Anyone know of any sic lowtimer jobs?

[172driver]

Again, how valuable are those hours? Driving skydivers is great experience in Vy climbs and redline descents but what else? It may even be experience in a bigger, faster plane but it does not include much variety. When was the last time you logged X-C time, flew IFR, had a ground work session, had to use various different methods to enlighten someone on a particular topic, flew a different aircraft, even landed at an airport that wasn't home base?

All flight time is great...I don't want to rag on you guys too much but do want to preach the value of paying your dues. How do future employers feel about 2000 hrs of VFR to the same airport in the same plane, all logged .5 at a time?

I understand that work commitments don't allow you to instruct. How many people on this board do you think gave up well-paying jobs to sit right seat in a 152? Probably most...because they wanted to do things the right way. Their future aviation career was more important to them than their current job. I work with CFI's who were lawyers, doctors, businessmen, accountants, teachers, etc. None of them really wanted to give up lucrative incomes or instruct but they did because employers look for that time. It is good experience and an indicator of dedication.

 

[capt_zman]

172Driver, although your points are well made, let's try and get a grip. Instructing is a good way to develop experience at the beginning of your career, but it is not the end all of flight experience. There are many different aspects of aviation that all qualify as good experience, not just instructing.

How much variety do you see as an instructor? Give me a break. You fly around the patch all day with someone else manipulating the controls in the same old airplanes. What kind of remarkable experience is this? Is this time more valuable than anything else?

Keep the instructing job in perspective. It is a noble way to make a living early in your career, but to place it on a pedestal as the only way to earn real experience is ridiculous.

Funny, if I offered you an SIC job in a King Air, I know what your answer would be.

And you can flame me all you want, but I own 1/2 of a 141 school and employ 20 instructors, so I know the instructing game.

 

[lancair1]

Jump pilot,
Thanks for the link. That would be an awesome addition to 135 or instructing. I just thought there were not many of the jobs available.

172 driver,
I guess I just don't fall into the group that think you must instruct to pay your dues and be a decent pilot. I just want to fly. Whether the flight benefits me from being in increasingly complex a/c, teaching a student, or flying jumpers.

 

[aero99]

Let's not turn this into a arguement on what hours are "better" hours i.e. jumpers, pipline, instructing etc.....

The original question was as to any operators giving right seat rides for peanuts.

The majority came through with why not instruct. Are there pipeline jobs or jumper jobs or traffic jobs out there? Yes. Are anyone of these better than the other with someone who has less than 500 hours? No. They all give experience, pay and most importantly (to me at least) they all give you PIC time.

Lancair, whatever you do, go do it. Don't wait for that perfect job. If you need to instruct for 6 months then do it. Take control of your career and have a plan. Sitting around wishing you were flying pipe vs instructing isn't going to get you any closer to the job you may want later down the road.

 

[172driver]

Agreed...not the be all to end all. More variety than flying skydivers... yes. Would I take the King Air job...of course. Would I learn more from the King Air job now that I've instructed for several hundred hrs...yes. Would the PIC on the King Air get more out of me now...yes.

As I said earlier, the value in instructing is not the manipulation of the controls but being in charge of the flight, making decisions, and having the knowledge to teach others.

Is a 135 job more varied and better real world experience. Of course it is. But if you move from flying with your CFI to flying with a captain/PIC, how prepared will you be when you are the PIC with no one holding your hand? You better hope your SIC has some time instructing because you're going to need it.

 

[lancair1]

I agree that they purpose of the post has been inefective.

There is no more control needed over the path of my career. My time is filled with preparation for cfi class which starts in a week.

It was my hope, which led to this post, that someone may know of any flying job out there. I have found and applied to a few, but no luck as of yet. I can temporarily put off my cfi in an instant, and will if i find a lead elsewhere.

This is not to say that I think it is likely, which is why the term "wishfull thinking" has come up a few times.

 

[Lonestar]

172Driver

I think you should come back to this thread in a couple of years and tell us if you still feel the same way.

 

[flydog]

The point of my post was not wether working as a CFI and paying your dues was better than working as an SIC (although I think it is)

It was that your attitude about taking any job for little or no money sucks

Groover is right. 5 years from now when you have 6000+ hours and 5500 of that is SIC and you are stuck in the right seat of some turboprop making 18k a year come back and reread your post. I guarantee you will have a different take on working as a professional pilot.

And just to make it clear. A Baron, C-310, King Air, etc are all single pilot airplanes. Thats why the gear handle and the autopilot are next to the pilot. About the only thing you will learn is how to pour the passengers coffee and load bags. Thats not going to impress any prospective employers.

Get some PIC time and learn about flying for a living. We dont need any more flight attendants with Commercial Multi tickets to pull gear for free

 

[JediNein]

How is flying right seat for free any different than PFT? Ummm...... one still ends up broke at the end of the day.

How is sitting right seat as a CFI hating one's students and every minute spent not flying doing anyone any good?



*Jedi Nein grabs a second cup of coffee knowing that someone has stepped on her pet peeve.*

I'd rather someone paid for the seat or sat there for free than kill their students because they were too pissed at being there to do a good job instructing.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

 

[be36driver]

Jedi-Nein, did you get your medical back yet? What has it been, about ayear now since the last time you could act as PIC?