Low Time Pilots

[khsgt]

I believe that pilots who were never a CFI are often very short on patience and lack insights into the weak areas of a new hire. Or they simply don't care. You will ultimately be a Captain and all those CFI hours will matter a great deal.

There is another side to it. You are introduced to aviation culture and tradition via the CFI route. You will pin the shirttail of your first soloed student on the wall. Tired old jokes from "Airplane" and "Topgun" get passed around. Wretchedly bad coffee. Preheaters. High-wing versus low-wing. Owner-pilots that will scare you sh#*less. That near-miss.
Recycled stories that make the rounds every year.

If you are very lucky, you'll meet some truly great instructors and something they taught you will someday save your life. You won't forget that. I still instruct and it keeps me rooted in my beginnings. You will not regret it.

5000 Hours, 5 type ratings, a cushy salaried corporate job, and somehow I still manage to instruct more then fly the jets....There is a reason I fell in love with this business and it isn't SJS....

 

[NW_Pilot]

You can always ferry airplanes!

By ferrying you will gain some experience and learn a lot. It's hard to get going in the biz but once you get going it's a really good income.

If ferrying interest you I would be willing to pass down some advice that was passed down to me by other ferry pilots.

 

[psysicx]

Did you stop ferrying?

 

[NW_Pilot]

Did you stop ferrying?

Nope, I just cut back to 4 to 5 international flights a year. I Have a few contracts with a couple steady clients so I am ferrying just for them now. Doing 4 flights a year in brand new airplanes for these clients equals about 60k a year.

I also have stopped ferrying anything older than 3 years old. I may do a few flights and maybe some domestic stuff for others if I get bored enough or if the compensation is right.

 

[rumpletumbler]

If ferrying interest you I would be willing to pass down some advice that was passed down to me by other ferry pilots.

I'd be interested in hearing about it.

 

[psysicx]

If your starting out do you just advertise in magazines?

 

[Tristar]

Without discounting all of the other options people have posted on here, I'll throw one other factor in favor of doing at least some instruction:

It builds human interaction skills.

Not just from the teacher/student perspective, but in general. Ask virtually any pilot who has "arrived" at a (major)(corporate)(fractional)(you fill in the blank). With a few notable exceptions, physically flying the airplane is the easiest part of the job (granted, that is due to a great deal of skill building along the way). The people I've seen survive and thrive also have excellent people skills, and just like the mechanical flying skills, you will develop these flight instructing. Although it didn't build flight time, I actually enjoyed instructing in Frasca sims because of the teaching environment they provided (and I like instrument instruction).

As has also been said, I think very few people are comfortable with it when they start off - personally one of my milestones was realizing I really was comfortable in the airplane and was mentally far enough ahead of the student/aircraft combination to keep us out of harm's way. Don't sell it short.

 

[McNugget]

Nope, I just cut back to 4 to 5 international flights a year. I Have a few contracts with a couple steady clients so I am ferrying just for them now. Doing 4 flights a year in brand new airplanes for these clients equals about 60k a year.

I also have stopped ferrying anything older than 3 years old. I may do a few flights and maybe some domestic stuff for others if I get bored enough or if the compensation is right.

I banged the chick in your avatar. Nasty.