What to do???

G

GLAS11

Well-Known Member
I am looking for some direction with regard to my career. I hoping to get some feedback from this great site. So here is my dilemma.....

Im 29, I did all of my advanced ratings at ATP minus the cfi about 2 years ago. The reason I didnt go for the cfi was that I ended up failing 3 checkrides and was burned out and felt like I had no chance to pass another 3 checkrides. As I have seen in these forums, busting 3 rides is kind of a big deal nowadays. I wont go into detail about why I failed those 3, each time it was a small mistake that I learned from, and ive never been much of a test taker. I was flying a 182 for a construction company but they sold the plane and now im looking for another way to not have to rent planes to build time. My ultimate goal is to fly commercially and I am not about to give up on that.

Plan A:

Do I go for my cfi ratings and risk busting more rides which im sure would make my goal more difficult if not impossible to achieve? fyi I do live in Tucson, AZ and ive heard the FSDO is brutal on cfi rides. Do I take the chance?? A very good friend of mine is the chief pilot (737-200's) and owners son of a charter outfit here and town and he has straight up told me he wished he could hire me but I dont have the time or 737 type that would allow him to do so. Becoming a cfi seems like a great way to get the time I need. But if I left that company would my "busts" kill my chances of finding a job?

I have an "in" to become a crop duster and have worked for that company a few summers on the ground loading planes. I can see myself doing this as a career and the owner has offered to be my mentor and get me flying next year. I would love to do this but its not the original reason I went to ATP and pursued advanced ratings. Maybe my thinking is flawed but I set out to become an airline pilot and I wont feel like all the training was "worth it" until I get there. Ive worked my ass off on the ground loading planes to get to the point where I was offered the apprenticeship with this operator and I hate to let this oppurtunity go but as I said, its not what my goal originally was.

So what should I do? Im a pilot with 360hrs and great connections but I still feel like im going nowhere and getting older way faster than I would like to.....
 
Dont become an Instructor just so you can "build hours" unless you have a passion for teaching. You will not be doing justice to your students.
 
Whats your multi time? Degree? Honestly, with 360 hours, take any job you can right now flying an airplane and worry about the airlines later. I wouldn't be afraid to get your CFI only because you say you may risk getting another failure, don't think of it like that, especially if you truly do want to teach! If you have an in to become a crop duster, I'd say go for it!
 
Crop spraying can be hard to get into, but it sounds like you already have a foot in the door. You have to be part chemical mixer, part mechanic, part farmer (kind of) & part book keeper. Oh yeah, and part pilot. With only 360 hours and the volatility of todays scene, I'd say stick with the spraying gig. Sounds like a good opportunity.
 
When you say your goal is to fly commercially, do you mean the airlines? If so, then you I'm sure you're aware that you will have to take a checkride every year, and then twice a year as a captain. My point is if you're afraid of checkrides, then you may as well stop now, because you're not going to be able to avoid them in your career. Try instead to figure out why you are failing, and work on ways to improve your performance on them.
 
Take the spraying job. You will have to work hard, but you will make pretty good money. The best thing might be that you won't have to work/fly with a bunch of whiners.
 
Get in the air and stay there, the longer you do, the less those busted checkrides will matter.
 
I do have a degree in Wildlife Biology, my multi time is 124hrs. I wouldnt say that im afriad of checkrides, I just know myself and I know that I have a tendancy to "choke" on occasion. Its something ive worked on and I feel like im getting to the point where its not as much of an issue. I think the main reason I failed the 3 checkrides was the ATP time frame. I felt kinda thrown into the checkrides and never really felt totally prepared. Im still not sure which direction I will go but thanks for all of your input and advice I really appreciate it.
 
TopGunn said:
Dont become an Instructor just so you can "build hours" unless you have a passion for teaching. You will not be doing justice to your students.
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In a way I agree with this, however I used to think I didn't want to be a CFI. Then I ended up doing it, liked it, was good at it, and got 1000 hours in a year of instructing. Without that job, I would probably not be as far along in my career as I am today.

So...you may want to give it a shot anyhow. Food for thought.
 
GLAS11 said:
I wouldnt say that im afriad of checkrides, I just know myself and I know that I have a tendancy to "choke" on occasion. Its something ive worked on and I feel like im getting to the point where its not as much of an issue.
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Let's hope the airplane can fly itself in an emergency. No offense, but if you have choked under the pressure of a checkride, what do you think you will do during an emergency? I'm not trying to take a jab at you, but if this is a problem, you might want to look into another career which doesn't garner the responsibility of a PIC.
 
mojo6911 said:
Let's hope the airplane can fly itself in an emergency. No offense, but if you have choked under the pressure of a checkride, what do you think you will do during an emergency? I'm not trying to take a jab at you, but if this is a problem, you might want to look into another career which doesn't garner the responsibility of a PIC.
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I would guess he would be fine in an emergency. It is a totally different kind of pressure on a checkride.
 
Yes, it is a totally different kind of pressure. Ive dealt with 2 emergencies and im still here. One of which involved a duck and an ag cat, and no the plane would not fly itself.
 
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