Career Advice

[rchcfi]

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone out there in the know could help me out. I am one of those poor saps who dumped his entire life savings into flying and then right as I was ready to start my "professional" career, that tragic day last September happened. A little background on myself so as to help you see where I'm coming from. I started flying back in '88 and then quit in '91 due to lack of funds and finding a good job. I became a "stable" employee with Southwest in their Operations department and after 8 years made a decent living. I really wanted to get back into flying and it took the help of one of my pilot friends at WN to make that now infamous leap into unemployment and the removal of the safety blanket. I took my saved up profit sharing and dumped it into obtaining more ratings and flight time. I moved across the country to a few places where I thought I could get some time and a job, but alas, there weren't any to be had. I went completely broke, maxed my credit cards, had my car repossessed, and am now working for Million Air in Dallas as a line tech fueling planes. I am finally starting to get somewhat back on my feet and the question I have is this: I am thinking about using some saved up money to get my Dispatcher's liscence or my CFII. I have my CFI and 290 dual given with a 100% pass rate but no one will touch me without that extra "I" in there. But after talking to many FBOs and flight schools, even if I had my CFII, they wouldn't hire because the pipeline is shut and there is no movement. And every time I check the employement websites I see listings for Dispatchers. Do any of you think that would be a wise move for me or is that "pipeline" gonna re-open soon? Cheers and Beers!

 

[BoDEAN]

With regards to you "pipeline" comment, it's not a matter of if but a matter of when

It sounds to me like you are getting bored with instructing?

Keep your chin up, things will improve. Maybe you want to try to land something flying freight?

 

[JetPilot500]

I cannot tell you if the "pipeline" is gonna reopen anytime soon, in fact, no one can.

You need to ask yourself, do you want to be a Pilot or do you want to be a Dispatcher. Spending your (limited) funds on becoming a dispatcher will not advance you any futher in your pilot career. IMO, you have invested too much to give up now.

Consider getting your CFII with a different flight school at a different airport. I was looking for CFI jobs in the early '90s and couldn't find one either. It wasn't until I went to a different school to get my Multi Rating that I found a job. You can get into a rut if you are only dealing with one operation. There may not be any movement there, but there might be somewhere else. After I finished my ME at the new school, my instructor got a job flying Lears and an opening occured at the school. Well, since I was a known quantity to them, I slid right in. There was some luck and timing involved in my situation, but it never hurts to meet some new and different people in aviation.

My advice, don't give up on your dream. If you want it bad enough, and work hard enough at it, you will achieve your goal. There will always be those who say, "Get out while you can!" But don't listen to them, let them quit. If they quit, they just made a position for you. There will be movement in the industry, mostly at the CFI level, IMO. The reason will be those who get tired of instructing and waiting for a jet job. LET THEM GO! If they leave, they obviously didn't want it bad enough. At my school in the early 90's we had a slow, but continuous stream of people quitting flying as a career. And I currently know of about 3 CFI's that have quit instructing and flying all together in the last year. So it will happen.

Keep the faith Amigo,
JetPilot500

 

[BoDEAN]

JetPilot500, well put.

One more tip: Maybe go to a different part of the country, and get your CFII. This will give you a new environment to fly in, and it will be a different experince that your "back home" airport!

Just a suggestion

 

[rchcfi]

Gizbug, JetPilot500,

Thanks for the input. I definately am not tired of instructing. In fact I'm down in FL right now giving some "free" time to a friend and her classmates about their upcoming pre-solo stage checks.

Ask anyone I know and they will tell you how passionate about
flying I really am. Give me an airplane and a place to go, and I will go. I love sharing my knowledge with new or wannabe pilots. The problem I have is that of the not so "airworthy" condition of some airplanes I have flown instructing. And when I mention it to the chief pilots, they all say the same thing. "If you don't want to fly it, someone else will!"

Also, concerning freight jobs: I recently met a pilot for an outfit called Skyway and he told me that they were hiring and that I should have no problem with my hours. I called the chief pilot, gave him the pilot's name I was talking to and this is what was said. "Do you have a type-rating in the Shorts 360 and 1,500 hours?" Now tell me how you expect to get a type-rating in the Flying Shoebox just for an FO slot?

The moral of the story is that, NO, I am definately not giving up on flying as it is truly my passion. It's just depressing to be broke, not being able to fly, and working someplace where all you do is interact with pilots and their great stories.

