From CFI to Charter?

[BoDEAN]

At what point in your CFI career did you make the move from CFI to charter pilot full time? Curious on what your years were as a CFI and what hours you started to venture into the charter area
.

 

[HMR]

Finished CFI, CFII, MEI with just under 300hrs. Got hired at my local flight school. Worked all day, 6-7 days per week for 15mos. Gave about 1,000hrs. of dual, 500 of that was multi. Interviewed at a busy but shady pt.135 company with 1300/500. Two weeks later I was done with King Air school and flying single pilot in a 200.

 

[banned username 2]

At what point in your CFI career did you make the move from CFI to charter pilot full time? Curious on what your years were as a CFI and what hours you started to venture into the charter area
.

CFI'ed (and flew traffic) full time for 2.75 years time (1,600+ dual given), during the last 8 months was flying part time Charter in a C-414A. Got hired full time flying King Air's and Lear's (F/O) at 2,400/850... This was back in the early 90's when PFT was rampant and jobs were very hard to come by...

 

[OhDannyBoy]

Flew CFI,II, MEI for about a year, 8 days a week, plus flew local jump plane in "spare" time. Lucked out and got taken under wing of local godfather of corporate flying and got just enough time in a Hawker, Citation X and my favorite the Falcon 10 to whet my appetite. Learned a lot from him about flying and the real world. I'm a little long in the tooth to be starting a career so on his advice I took every .1 of flying that I could get my hands on even if I couldn't log it. Not hard to do, I love flying anyway. Headed to the caribbean where the mins for comm flying are lower and flew the CAA version of 135 for about 6 months flying Aztecs (great plane) and 402s. Starting newhire class in two weeks for a regional.

What's my point? There doesn't seem to be one set path. I have a friend who instructed for only 300 hours before moving into the right seat of a 121 dhc-6. I have another friend who was an instructor where I went to school and is still there with 2600 hours, all of it his training then instruction given.

Sorry for the pontification, just fly as much as you can, enjoy every minute of it and when opportunity comes your way grab it. And remember yourself as a student while you are teaching.

Have fun

ODB

 

[CUEBOAT]

CFI for about 10 months, hired into a lear 55 with 900 total of which 600 was multi. The amount of time needed to break into charter is really based on teh part of the country you are in, southern florida the mins are low.

 

[BoilerUP]

I don't wanna come off as a smartass, but is the pay low as well?

 

[BoilerUP]

southern florida the mins are low.

I don't wanna come off as a smartass, but is the pay low as well?

 

[KeroseneSnorter]

At what point in your CFI career did you make the move from CFI to charter pilot full time? Curious on what your years were as a CFI and what hours you started to venture into the charter area
.

Would that be the first time through or the second?

So many ups and downs It's hard to keep track!!!!

CFI- 1.5 years 1200 TT 850 Dual given, 135 freight 1.5 years 1200TT to 2500 TT, Regional-2.8 years 2500TT to 4500TT , Major- 2.5 years 4500TT to 6000TT, Furloughed- $90,000 TT to $ 0 TT, CFI (Again)- 8 Months, Could care less what the time was on that one!! Corporate Pilot- 1000 hours or so and counting, Contract Corporate- on days off, on whatever airplane I have time in that pays well.

Oddly enough there are months that I make more money flying 310's and Barons by the day than I do as a Salaried Corporate Jet Captain.


Bottom line, Keep your resumes out there and make friends with everyone that may be able to help you out, even if it may be several years until they can! The next move up may be from some guy in a ratty pair of jeans and a T shirt with a fishing pole in his hand. You never know what he may do when he is not fishing! I got a rec letter from a Senior Captain years ago that I met while drinking a beer and fishing that fit that very description.


Yea I know, More info than you were looking for, but theres nothing on TV tonight and I am bored

 

[Texan Driver]

I took a rather long way before I got into 135 flying.

I started life spraying crops, from there I was an aerobatic/tailwheel instructor and got my first corporate gig when I happened to be standing in the office of the flight school I worked at when someone who just bought a C-340 called and asked if anyone there had any twin Cessna time. 25 of my 50 hours of multi were in a C-310 so I was hired over the phone to fly for this guy. Pretty cool.

That led to being a switch bit...er co-pilot on a Citation for a bit.

After that, did some time towing banner, hauling skydivers in a Twin Otter...which led to a brief military contract..did some work for one of those dogfighting companies and then headed to Florida where I flew T-6's hawking rides. Now I am flying freight in a Cessna 208...finally got a "real" job flying.

What is after this? Don't know. Maybe aerial firefighting. I have a buddy that is doing this and says "Dude...this is right up your alley". Might be worth a shot.

Basically, don't be in a huge rush and enjoy the time you spend flying. You will get there. Also, don't be so focused on one goal as you may pass up some neat opportunities.

-J

 

[Lead Sled]

I did it backwards...

I got my comm/inst/me then went directly into 135 flying. I flew the Grand Canyon for three years and ended up with around 3,500 hours TT. Then I went back and picked up my CFI so I could keep my hand in flying while I went to school full time to finish up my degree.

'Sled

 

[fokkers&beer]

Instructed for about a year and a half. Moved to the midwest and flew bank checks and on demand freight in Aztecs and BE-18's for a while. I had about 1500 total time when I made the switch to part 135. I've been having fun ever since.


Good luck.