Best way to build hours?

[epic!]

I want to get my commercial by the end of this year but am far from the 250hrs i need. after my instrument ill still have well over 100 hours to obtain. Whats the best way to get these hours? Is renting a plane really my only option?

 

[ChiFlyer]

Besides working on other endorsements, try to find other people in your area that are in the same boat and split the time. Talk to flight schools, they usually have people that are looking to build hours as well.

 

[aucfi]

I want to get my commercial by the end of this year but am far from the 250hrs i need. after my instrument ill still have well over 100 hours to obtain. Whats the best way to get these hours? Is renting a plane really my only option?

You need to make yourself known to the airport bums who have airplanes. My local airport has several retirees who have airplanes who are always willing to take someone along for their Saturday/Sunday $100 hamburger runs. Ask if you can log the flight, most of them never log it anyway.

Offer to clean airplanes for flight time. You can do this at a flight school or with private owners. If there are a lot of hangers, stick a business card in the door that lets the people know who you are, what your trying to do, and how they can help. You'd be surprised how much interest you can generate.

Also, Id look into your local EAA chapter also. Members are not requried to own an experimental airplane. My chapter has mainly factory built planes with a few homebuilts on the side; all of which you can fly and log if properly endorsed.

Best of luck

au

 

[epic!]

Well, renting is the obvious answer... Unless you know someone that owns an airplane.

Do you have your instrument rating? If not, get that...you'll need it anyways and you will log PIC time... Get a high-performance or tailwheel endorsement... The bottom line is don't rent just to "build time"... Get something along the way.

ill start my instrument in a few weeks, thats a good idea to get those other endorsements. thanks for the advice

 

[NYCPilot]

dont hotwire any planes either. you wont be able to log the time....

 

[NW_Pilot]

"Splitting the time" won't save any money. If you are honest and only log the PIC time you were actually acting as PIC... For example, YOU fly the first leg of a x-country flight for the $100 burger as PIC. Then the "other guy" flies back. Still have to pay the hourly rental the entire time the airplane was "out", right? Flying back as "co-pilot" doesn't count for log time...experience, maybe...but not loggable...

PIC time is really what counts. Nobody cares about SIC/sand bag time in a Cessna or Piper.

Depends if the person flying is Under the Hood! Then Both are PIC. And Both get Excellent Instrument Practice.

 

[epic!]

You need to make yourself known to the airport bums who have airplanes. My local airport has several retirees who have airplanes who are always willing to take someone along for their Saturday/Sunday $100 hamburger runs. Ask if you can log the flight, most of them never log it anyway.

Offer to clean airplanes for flight time. You can do this at a flight school or with private owners. If there are a lot of hangers, stick a business card in the door that lets the people know who you are, what your trying to do, and how they can help. You'd be surprised how much interest you can generate.

Also, Id look into your local EAA chapter also. Members are not requried to own an experimental airplane. My chapter has mainly factory built planes with a few homebuilts on the side; all of which you can fly and log if properly endorsed.

Best of luck

au

I already clean planes for the flight school i did my training through, they pay me as well as give me a discount, but its still pretty expensive. Ill see about printing up some cards and what not. thanks for the advice

And on that note, anyone in the clt area care if i tag along?

 

[rfresh]

Are you interested in becoming a CFI? Great way to build time...

 

[epic!]

Are you interested in becoming a CFI? Great way to build time...

yes i just need to get my commercial first, which is why i need the hours

 

[RefugePilot]

Are you studying under a 141 school? If not you will need to build 50 hours of XC PIC time. You will also need 40 hours of hood.

I built up my time when I was in your shoes by hooking up with other instrument students and flying on cross countries while under the hood. The first step is to get some BAI basic attitude instrument time from your instructor. Make sure you are both proficient at the basic instrument flying. Then go places with the other student. One person is the safety pilot while one is under the hood, switch out roles each leg. Split the cost of each flight. Subtract out .3 hours from the PIC and total time for the time one of you is not under the hood.

The key is to make sure you are both decent at the BAI and VOR navigation
and follow the standards and procedures of your instructor so you don't develop any bad habits. Also make sure your safety pilot is safe. I remember the first person I did this with was staring at the sectional the whole time while I was staring at the gages. The safety pilot has to watch for traffic and let you fly the airplane and navigate.

 

[JediNein]

The best way to build the time? One hour at a time.

Angel Flight can give you some ideas on where to go for your cross countries, and a person needing medical treatment will be eternally grateful.

Civil Air Patrol is an option, Come-and-pay is their other name. If you get in with a good group, the training is incredible and gives you new respect for your flying.

There is always the fun of warping young minds towards aviation. Join the local pilots on Young Eagles days and take up kids on their first flights.

Look into a glider rating. Some of the soaring sites out here just charge a tow fee and a per flight fee. If you fly for four hours or for four minutes, it's the same price. It's a great incentive to sharpen your soaring skills.

There is more to flying than one cross country after another in a beaten-up Messna.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

 

[epic!]

The best way to build the time? One hour at a time.

Angel Flight can give you some ideas on where to go for your cross countries, and a person needing medical treatment will be eternally grateful.

Civil Air Patrol is an option, Come-and-pay is their other name. If you get in with a good group, the training is incredible and gives you new respect for your flying.

There is always the fun of warping young minds towards aviation. Join the local pilots on Young Eagles days and take up kids on their first flights.

Look into a glider rating. Some of the soaring sites out here just charge a tow fee and a per flight fee. If you fly for four hours or for four minutes, it's the same price. It's a great incentive to sharpen your soaring skills.

There is more to flying than one cross country after another in a beaten-up Messna.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

thanks a bunch, i was in CAP for a while but it sucked a lot. ill look into angel flights once i get my instrument

 

[Sawmill]

Epic...I couldn't agree more with aucfi and RefugePilot. Their suggestions are exactly the route I took to build time before I bought my little Cherokee to bore holes in the sky. Go to all the airports close by and network bigtime. Talk to everyone, especially the older guys. You would be surprised what it could lead to. Also, finding a partner to log cross country with while under the hood basically cuts your flight hour cost in half. But dont forget to enjoy yourself while you are building this time. Good luck and Ill see ya out there! Sawmill

 

[RichardRambone]

Dont forget about calling aircraft brokerage companies. I got my ferrying job with a sales company.

 

[mddg3581]

Switch to part 141. The hour requirements are drastically reduced. For your Instrument you will not need the 50 hours X-country PIC. For Commercial you will only need I believe 190tt. Im just throwing that number out so check the part 141 regs for your commercial requirements. If I had the book in front of me I'd verify it for you. Many schools offer both 61 and 141 training. I would look into it though and see if your school is one of them. It doesn't sound like it though.

 

[epic!]

Switch to part 141. The hour requirements are drastically reduced. For your Instrument you will not need the 50 hours X-country PIC. For Commercial you will only need I believe 190tt. Im just throwing that number out so check the part 141 regs for your commercial requirements. If I had the book in front of me I'd verify it for you. Many schools offer both 61 and 141 training. I would look into it though and see if your school is one of them. It doesn't sound like it though.

yea its a 61 school, being a full time student wouldnt it be hard to work through a 141. i dont know much about them but i assume i can 'work at my own pace' as i did with the school i was at previously

 

[Midnight Flyer]

Don't forget PFT programs, they're really good for this industry. There's always KeyLime Air in Colorado.

 

[mddg3581]

Part 141 in many cases still allows you to go at your own pace. The school I teach at people are coming in whenever they have time..sometimes a little too unfrequently for my preference. The big difference besides the hour requirements are that 141 has to have a syllabus and there are stage checks involved. These things do not necessarily make 141 any better or worse and many 61 programs use the same types of things.

 

[troy]

yea its a 61 school, being a full time student wouldnt it be hard to work through a 141. i dont know much about them but i assume i can 'work at my own pace' as i did with the school i was at previously

Find a part 141 FBO. You can still work at your own pace, same as 61. 190TT I believe is correct. You will get to that number by flying all of the lessons in the recomended time put forth by the inventor of the sylabus (even though you may have completed a lesson in 1.5 hrs, keep flying till the recomended X number of hrs). By the end of all the lessons, you will have the perfect number (usually). This way, you are not just "building time".

 

[MFRskyknight]

Well, renting is the obvious answer... Unless you know someone that owns an airplane.

Do you have your instrument rating? If not, get that...you'll need it anyways and you will log PIC time... Get a high-performance or tailwheel endorsement... The bottom line is don't rent just to "build time"... Get something along the way.

Good advice, that's basically the boat I'm in too. I'm only at 120 hours TT or so right now w/ the instrument. Just got my HP signoff in a Comanche the other day, going to see a man with a Taylorcraft next week about the tailwheel...

It gets expensive, though, so I'm trying to find a second job (already working 40+ hours a week) and another pilot who'd like to fly safety/under the hood.

MFR