Best Type Rating
 

Hi,

I have been involved in aviation for many years, flying small charters(piston) and aerial work and was planning/saving for a future opportunity.

I am interested in the forum views on what would be a good GA type(short/midrange) to add to a licence that would give some-one the opportunity to potentially gain some freelance work in the next 12 months when god willing the market picks up for all of us fellow aviators.

It would be great to hear some views on this matter. I know it has been said not to self fund a type without having a position first, however as we all know life doesn't always work this way, and a particular type may allow for some freelance work and a great way to develop your career to the next stage.

Best regards D:)

dareen, the best one to get is the one you are going to be offered work on, being as you don't know the answer to that question, best to do nothing. You are unlikely to be offerd freelance on a green type rating, even if the company/owner accept you the insurance probably will not. The market is fairly depressed at the moment and opportunities for new corporate/jet pilots are few and far between, you may well see your brand new type rating getting very old in your hand with no hours on it and needing renewal. Don't do it.

Good advice from NuName. A speculative self-funded type rating is usually money straight down the drain. Keep your hands in your pockets, keep your flying skills current (works with all aircraft, funnily enough!), and network as best you can.

Good luck,

BM

Are you in Europe? All the small cabin (CJ, Citation, Mustang, Premier etc.) operators are going to suffer an exodus of crews very soon. If you are intent on paying for a rating, that's where the opportunities are first going to arise.

Good luck, just be careful to count your fingers after you've shaken hands with those people and accepted a job. :eek:

All the advices given here are not bad.
That being said. I would go with P.A's advice. In Europe there seems to be a current movement in particular in the "bottom" part with the CJ's etc.

With little previous jet/turboprob experience you are more likely to get a job starting on the smaller types.
Having the T/R you are half way in - in this part of the industry.
If you can affort it, I would consider it like you are doing.

Good luck :ok:

How much experience have you actually got - hours wise?

In principle I am against paying for type ratings but it's becoming so embedded in the minds of some outfits, you would be a fool not to consider it.

I would say if you have more than 1500 hours total with say 500 hours multi you could go bigger than the types suggested! That'll throw the cat amongst the pigeons!:E

Do talk to prospective employers sounding them out for interest before you spend your money!

All wise responses
 

All very fine responses, thankyou for the detailed insight. Hi crosswindlimits approx 800 total with a quarter on multi,interesting what you mentioned about potentially trying a more long range type with greater experience. Would that be due to the difficulty level of the a/c type-rating or the operators insurance policy requiring more hours?

Thanks again to all of your kind responses.

Cheers.:D

Mainly insurance but also aircraft complexity. If you went for a midsize cabin biz jet, guys/gals with lots more experience would also be applying and frankly be much more employable than you.

My advice, keep flying your twins to get more experience. If you really can't wait for a piece of the action do what has been suggested, go for a CJ/C525, Phenom or Premier (of the three CJ is best option).

I know of at least 2 UK operators who won't touch you unless you come with a CJ rating!

well...I do not completely agree....actually no job for me, 2000TT 1500 on jet ( above 20.000kg) and all Cj operators said no thank you....

Get your employer to get you the training and the rating, PERIOD. If an employer won't provide the necessary training for the job, it isn't worth having it, they will be cheating you on down the line, too. My US employer has trained, in the plane everyone we hired in the last 10 years. Any eloyee worth the job hires the best character and experience, then provides any necessary schools.

GF

Liftman

Were you rated on the CJ or not? If not, see my last comment.

Galaxy

A agree with you but in reality many of the light/midsize jet operators will not be keen to fund a rating. I have personal experience of one BIG UK operator who will not pay any new FO's type rating. It's a kin to the low cost model - pass all the risk and expense onto the employee! I don't like it but I honestly think it is here to stay so there is an argument that we may have to adapt to it!

Do not pay for a bizjet typerating.
As a fortunate one, who got into bizjet operation 2 years ago(no ratings nor experience if not count BE90 hours), and is involved flying aswell the management side, then is completely not understandable for me how to explain the owner, that we hired a new guy not for his experience/proved suitability, but only looked ability to pay his rating?
In other hand, to operate a midsize jet, means cost limit around 20,000 eur per month to spend for a/c. Typerating and following recurrent costs are
around 10% for year in operating costs. Why save a penny, when you can lose a million?
Third. Why we should hire a guy without any recomendations/time on type, when we can spend a little for suitable guy initial typerating and bond him afterwards? At least we can presume, that this guy will stay at us 2 years, or a bit more. If guy has paid his rating, he could go after a week when he finds greener pasture.

Only real value in bizjet operations are people who's work for this company. And owners are not usually plain stupid for not understanding that. A low-cost model in bizav will not work, because the bizav is not a low-cost business.

Epsum

Not saying you're wrong but I see it happening more and more. New guys being asked to stump up around £25k for a Hawker rating. Crazy I know but it's real believe me! :(

There are some big players in our game that pass all the risk and expense of initial ratings onto a newbie! No bond, no sharing the cost, just all up front paid by the newbie. :sad: