No really, I want to be a FI! BUT....

[Nibbler]

That's right i really want to be a FI. A quick coment to vector some replies away [ I know you were reaching for your keyboard as soon as you started to read this! ]

LOW FI PAY issue.
I'm planning for low pay in the early years. As with any other job, you've got to start somewhere. Why should schools pay top rates for ATPL 'hour builders' who leave as soon as they can - who exactly is getting all the long term benefits, not the school. To be taken 'seriously' as an FI, with the associated financial rewards, the word 'experienced' comes to mind.

I'd like to train full time with the same school from PPL through CPL/IR to FI then work in the UK initially in GA. I've got about £30-40K for the whole thing including hour building up to the issue of the FI certificate.

I would like to complete in 18 months or so. I'm 40 with wife and 2 young FODs.

I have limited flying experience with some 5 solos in gliders and 18 hours aerobatic in SEP.

BUT I'm in the balance about what route I should take and some advice would be appreciated.

:confused: USA or UK and, in either case, which school would you suggest? Obviously able to relocate anywhere [ wife is willing and I can beat the kids in a fair fight! ].

:confused: Anyone know if it's possible for my wife and kids be able to get a Visa for the US for as long as I am a student?

:confused: Time - is 18 months realistic?

:confused: Money - is £30-£40k enough?

One small bit of good news is that I just got offered a basic pay ground job at a flying school in the UK.... So the UK might be a stonger contender if I can't get my family a US Visa or my time / money calculations are wrong - now my brain is pickled!

Help, advice, thoughts - ANYTHING would be appreciated!!

Cheers in advance.

[biggles0449]

hi,

im not sure about the visa issue for families, but i know if you check out www.sierraacademy.com [flight school in san francisco] their website will tell you all.. cost of the full integrated course comes in at about 65000 usd. so that would put it within your range, but then you have living costs to factor in.

length of integrated is in the region of 28 months, including FI. the course gives you ~1500 hours with frozen ATPL.......guideline for hours are on the course syllabus!!

good luck, help my little bit of advice helped!?

[oompa loompa]

Total cost of my Mod fATPL was around £55k, though theres a bit of fat in that.

The rumours at the moment are that theres a bit of a shartage of instructors. I might have thought that if you were to discuss your ideas with a few flying schools they might help out. A friend of mine who recently completed fATPL mod was offered an FI job; they pay for the FI rating, and he is bonded for 2 years.

I'm not an FI, so could well be wrong, but I don't think you need an fATPL to instruct; a CPL with FI rating should do? The multi IR is the expensive bit, so financially it might make sense to get a PPL, CPL and FI, then do the MEIR while instructing PPL's?

Good luck whatever you decide!

OL

[whizzer]

It might be worth looking at the cabair website. Im an ex student and i know they are looking for instructors on the commercial side. They have advertised about part sponsorship for new pilots/FI's so it might be worth giving them a ring or check out their website.
And before anyone slags them off too much as i said im an ex student and have been through the mill with them and im only trying to give Nibbler ALL the options.
:ok:
Just one more thing...be a little careful on the figures of 1500 hours for Sierra academy mentioned. I think the poster got confused with actual flying time compared with total time including classroom time and possible instructing....or maybe im missing something :confused:

[Nibbler]

Thanks for the feedback everyone

I took a look at Cabair but they are not an option for me.

Good news is I've secured a ground job at a decent flying school, in the UK, with reduction in tuition fees for staff to boot! Oh and the offer of a full time job after the FI ticket to cover the first 250 hours and beyond.

I'm sooo happy!!

THERE IS A GOD :)

[whizzer]

Well done nibbler.......this must be a first....a happy PPruner !!!!! lol :ok:

[boogie-nicey]

indeed ..... "a first" ... well I never :p:p

Well done Nibbler, long may your luck continue my friend. :ok:

[biggles0449]

hi, reference to the sierra academy post, the 1500 hours are what you will get at the end of the internship [working as an instructor from the 2 nd term of training] you get all the relevant tickets and spend app 18-24 months working as an instructor.

hope that clears things up

b

[AlphaMale]

This school will only give you an FAA licence though right?

[Mikehotel152]

Off-thread I know (sorry) but I don't see any reason to have a dig at hour-building FIs. IMHO anyone who does a job should be paid an appropriate rate regardless of their motivation or longevity in that position.

And of course the flying school gets value out of employing hour-building FIs. The same value as any other FI.

Perhaps if Flying Schools paid a fair rate more hour-building FIs would stay in the job. I know at least one Boeing pilot who wants to go back to instructing (part-time) because he loved doing it. :ok:

[biggles0449]

thats correct, sierra academy are an FAA only school, but they do pay through your internship, so the effect is that the cost of training is very low in comparison with UK. i would think that anyone who could commit to the duration of an internship there and then come back to convert to JAA licensing; would find it very cost effective, especially when combined with all the multi hours / pic and unfrozen atpl that you would gain in such a short time.

[AlphaMale]

Reason I ask is due to EFT doing the a similar course called the APP (Single or Multi). I am saving for the Multi APP as I'll get both FAA and JAA licences and 1500hrs (mainly through instructing).

How do the schools measure up against each other?

If sierra academy is cheaper and gives better training then I'm tempted to go there. I just feel the 1,500hrs will give me a big advantage over the integrated guys with 250hrs :ok: ... It may take me 2 years but what a great experience :cool:

[biggles0449]

alpha male:

couldnt agree more!

hadnt looked at the other school...wasnt aware of the dual certification. sierra academy will set you back approx $65000 for the full treatment, they are definitely worth a look, the only thing with both is you would have to ensure the visa's...sierra arrange the visas and have lots of options available so it would be worth giving them a call.

1500 hrs of having fun in a nice environment cant be too much like hell...then you can jump in a nice shiny plane and be bored like everyone else! [tongue in cheek!!]

[AlphaMale]

1500 hrs of having fun in a nice environment cant be too much like hell...then you can jump in a nice shiny plane and be bored like everyone else! [tongue in cheek!!]

Seems the way, I'd be quite happy Instructing for the rest of my life so long as I can pay my bills. But my life long dream has always been to be a pilot of a heavy jet be it airline or cargo.

Live to work or Work to live? ... 2 years in the U.S. sounds like good life experience to me if nothing else, if I land a full time pilot job (Instructor/Taxi/TP/Jet) when I get back to the UK all the better. :ok: