Low time Pilot looking for a job

[Cardinal]

150 hours per month (!!!) Let us assume your working six days a week. (You have to do laundry and go to the dentist eventually, not to mention it has been known to rain and snow in Ohio) thats 5.75 flying hours per day. There is no way in any part 61 flight school to get more than an hour flying for every two hours spent at the airport. So that's 11.5 hours at the aiport every day. I did that alot of days, but on a sustained basis! Holy cow.

 

[banned username 2]

150 hours per month (!!!) Let us assume your working six days a week. (You have to do laundry and go to the dentist eventually, not to mention it has been known to rain and snow in Ohio) thats 5.75 flying hours per day. There is no way in any part 61 flight school to get more than an hour flying for every two hours spent at the airport. So that's 11.5 hours at the aiport every day. I did that alot of days, but on a sustained basis! Holy cow.

I averaged around 90 flight hours per month at a Part 61 flight school in Chicago back in the early 90's... It can be done... I went from 275 hours to ATP in 13 months...

 

[Palerider957]

wmn_av8r

There are a ton of opinions on this board, some sour and some helpful. First of all it's important to realize how tough times are, recognizing that you either have to make aviation the sole focus of your life (right now anyway), or just a hobby while you work in another field.

Option #1 means willing to relocate and work for pennies under some less than desireable conditions. There will definitely be days you question your decision.

Option #2 keeps flying fun, but may not make headway toward an aviation career.

Don't let anyone put you down, due to their individual situation. you are a female pilot, fine. You will run into some attitudes. My wife is an ATP who was struggling to find a job, she finally landed one with a fractional outfit in FL. With my flight benefits she is able to commute. She has certainly put in her time instructing, hauling checks, etc. It's important to keep the faith.

I think the Women In Aviation would be a good chance for you to network and learn how to best forward your career.

Good luck!

 

[p.b.]

Timebuilder,

I don't want to cause an argument, but I think taking a job when it's offered, regardless of time and experience, is just a wise career move. Do you suggest that if a woman is offered a job when she has 5000 hours, but the men aren't getting interviews with anything less than 8000, that she should decline the job or maybe she should have waited to apply?

It is a quandary.

p.s. as long as it isn't pft (I know save it for another thread)

 

[Timebuilder]

Do you suggest that if a woman is offered a job when she has 5000 hours, but the men aren't getting interviews with anything less than 8000, that she should decline the job or maybe she should have waited to apply?

No.

I am suggesting that if someone takes advantage of what we euphemistically call "racial and gender preferences", that they should be just as uncomfortable with themselves as if they were the ones who were perpetrating discrimination. Even if you benefit from it, it's still discrimination.

 

[p.b.]

It seems to me that the pilot in my example is taking advantage of a gender preference. She has no choice but to accept the job when it is offered, and she should be grateful to have the position. Should she feel guilty that she is on the receiving end of the discrimination? What purpose would that serve? No one should feel entitled to a position because of minority status, but everyone has to make the best of what they are dealt.

It would be better if everyone was hired with the same qualifications. It's unfortunate that a policy meant to "level the playing field" has worked as a sort of backward discrimination, I guess if there were an easy answer we wouldn't be having this conversation.

 

[BuckMurdock1]

You need 500 hrs for a 135 VFR job (last time I checked).

Sorry to go back to an earlier comment, but I just turned 500TT and was wondering if anyone knows of ANY operators out there that have been known to hire VFR 135 pilots for anything.??...
..Like many I gave up a good career to do this and am nearing the point of 'falling back' for now (trying not to 'give up' altogether).
THANKS!

 

[Timebuilder]

Should she feel guilty that she is on the receiving end of the discrimination? What purpose would that serve?

What purpose, indeed. What a good question.

Perhaps it would serve to demonstrate a consistency in the philosophy of equal treatment under the law, the basic principle of the civil rights movement.

Rather than equality, it is the mission of many to continue the policy of discrimination, but only with different players in the roles. This hurts the credibility of those who truly seek equality.

 

[135fr8r]

vfr 135

You can try GTA Air out of Dallas Love Field. They will hire pilots for vfr only, but I wouldn`t call it being "hired" since they don`t pay vfr only pilots. When I say they don`t pay, I mean you don`t get a cent for your effort.

 

[bigD]

but I wouldn`t call it being "hired" since they don`t pay vfr only pilots.

The original poster doesn't have the hours to even stoop to THAT level! She could always pay for SIC time in their 414!

Sigh....

 

[135fr8r]

Very true.....When I was there, we had alot of foreign guys with very low time pay for 300 hrs sic time in the 402. The sad thing was, those guys probably had a 737 job lined up when they got back to their country. Oh by the way, I never whored out to the VFR thing.

 

[Deftone45075]

As others have said, Don't put yourself in a position to be taken advantage of. A lot of operations would think about throwing you in the right seat of a single or light twin and expect you to be greatful for the time and work for nothing, but you'd only be doing yourself a diservice. If you can find a company who will train you in an airplane that requires you to be there and compensate you for your service, by all means take it. Otherwise get the CFI.


Also, stay away from anymore sim programs that get you jet sim time. It won't do a thing for you. Spend the money getting your CFI/II and you'll gain a lot of experience and knowledge going that route.

TAB Express just sent my company a stack of resume`s from their graduates. Many have 250 to 300 hours! Their resume is filled with 20 hours sim time in this a/c, 30 sim in that a/c. And it doesn't really look good.

 

[BuckMurdock1]

Thanks for the responses. Unfortunately- I'm at a place right now where my biggest objective is to simply not have to pay to fly. If I don't get paid, but don't have to pay to at least get myself to 135 (IFR) minima and get on as a freight dog flying cancelled checks or rubber dogs*it out of Hong Kong I... I guess so be it.
Thanks again.