 

[BoDEAN]

Where in Florida are you flying?
What has been your toughest challange with being a CFI?

Would you relocate for a freight job? I know Willow Run (KYIP) here in Michigan is one of the biggest airports for freight.

 

[rchcfi]

Actually I am in Florida visiting my friend who I thought was more than just a friend, if you get my drift. So add a category to my depressing situations lately. Anyway, that being said, I am just helping her study and mediating study groups from her class. I'm not actually flying, just the good ol' fashioned book work. I was a CFI down here at Gulfstream Academy but I won't even go into that!

My biggest challenge as a CFI was probably the "scheduling" aspect of my students where I worked. For instance, the school was bringing in more students than they had airplanes or instructors. Therefore the airplanes were being used from 0600-2200 every day (down for maintenance most of the time!) I was consistantly scheduled from 1400-2200 with the obligatory 2 hour blocks per student. Most of my students were Private students and I had a blast. Anyway, during January the sun would set at 1730 so half or more of my flights were at night all week. What can you do with a VFR private pilot student at night 5 days in a row? The answer: cancel the flights and do some ground preparing for what needed to get done.

Other than that, it would probably be the aggrivation on my part of some of the students who only looked at flying as a way to get rich, therefore their skills lacked severely, they refused to study or put forth an effort, so I'd would refuse to solo them. (Funny story: I had a student that I refused to solo or endorse. I didn't want my name anywhere in or around his logbook. He was that scary! I proceeded to quit and he was given to another instructor. As the story goes, 2 days later he soloed and a day after that landed on the wrong runway which crossed the active. A Learjet had to initiate evasive actions to avoid a collision and blew all four main gear tires and exited the runway to the right.)

Don't get me wrong, I love challenges. But some folks are beyond help, and some are into flying for all the wrong reasons.

And yes, I am willing to relocate anywhere for a job! I have sent out over 300 resumes to probably 40 states including Alaska, but no bites. So I guess I'll just bide my time and try to muster up enough cash to continue flying.

 

[bobbysamd]

Finish your CFI . . .

That's what I'd do. As someone opined above, you have to decide if you want to be a pilot or a dispatcher. I suspect that you really want to be a pilot. So, that's what you should do. Get your CFI-I so you can instruct instrument students and build up that very important background, and get your MEI to build that very important experience.

I remember receiving suggestions for places where I could apply. I would call and be asked immediately if I had any 135 time. I had to say "no." So much for suggestions, although I don't fault the people who provided them. They meant well.

Your resume-spamming sounds reminiscent of my efforts. You are doing well if you receive a five per cent rate of return on resume spam. You might try dressing as if you were going to an interview and hand-delivering materials to places that are within a reasonable driving distance. In fact, while you're in Florida, take a two-hour drive up the East Coast and drop off materials. Try places like FlightSafety, Pan Am, Flyers, etc. Go up the West Coast, to Naples, Sarasota, etc., Tampa, etc.

One other thing you might do is to collect as many LORs as you can from your Southwest associates. They might come in handy one day.

Keep up your efforts. It has been said that all things cometh to he who waiteth (while he worketh like hell while he waiteth). Best of luck.

 

[peepsmover]

CFI vote: Ay

Just real quick, shuck the babe, focus and get your CFI completed, it will provide you a more solid foundation, to contemplate your next move. A dispatcher job will always be there, and if it comes down to survival, then do what you have to do, and try and work your way back to flying, because whenever the hiring resumes, interviewers are going to be understanding of those who pursued other careers, but I think it is fair to say that if you hit the aviation scene hard, or take an earlier suggestion to move elsewhere (Alaska might be a good option) to situate yourself more solidly, that might take care of the love life issue, or at least soothe the pain, and open up new flying opportunities for you, best of luck.

 

[rchcfi]

Keep up your efforts. It has been said that all things cometh to he who waiteth (while he worketh like hell while he waiteth).

I guess that says it all......Or maybe the one I keep reiterating to myself day after day: It is better to have tried and failed then not try at all. BTW, not saying that I have failed, but it keeps me focused on the path which I now have put myself on. After all, I am fully aware there are a gazillion other pilots out there worse off than myself, so why should I complain?

Here's to workething like hell why I waiteth!