then be to work as a FI whilst on the career break and then return to work with some valuable experience under the belt. At this point May 09 (I will be 33 years old turning 34 in the August) I could then put my notice in and then leave some 3 months later. I then receive a £14k gratuity. At this point I could pay for the IR and the MCC and hit the job trail having just turned 34. If all else fails then back to instructing.

Alternatively I can put my notice in and leave May 08 with a budget of £34k. This would pay for CPL/IR MCC and FI rating. I loose the job security and have no escape plan other then Instructing.

I would also consider Integrated but seems a bit silly as I have a PPL and 191 hours.

I know I want to fly (again - used to fly in Navy) for a living and I know that my future is in aviation so I do not need career counselling BUT my god do I need some counselling about what the best route is to get in that left hand seat!

Phew...end of transmission....I think...

MFWF

[potkettleblack]

Warning....the next bit here is all my gut feel (but this is a rumours network).

If I was in your position I would be thinking of having a contingency plan and not letting the day job slip through your hands. Reasons are:-

- the market seems to be slowing for pilot recruitment. The big recruiters earlier in the year have now closed. Flybe are recruiting again but they already have thousands of applications in from people with experience which will no doubt keep them busy. By the time you are done with your training I would not be surprised if we were about to go through the usual "down" cycle that aviation goes through.

- loads overall are lower than normal which is being attributed to tightening of the purse strings across Europe plus of course the crap weather.

- there is much speculation about consolidation in the industry and further mergers are forecast. This will inevitably lead to layoffs. These pilots will all seek work elsewhere across Europe and fill whatever vacancies.

- There will always be a demand for low hour cadets in order to ensure the demographics of the workforce in the bigger employers (to avoid a retirement bulge in later years) but as always these will be picked up from the integrated schools and only the high calibre wannabes need apply.

Good luck and enjoy the training.

[VNA Lotus]

Hello!

Just in a word :

Could you tell me please, if it is possible to do an FI course in UK, with a french CPL/IR and then to teach in UK ??
Yes you will tell me that FI is a rating so we can do it in any JAR country, but the problem is I'll get a CPL/IR in France, maybe it would not be serious to teach in UK then... (uk airspace unknown, maybe the ppl is a little bit different etcc)

Thank you

[littco]

You could a citation type rating for £13k and there seems to be plenty of small corporates flying them these days..