Recommendations? ATP-SEL & SES

[Jedi_Cheese]

I think we are sorta confused on what you want to do.

Do you want to get current to fly US aircraft and then get a flying job or do you want another rating? Do you want to instruct or try to jump into a part 121/135 job? Or do you just want to get US current and get a job with your multi ATP (will you have the hours to realistically get hired if you do this?)?

Any way you cut it you will be able to pick up US procedures and whatnot.

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A SES isn't overly useful in your case. If you want it, probibly best to add it on later. Also, usually a commercial SES is only about 5 hours of work with a CFI if you are current.

A commercial SEL and a CFI would allow you to instruct (lets you build up some time and you will learn US procedures like the back of your hand in short order). Also a CFI is a good fallback job or free money on the side. Plus these jobs are decently easy to find if you look hard enough (especially if you have 2k dual given).

I have heard that an ATP is like an advanced instrument checkride and thus wouldn't be as nice to get up to speed on certain US procedures (so I doubt it would be easy to use the ATP training torwards a CFI ticket). But if you are flying 121/135, you will be doing alot of instrument procedure work and an ATP is probibly your better bet.

 

[bobbysamd]

Single-engine ATP

If you already have your ATP and are instrument current, the SE ATP add-on is one of the easiest practicals. You can do it in a simple single. It is basically a souped-up comp check (IPC). Of course, just like any practical, you have to be prepared.

I second Jedi_Cheese's points about the value of getting a Commercial Single and CFI. I got my SE ATP only because I wanted to. Nothing additional accrues to you if you get it. I gather that Tinstaafl wants to get a seaplane rating for the same reason; because he wants to. But if he is looking at getting his single-engine CFI, getting his single-engine Commercial add-on first would be great preparation for the grueling CFI practical to follow.

 

[Tinstaafl]

Thank you, everyone.

As wondered about earlier, I am aiming for airlines in the long run. My current situation - new to the country, need to re-famil. myself with US procedures etc - means that I'm not happy that I'm ready for work here. At least, not yet hence my desire for something more than 'just' a BFR.

I would also like to instruct part time/casually. Teach my wife, an occasional student, that sort of thing so a rush for an instructor rating isn't important. Perhaps for the certificate's potential to gain some work reasonably quickly AND in my local area but otherwise it's not essential. I have nearly 2400 hrs instructing at reasonably broad range of levels, including Chief Instructor of an instructor school so I think it's reasonable to believe that the basics of teaching wouldn't be a problem during an instructor course. More likely the worry will be making sure I'm thoroughly conversant with the US system etc.

Single engine land is also desirable for personal flying, not just instructing. If I can combine my refresher training with gaining something new then.........why not! I've always wanted a seaplane rating so it would be very convenient if I can combine it with my refresher.

 

[Tinstaafl]

Addendum

It's been a while since I started this thread. I've held off flying until I was approved to work. That happened a couple of weeks ago so I got busy on the sorting out the flying stuff. After shopping around & talking to a number of flying schools and a check airman I decided to go with doing a combined ATP-SEL&S in an amphibian. It took 3 days x $3000 all inclusive. That also included additional flight & instructor ground time I requested to meet my primary purpose of refamiliarising myself with the US procedures to revalidate my long-out-of-BFR ATP-MEL.

My reasoning was thus:

I want to be able to fly s/e aircraft in the US. I will probably also get CFI & CFII certificates at some future, but not urgent, point, hence getting either a PPL issued on the back of my foreign licence (suggested by the check airman) or doing a straight PPL test (suggested by a flying school) isn't suitable

If I'd done a Commercial-SEL then I'd have needed time to learn & practice the FAA specific commercial flight manoeuvres + the test at the end. That would have taken at least several hours at dual rates in an aircraft suitable for the CPL check ride. I still would have wanted the extra ground time with an instructor (possibly even more so since commercial is a whole new class of licence test). If I chosen an ATP-SEL then I'd still have needed some famil flight & ground time before the flight test.

In the long run I would have done a float rating anyway, say, 5 hrs flying at commercial or ATP level.

After reading the commercial & ATP PTSs I was fairly sure that I was more up to speed with ATP stuff than CPL stuff so elected to go the ATP route.

We were able to be quite efficient with air time. The amphib. is land based so starting & finishing on land automatically will give SEL even while training & qualifying for SES. Shuttling out & back to the lakes meant that we could do approaches & revise the ATP upper air work with very little additional air time to the basic SES course ie only the extra 2hrs that I'd requested.



So, all over with and I've now added ATP-SEL & SES to my qualifications and had a really fun time doing it.

Thank you everyone for the information you gave me. You helped me find the best combination of price & result with, I think, the most efficient long term cost & effort. Your comments gave me additional information that helped when I asked questions to flying schools.