Help...I need honest opinions please.

[Relic01]

I am currently a flight instructor in the northeast. I graduated with a B.S. in May 2003. I am currently 26 with about 1150 TT and 85 multi. I have and will continue to mail my resume to any and every part 135 and 121 operator that is excepting resumes except those that specifically request you don't apply until you meet the mins.

After talking to a number of people at HR depts around the country (Pinnacle, Horizon, American Eagle, ExpressJet, ComAir, ASA, Chatuaqua, Chicago Express, CommutAir), I must get at least somewhere around 1500 TT and 200+ hours multi to be competitive. There are just too many qualified folks out there. I presently flight instruct for a busy flight school but during this time of year the weather is erratic and flying slows down.

I have been offered a full-time job at a WalMart Distribution Center (Sat/Sun/Mon 6AM-630PM) paying $15.00 an hour. I would like to take this job except that it would affect my flying schedule limiting me to Tuesday thru Friday. When flying does pick up, I would be busy and my instructing duties would be limited due to my schedule. The benefit of taking this job would be that in six months I would be debt-free and I would have enough money to head west (Air Desert Pacific) or south (All ATP) to buy a block of 100+ hours multi.

Now, is there something I am not seeing? Would you do the same or not? Please help with your opinion. My thanks and appreciation.

 

[Ailerongirl]

Hey Relic!

Were I in your shoes, I'd take the Wally World job. You said yourself that flying is slow right now...go make the good money so you're able to be debt free and take the next step you need without having the money issue hanging over your head. I know that when flying picks back up you'll lose a few hours, but you will still be able to instruct 4 days a week. That's no too bad.

Just my 2 cents.

Ailerongirl

P.S: Where in the NE?

 

[uscpilot]

If you have an opportunity to be debt free, especially in such a short amount of time, take it. You will need every last cent when you go to a regional and make 18000+or- your first year. Just stay current on your off days.
Then go to AZ I hear the women are much better looking than the "women" in FLA.
usc

 

[wil]

Is it possible to both? Sounds like a great job while you instruct part-time!! I worked at a bank 3pm-8pm mon-fri and taught in the mornings and weekends.
Not to burst your bubble, but the 1500/200 is like the 1000 PIC Turbine. That is just the minimum and far from being competitive. I had a lunch with a friend at very small Regional Airline. His class is filled with furloughs from Delta, USAir, TWA.
If I were in your shoes (and knowing what I know now) I would vote for the job and instruct part-time. I wish you success in your search. I too was in your shoes a few years ago! It won't last forever!! Good luck-

 

[uscpilot]

Then go to AZ I hear the women are much better looking than the "women" in FLA.
usc

Sorry I just assumed you were a dude, I should not do that. If you are a chick then my bad, unless of course youre a chick on chick, chick, then its all good.

usc
PS How many times can you say chick in one sentence??

 

[StarChecker]

PS How many times can you say chick in one sentence??

You need sleep dude...

 

[Mogus]

Were I in your shoes, I'd take the Wally World job...go make the good money...

It's a sad, sad world we live in...

 

[bobbysamd]

Wal-Mart

You have to do what you have to do. The last thing you want to be is in debt. I would take the Wal-Mart job, if I were you, and make some money. You'll still have plenty of time for flying. Just don't be doing too much so you don't burn out. Leave yourself some time to rest.

Not to burst your bubble, or that of the H.R. coneheads with whom you were speaking, but in these (improving?) times you will need far more than 200 of multi to be competitive. Try, as a rule of thumb, 1500 total-500 multi and your ATP, for openers. In my $0.02 but semi-informed opinion, any airline with mins of, e.g., 1000-100 that says it will hire at those mins is feeding you a bunch of hooey.

Having said that, I agree with your plans to keep applying, even if you're below mins. Not that it will happen, because it usually does not, but your resume could hit the right person at the right time and you might be called. In any event, your materials will be filed and the hiring morons will see that you exhibited an early interest in their company. That could help you get an interview. I know whereof I speak; I started applying to the various American Eagles in 1988 long before I hit their mins. I eventually got an Eagle interview and saw my file. For the most part, every piece of correspondence I had sent Eagle was in my file. (Although I have believed that half of the time the stuff you send the regionals is sh!tcanned.)

Hope that helps some more. Best of luck with your efforts.

 

[350DRIVER]

Relic,

I personally would find another job that will pay comparable or better to what wally mart pays but will allow you much more "flexibility" and "free time". I would not want to be stuck working those shift hours when the weather turns and you have students that need, want, or desire to fly during the weekends for multiple reasons. Sat/Sun/Mon 6AM-630PM shifts are really going to limit your weekend availability and I can tell you from experience that the weekends were the times that most of my students would want to fly. Most of the "professional" career people who flew with me just did not have the time during the week to set aside for the flying lessons. If you are instructing at a busy 141 school like FSI, Pan Am,Embry, etc, then you may be able to keep a good amount of students who can fill your weekly schedule up since they are doing it pretty much "full time" and have a time frame in which they need/want to finish up. If I could have only instructed mid-week then I would have been $crewed since the the weekends were the most desirable days of the week that the students want to fly. Can you take the job and still flight instruct on the other days? Surely but I truly believe that it will take you much longer to accumulate the flight hours and experience.

At 1150 TT and 85 multi you are not that far away from being able to land some sort of job within the aviation industry so why not put all your interests and time into instructing, speeding the process up, etc, versus "limiting" yourself big time by taking the job at wally mart. I personally would find another job that allows much better flexibility and the freedom to fly on the weekends. You have come this far so you surely could weather this storm out for a few more months.

Do as you wish but I surely would think twice about this one.

3 5 0

 

[Draginass]

Managing the distribution of cheap Chinese goods to Walmarts has a future. The airline biz doesn't. Fly for fun or instruct, but don't waste thousands of dollars in training and timebuilding to get a job that's probably going to pay you $70k and no retirement after 15 years.