alternates to CFIing

[Bandit60]

I learned more in the first 100hrs of flight intruction then I did in the previous 300 hrs as a pilot and a student. Like most of the others here, I believe it is a great way to get good experience. Don't forget that experiences are all the screw up things you have done.

 

[DR400]

Other alternative (even if logging that time is questionable but the experience is good to take) :
Right Seat program at Simuflite...Check their website for details.

 

[avbug]

no CFI'ing is NOT FUN.

Speak for yourself. I enjoy it.

You might be able to fly that amount with jumpers in a 182 at an active DZ, pushing 45 minutes to an hour per load for high loads. But not in a Caravan, when its' only .3 up and down. 15 loads is a busy day, figure at 4.5 hours at .3 a load. Figure 100 good jump days a year, for weekends (few if any DZ's see continuous jumping on the weekdays). That's closer to 450 hours a year at a busy DZ, in a Caravan.

 

[DR400]

Avbug you are right...In this case turbine time does not help a time builder (especially a low timer).
Also CFI'ing, if a pilot wants to reach a commercial career, is a good way to sharpen your regs for future interviews.
I enjoyed both, I recommend both....Better than PFT .
Just don't fall in the routine and stay focus on your goal.

 

[labbats]

Dropping jumpers sounds like a blast. And I second the idea that being a CFI teaches you valuable skills, even moreso your CFII and MEI. But I'd also say that past 500 dual given you get in a rut and need to move on if possible.

 

[BritishGuy]

I agree. I'm dropping jumpers right now in a 182. The problem is I only get around 35 hrs a month. I enjoy it. But it's not half as busy as they told me it would be. to be honest with you, for 35 hours a month, I could earn the money in a 'regular' job (I used to work for investment banks) and buy the 35 hours. So I'm getting a little peed off right now. I'm going to head back to Investment Banking and fly pay for my hours. I'll make more money (and we all need to be fed!) than the $8 a load I get now....and even if I bought the hours, I'd be better off. Just need to do a cost analysis. And believe me the odd 2-3 loads per day is all you make. You're pushing VFR minimums when the clouds are in, are pushed though it to get the job done.....not worth risking the licence, especially when the FSDO is on the next field (less than a mile away!) Don't get me wrong, if you're kept busy and you get the 100hrs a month (that you're promised!) then yeah stick it out for a few months to get the total time up.....otherwise, I'd instruct at a busy school....but then saying that, those jobs were hard to come by too.....busy school jobs that is.

 

[pilot_guy]

Slingin' Meat

Well, british, it's like this. I've dropped meat, and I'll be honest with you, it's all in where you are located. You're right about getting pushed though. Skydive monkeys don't care about the aircraft or F.A.Rs. They want you to bust clouds or climb through "sucker holes" just so they can bail. If they had an escalator that accepted "20"s, they would ride that up to 11,000msl.

As far as pay goes, this isn't the job for a family man. Then again, most entry-level aren't for those who have fiscal obligations. I hate to say it, but this is a young man's game, and those who can move easily, and don't have families or car notes to worry about will be more marketable as we can survive on 40 hours or so a month, sleeping at the DZ, eating McNasty's, and showering in the group showers.

DZ life is unlike anything in GA. These DZ rats are unlike pilots in almost every sense. Afterall, how many of us are willing to leave a perfectly good airplane? I'm not. If you're lucky, you'll get hooked up with an operator who cares about his airplane, and not his tandem loads, and if you're really lucky, he'll pay you! I've dropped meatbombs in a 182, and I'll admit, it was a blast! But, you have to go in with the attitude that this isn't Flight Options or some fractional with great conditions. Then again, I suppose attitude accounts for much of it in aviation. If you bite the bullet, move for the summer to a place with good weather, then it wouldn't be unrealistic to log up 300 or 400 for 4 months. You won't get rich, but you won't be paying to fly either, and that's the end game for most of us.

If you can buy your time, I applaud you. I wish I had a "real" job that could feed me and my habit of time in the book. Not trying to be a smarta$$ at all, just that most of us are in hock up to our a$$es and gotta get time whatever way we can, even if it means living in places we wouldn't normally, or flying junk. You're right though, you have to have a line you won't cross, cause they will ask you to risk your ticket for their pocketbooks. Everyone bends the rules, just don't get caught blatantly breaking them.

Take care, and I wish you luck man. For DZ400, where were you dropping meat in Texas? Think they have any openings for a 182 guy?

 

[BritishGuy]

I had totally forgotten about this post. But glad it's surfaced again. Since that last post I decided to call it a day in June 2004. I went 3 wks without flying, hence no money and was finding myself in a position where cash advances on the credit card were being made. I decided to jack it in. I had to. Now looking towards greener pastures...I hope....(if theres such a thing!)