ATR Type Ratings,Dont throw your money away
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ATR Type Ratings,Dont throw your money away
Dont be fooled by TRTO organisations,especially those that guarantee help with job placements.Without naming such companies they are more or less in the same financial situation at the moment,desperate to get business,offering apparent discounts,false promises regarding jobs.I know these things all too well!
My situation is that with 4 years experience flying a turbo prop,with 1400 hours on type it is incredibly difficult to find work,so for those that have a new type on their licence there is no way at the moment of securing a position.
Please follow my advise,if you recently obtained your licence,then keep flying as a FI,be proactive in your search for new positions,keep networking,be prepared to travel away from Europe,dont lose hope,eventually things will improve as thay always do but dont expect miracles and at least expect 4 years of recession in the Aviation business.
Please dont take out further loans or secure your parents homes to fund type ratings,historically ATR43/72 ratings new on your licence would normally gain a position fairly quickly,now however it doesnt.
As a professional pilot with experience of previous recessions the key is to keep realistic,do your homework,keep current build your total time,fly as a FI.
Please dont throw your money away.
Wish you all the best of luck in these very difficult times.
My situation is that with 4 years experience flying a turbo prop,with 1400 hours on type it is incredibly difficult to find work,so for those that have a new type on their licence there is no way at the moment of securing a position.
Please follow my advise,if you recently obtained your licence,then keep flying as a FI,be proactive in your search for new positions,keep networking,be prepared to travel away from Europe,dont lose hope,eventually things will improve as thay always do but dont expect miracles and at least expect 4 years of recession in the Aviation business.
Please dont take out further loans or secure your parents homes to fund type ratings,historically ATR43/72 ratings new on your licence would normally gain a position fairly quickly,now however it doesnt.
As a professional pilot with experience of previous recessions the key is to keep realistic,do your homework,keep current build your total time,fly as a FI.
Please dont throw your money away.
Wish you all the best of luck in these very difficult times.
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Agreed to an extent. SSTRs are not great at the best of times. They are an absolute waste of money at the minute.
The problem with your suggestion is that the FI course costs a good 7 or 8 grand itself. If you are lucky, you'll get a 'job' paying peanuts. More likely no job at all.
The bottom line is that it will cost you a lot of money to keep flying which ever way you look at it. The FI route may be more sensible, but it is still a significant outlay with very small returns at best.
My suggestion is to only get the FI ticket if you WANT to instruct. If that is not the case, spend the absolute minimum to stay current and wait it out.
It is truly a dreadful time to be a low hour pilot. Possibly the worst time ever. Things will not get better a significant amount of time.
Spend more money to keep current and hope for the best.
Spend nothing and waste your training.
Either way, you loose.
I need to cheer up......
The problem with your suggestion is that the FI course costs a good 7 or 8 grand itself. If you are lucky, you'll get a 'job' paying peanuts. More likely no job at all.
The bottom line is that it will cost you a lot of money to keep flying which ever way you look at it. The FI route may be more sensible, but it is still a significant outlay with very small returns at best.
My suggestion is to only get the FI ticket if you WANT to instruct. If that is not the case, spend the absolute minimum to stay current and wait it out.
It is truly a dreadful time to be a low hour pilot. Possibly the worst time ever. Things will not get better a significant amount of time.
Spend more money to keep current and hope for the best.
Spend nothing and waste your training.
Either way, you loose.
I need to cheer up......
Well you must view that in context. It's probably not a good time to do any speculative type rating at the moment.
But when/if the market is more receptive to SSTRs, you will probably find it easier to get a job with an ATR TR + 0 hrs on type, than you will with 737/320 + 0 hrs on type.
Also if you approach a TP operator with a jet TR, you're not going to be looked on too favourably I'd imagine.
For someone with low hrs, I'd view a TP type rating as the next step up from a piston twin and it looks more like you are trying to progress with due repsect to your relatively low experince, rather than jump the queue to the front of a shiny jet.
But when/if the market is more receptive to SSTRs, you will probably find it easier to get a job with an ATR TR + 0 hrs on type, than you will with 737/320 + 0 hrs on type.
Also if you approach a TP operator with a jet TR, you're not going to be looked on too favourably I'd imagine.
For someone with low hrs, I'd view a TP type rating as the next step up from a piston twin and it looks more like you are trying to progress with due repsect to your relatively low experince, rather than jump the queue to the front of a shiny jet.
