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Which path would you choose?

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lancair1

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 4, 2002
Posts
50
Faced with the following options to pursue, which do you think would be the most beneficial and get me to the jets/decent pay the quickest?

I'm 24, have a bachelor's degree, and part 141 commercial (just over 200 hours w/ 60 m.e.)

My goal is to fly for united, delta, etc.

1. Flight instruct @ a college and get 400 hours per year.
=tons of knowledge, graduate credits, aerobatics, gliders, decent pay, multi engine if I stick around for more than 2 years.

2. Flight instruct @ a 61/141 school and get 900 hours per year.
=maybe a few instrument students eventually, very little knowledge or multiengine time, good pay.

3. Fly pipeline and get 1500 hours per year.
=great pay, tons of hours, little new knowledge, TONS OF HOURS

4. Fly sic in a 135 cargo operation and get whatever flight time I can.
=best education I can imagine, no pay, ifr every day

I really need to start narrowing this down. Thanks!
 
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Well my man,

Here is what I think:

1) You have no time, so take a job that will provide you with the most time as possible.

2) PIC time is king

3) You always learn when flying.....the coment about pipeline flying I feel is inaccurate, you will learn tons flying 1500 hours in a short time frame.

4) One friend of mine gave me some good advice: "Go for the best equpment in your job choices", i.e. nice multi-engine turbine in the 135 deal, than do that

Good luck, you are very fortunate to have this many choices!
 
Eeny, meanie, miney, etc. . . . .

Choice No. 1, definitely. One of the great things about flight instruction is that it's a license for you to learn. It's unbelievable how much you will learn when you're teaching others a subject(s). You'll benefit greatly from the other opportunities you described for Choice No. 1, in particular the aerobatics and gliders. Will the place get you glider ratings on their nickel? If so, so much the better. I know two people with glider ratings who got jobs because of their glider ratings. In addition, hiring is slow right now, and you'll acquire the multi you need in time. You can enjoy the experience instead of feeling frantic all the time worrying about building time and multi quickly to take advantage of a hiring wave.

The graduate credits are also a consideration. It's nice to earn something tangible for your efforts apart from the flight time. Also, the decent pay is a major consideration . . . .

The 135 SIC choice is not a good one. You need PIC and PIC multi. It also helps to be paid. :rolleyes:

Hope that helps a little. Good luck with your decision.
 
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Do the pipeline then, when you are done doing that for the day, go instruct too. Build as much time as you can.

This is basically what I did, Traffic Watch in a C172 and Instruct. The traffic watch was fun because I got to fly left seat, the CFI was good because I learned a ton.

FLY FLY FLY, and when you are done with that, FLY SOME MORE! You can relax and enjoy life later!

Good Luck!
JetPilot500
 
The most obvious answer to me is "where you can get hired".

Recently, I mentioned a pre-9/11 conversation with the department head at Duke Energy. He has resumes on his desk from guys with 5,000 hours waiting to fly pipeline. I was stunned.

As Bobby said, choice number one is a good one. Contacts. Alumni. Networking. Master's degree. Flying. Learning. Stick around and get the multi time on someone else's dime (dime to the fifth power....) and more great experience. By the time you are finished, you'll be ideally suited to move ahead in aviation. I wish that I had been smart enough to do it this way, and at your age. I wasn't.

GO FOR IT!
 
Get your CFII, and do them all! Insruct for awhile, and if it's not giving you what you need, try the pipeline thing. I think a variety of experience is good, and cargo is one of the best. We used to fly in all kinds of weather, and I learned a lot from some of the old crusty cargo captains. The rule is to get the heaviest and dirtiest time you can get. Heavy is obvious, but dirty means IMC and weather. Pipeline patrol is probably a dead end. I have met pipeline guys with 9000 hours in a Cherokee, who can't get even a regional job. But, sometimes VMC only stuff is pretty good. I know a few guys who flew skydivers in King Airs and Casa's, who went streight to the big planes.

Like the other guys said, get what you can. I spoke to an instructor the other day who told me there were instructors under every rock these days. I guess a lot of them are furloughed from the airlines. Get whatever you can, and then never give up on getting something better. That is how you move up. Good luck.
 
ACE said:
Go to Airnet

According to Bob (who told me this on the phone) Airnet is looking for those with a CFI, II, MEI background. The poster abve has just received his commercial.
 
the road not taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

~ Robert Frost
 
My advice is go with option #3. Get your 1500 hrs of PIC and with the money you've made buy 100 hrs of multi-engine time and then apply with a commuter ( one that has jets if possible). Good luck!
 

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