I can't flight instruct

[dcramer16]

I will be finishing up my training with ATP Flight School pretty soon and have been thinking about whats next. I DON'T WANT TO FLIGHT INSTRUCT. Not because I'm too good for it, not because the low pay. I am not good at teaching. Some people can do it and some can't. I don't want to be an instructor just for the hours and screw up a bunch of students just so I can get my hours. If I am going to instruct, I want to be a great instructor, and teach, not just log hours. I will be finishing up with something like 150 Multi, 240TT, 90PIC. What are my options as far as getting a job and building up hours to move on to the regionals. I know I can instruct and be moved on to the regionals in a couple months, but how many students will I fail?? I hear jobs with the forest service are good out of training jobs. Does anyone else have any suggestions and/or links to these jobs sites. Thanks

 

[jc3]

You could always dish out another 30 G's for a type rating, but you don't want that label. Unless you have an inside gig somewhere it will be hard to find a time building job that pays well. If it even pays.

 

[thowe21]

dude suck it up and do the time like the rest of us, I thought I was horrible and it turned out to be a great experience, and when you get 1200 TT then apply somewhere

 

[dcramer16]

Like I said, it has nothing to do with me being all high and mighty to be a "lowly" flight instructor. I would love to be a flight instructor to build hours, but only if I feel confident in being a good teacher. I know my stuff, I just have a hard time explaining it. To be a good teacher you have to be good at teaching, I am not a good teacher. That is why I am looking for an alternative. I can get a job as an instructor, but I would feel awful being an instructor that is only there to build hours. I know of a couple instructors that suck at being teachers but do it anyways just to get the hours. I don't want to do that because it isn't fair to the students.

 

[CaptETWes]

With all do respect to the poster above, you don't need 1200TT. Most of the regionals will take you with less than that. Eagle is 500TT/100MEL, for example. Furthermore, even though most airlines post minimums that doesn't mean they have to abide by their own prescribed minimum times. They usually don't these days. Moral of the story, there's nothing wrong with sending resumes to places even though you don't meet their "minimums." And yes, in case you are wondering, I benefitted from this practice with regards to MEL time. Mine advertised 250, I had less than half that. As long as you've got a solid # of MEL hours, I'd say you'll start being marketable to most regionals around 700-800TT. But, the more the merrier. Good luck.

 

[sleddriver77]

If you can't instruct, how do you plan on ever becoming a captain? New FO's are usually gonna need a little help getting the "feel" of a new airplane, even after training and IOE. About the only thing you'd be able to do with that low of total time is pull banners or drop skydivers, and even that may be difficult to secure with a given company's insurance requirements. Give instructing a shot. Instructing can often be a challenge to the instructor: "How can I get this complete idiot (and it'll feel that way sometimes) to understand this simple and obvious (to you) concept??" Believe it or not, by finding ways to convey the concept to a complete amateur, you will better understand it yourself. Go ask a guy who's been flying 135 or 121 for a few years if he remembers the equation for figuring pivotal altitude for eights-on-pylons. Betcha he won't. You lose what you don't use, but the more you've gone over it, (ie, taught it) the longer it'll stick with you. Also, students may inadvertantly find new and exciting ways to potentially wreck the airplane with your sweet cheeks aboard. Keeps you on your toes, helps avoid complacency.

I realize that you stated that you are not "above" instructing, the pay, etc etc. That may or may not be true; people come up with some strange ways of rationalizing things. (As any good CFI knows.) Perhaps you ARE perfectly capable of instructing, but have no confidence in your ability? That lack of confidence is not something you want to take to an airline. Perhaps it is a percieved or real lack of knowledge on your behalf that makes you feel unprepared to instruct? That's gonna shine thru during any airline interview. The interview board may well ask you to describe for them the National Airspace System, the fuel system for whatever you've been flying, or how to read a chart. As you correctly stated, instructing IS the quickest way to the total time required to progress in this field. It WILL make you a more competant pilot, and as long as you put a little effort in to it, you may not be as bad at it as you think you'll be.

Oh yeah..And if it really is just your attitude, nobody'll want to fly with you anyway.

Good luck.

 

[Aerosurfer]

BANNER TOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fun Flying in a taildragger and quick hours most instructors could only dream of (750 hours in 6 months) Plus it builds great stick and rudder skills!!!

 

[CaptETWes]

oh, and I do agree that instructing is very valuable if you understand that even though you are relatively inexperienced, too, you will always be learning while you teach. I was hesitant at first like you, but after a few flights it started to become fun and the teaching almost became second nature. I only needed to instruct full-time for 1.5 years. My advice is that you try it out and the worst thing is you go do something else...unless ATP makes you sign a contract. In that case, be very careful.

 

[belchfire]

If you don't want to be an instructor you can't be a Captain...especially with the number of places that are hiring low time people with no turbine experience. Trust me, when you get to the left seat you will instruct, weather you like it or not.

You might try to find some kind of aerial survey outfit that operates part 91...banner towing, traffic watch, that kind of stuff.

I never got my CFI either, just didn't want to. Did some of the things that I and others have mentioned.

Got to the left seat in a Jetstream and found out that I was an instructor, at least part time. After a while I got pretty good at passing on what folks needed to know about staying alive in the jball and got good feedback from some of my FO's.

 

[dcramer16]

Ok, this is all great advice. I had an instructor that didn't give a s**t about how much I knew or didn't know, all he cared about was his hours. He hated instructing but did it because there was no other way to build hours. I felt very let down. I just don't want to do that to someone else. If I did instruct I would bust my a$$, but I don't want my lack of teaching skills (not lack of knowlege) to ruin a student. I know my stuff, VERY WELL. I am very confident as a pilot, just not confident as a teacher.