Join Date: Oct 2005
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I know a guy on the ATR, whose temporary contract has not been renewed after the first 6 months...the only ATR job he's found is in North Africa...TR + 6months on the job (300/400 hrs).
food for thought really....
food for thought really....
5 Rings,
He did well to get a temporary contract and don't be surprised if it's not renewed - that's why it's temporary! I don't think the main ATR TR provider in the UK promises anything other than that they will use their contacts to get you some work, temporary or other - and that is in the good times. You can't ask for more than that.
But as has been said above, it ain't the best time for SSTR.
He did well to get a temporary contract and don't be surprised if it's not renewed - that's why it's temporary! I don't think the main ATR TR provider in the UK promises anything other than that they will use their contacts to get you some work, temporary or other - and that is in the good times. You can't ask for more than that.
But as has been said above, it ain't the best time for SSTR.
Join Date: Nov 2005
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To think that becoming an FI is your salvation is plain wrong. There are very very few jobs and if you are lucky to get one then you won't be flying much.
Unfortunately there is this thing going around called a recession. You may not have realised but it has dried up the sources of finance for many to fund their flying training. The numbers of potential private recreational pilots are down as well. It is difficult to go to your partner and say I know you just lost your job but I thought I would splash 8-10k on learning to fly an a/c built in 1970 as its always been my lifelong ambition.
Flight schools have already started to go out of business and there will no doubt be more to follow. Hence a surplus of instructors out there already exists. Add into the mix the CAA's proposal for unpaid PPL instructors and I would say there is no business case at all for splashing out further on the instructor rating. In fact it would be better for the industry as a whole if the people that went into instructing did it as a career rather than just an hour building exercise. Those that have been on the sharp end and had multiple instructors during their training due to the airlines calling will know what I am on about.
Unfortunately there is this thing going around called a recession. You may not have realised but it has dried up the sources of finance for many to fund their flying training. The numbers of potential private recreational pilots are down as well. It is difficult to go to your partner and say I know you just lost your job but I thought I would splash 8-10k on learning to fly an a/c built in 1970 as its always been my lifelong ambition.
Flight schools have already started to go out of business and there will no doubt be more to follow. Hence a surplus of instructors out there already exists. Add into the mix the CAA's proposal for unpaid PPL instructors and I would say there is no business case at all for splashing out further on the instructor rating. In fact it would be better for the industry as a whole if the people that went into instructing did it as a career rather than just an hour building exercise. Those that have been on the sharp end and had multiple instructors during their training due to the airlines calling will know what I am on about.
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Hi fellas!
just a humble comment here.
Someone said "crap company".
I think at this stage there is enough information and people has had enough experiences as to how "unfair" the market is.
TRTOs just try to sell their product and they promise you whatever, but I think you must have some wits to realize it's just propaganda.
And on the other hand companies that make you pay your TR aren't really the best ones. A really good company will fund your training.
About going FI... I keep on thinking it's a decent way to start, and if you are professional enough you can do a good job. And you can even like it. When I finished my FI rating I wasn't that happy about it, but after a few instruction flights I started to love it.
Yes, there are many outfits that pay peanuts, but there are some others that pay decently and you work in good conditions. You can always try to look for a better place to work.
This is the same as working for an airline. Some airlines have better conditions than others. Obviously you will always take up any job offered, but eventually you'll have to apply to other airlines for better conditions.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Good luck job hunting guys, keep the moral up!
just a humble comment here.
Someone said "crap company".
I think at this stage there is enough information and people has had enough experiences as to how "unfair" the market is.
TRTOs just try to sell their product and they promise you whatever, but I think you must have some wits to realize it's just propaganda.
And on the other hand companies that make you pay your TR aren't really the best ones. A really good company will fund your training.
About going FI... I keep on thinking it's a decent way to start, and if you are professional enough you can do a good job. And you can even like it. When I finished my FI rating I wasn't that happy about it, but after a few instruction flights I started to love it.
Yes, there are many outfits that pay peanuts, but there are some others that pay decently and you work in good conditions. You can always try to look for a better place to work.
This is the same as working for an airline. Some airlines have better conditions than others. Obviously you will always take up any job offered, but eventually you'll have to apply to other airlines for better conditions.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Good luck job hunting guys, keep the moral up!
