ACPP/Private Pilot

DE727UPS said:
I would say it means they have vastly more experience as pilots than your average ATP CFI.
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Absolutely. I don't think anyone will argue that. With time, comes experience. But if a low time guy shouldn't be in the cockpit of an RJ, where should he go? Everyone says the instructing route, but now since they are instructing with little time, they aren't a great instructor because they don't have experience? Whats a low time guy to do! :insane:

Bottom line is, any new instructor certainly isn't going to be a master at Aviation, they aren't going to be a master at teaching - hell, they aren't going to be a master at anything! BUT, they proved to the examiner that they had the knowledge and skill to pass that on to new aviators, hence the CFI ticket in their pocket.

When I started instructing, I had 245hrs TT. My first student was a 90 day career pilot. 8 days to train him for his multi, 27 days to train for his instrument and then he was on cross countries with another student. Talk about a lot of stress and responsibility placed upon somebody with 245hrs. Yet I knew how to fly the Seminole, I knew everything about the airplane and its systems. I knew what maneuvers were required for the add-on and I knew how to teach them. I did the best I could - and even had to save a few landings in my first few hours. But my student went on and did an awesome job on his checkride. I had the same approach with his instrument, even getting some decent actual time and he did awesome on his instrument checkride. Now that student is a CFI and a very good pilot at that.

Sure I've refined my teaching techniques and I've gotten much much better at teaching and flying in general. I know a lot more now then I did with the ink still wet on my CFI ticket. Point being, I succeeded in training a new Commercial pilot and in the end, I feel I did a great job as the examiners complimented me on the students training. I couldn't teach him everything, but I sure as heck tried my best to teach him everything I knew and then some. You get what you put in. But somebody has to give the low time CFI a chance, otherwise he will never become an experienced CFI.
 
"Just because one is a 1900 pilot and the other is Bush pilot doesnt mean they are better instructors"

I wasn't trying to say a 245 hour CFI shouldn't instruct. I was just disagreeing with the above quote. Guys with that sort of background would bring a lot more experience to the table and, in all likelihood, be a better instructor than a 245 hour guy.
 
DE727UPS said:
"Just because one is a 1900 pilot and the other is Bush pilot doesnt mean they are better instructors"

I wasn't trying to say a 245 hour CFI shouldn't instruct. I was just disagreeing with the above quote. Guys with that sort of background would bring a lot more experience to the table and, in all likelihood, be a better instructor than a 245 hour guy.
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But the problem is finding guys who are that qualified and willing to give instruction... my question is where are we supposed to start or build time when you have 250 hours? I dont have the money to buy my own plane...
 
Instruct for 250 hrs, get a VFR 135 job, pipeline patrol, aircraft delivery, hang out at the airport, find a job overseas, aerial mapping, Forest service fire spotter.... the list is long but it can be done.
But if thats not what you want to do then ATP is the place to go.
 
themctm said:
Instruct for 250 hrs, get a VFR 135 job, pipeline patrol, aircraft delivery, hang out at the airport, find a job overseas, aerial mapping, Forest service fire spotter.... the list is long but it can be done.
But if thats not what you want to do then ATP is the place to go.
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Must meet 135mins to get a 135 PIC job, including pipeline patrol. Job overseas? If thats your sort of thing, but I'd rather live here in the states with my wife. I've been looking hard to an alternative to flight instructing, but unless you've got 135 mins, they are tough to find. I check out climbto350.com everyday along with a bunch of other aviation job websites, I'm always talking to people at the airport. Haven't found anything yet. But instructing for ATP is not a bad place to be - can't complain about the multi time.
 
themctm said:
Instruct for 250 hrs, get a VFR 135 job, pipeline patrol, aircraft delivery, hang out at the airport, find a job overseas, aerial mapping, Forest service fire spotter.... the list is long but it can be done.
But if thats not what you want to do then ATP is the place to go.
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I already finished ATP.... Airdale is right you cant get a 135 job without 135 minimums... Most of the jobs you list there like fire spotting and mapping want like 600 or 700TT... So with 310TT I have to instruct I really dont have any other choice. Most of the breaks I have seen people get is networking through a CFI job.
 
SteveC said:
VFR minimums? 500 hours?
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Call me an idiot, but I've never heard of VFR minimums aside from 3SM and 1,000' .

Banner towing jobs require at least 500TT. I saw a pipeline patrol job that was 135 mins, I would imagine they can't patrol a pipeline in the clouds. Some people act like there are plenty of low times jobs out there, well I belong to quite a few aviation job sites, and I gotta tell ya, been monitoring them for 6 months now, haven't seen anything with less then 500TT except for CFI jobs. I live in New Jersey and have a wifey that is a school teacher here, so I can't relocate for a job that pays not even half of what she makes.

As far as instructing goes, despite the low pay, I don't think there is a better place to CFI then ATP. Sure you can get lucky with a great CFI gig flying twins or glass cockpits, but somebody is over your shoulder. Instructors here at ATP run the show. If I don't have any students on the schedule over a weekend, its a weekend off. I typically get 2-3 days off per week with my schedule, so while some days might be 12hr work days with 6-8hrs of flying, I do get some down time to just relax. Plus most FBO's and other CFI jobs won't let you fly their twin until you've been there for a long time. I get to fly well maintained Seminole's everyday while I see other CFI's on the ramp hopping in 152's. Flying is flying, but ask any CFI if they'd rather fly a 152 or a Seminole and I'm sure you'd get an overwhelming response for the Seminole.
 
SteveC said:
I know that 135 IFR mins are 1200 hours, but what are the VFR minimums? 500 hours?
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Yes... You are correct there are some company's that run 135 VFR only (there most out west) and the minimums are 500TT and I think like 25 hours night??? something like that. Thing that sucks is that most new CFI's dont even meet that!
 
Airdale said:
As far as instructing goes, despite the low pay, I don't think there is a better place to CFI then ATP. If I don't have any students on the schedule over a weekend, its a weekend off. I typically get 2-3 days off per week with my schedule, so while some days might be 12hr work days with 6-8hrs of flying, I do get some down time to just relax.
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Airdale,
Consider yourself lucky if you are getting 2-3 days off per week. At the Jax location, they are up to 15 instructors (the most there have ever been previously is 10) to handle the capacity of students. My guy has worked 12+ hour days for the last 17 days straight doing add-on's. At least he's building the hours quickly so we won't be here forever...

K
 
eastbayk said:
Airdale,
Consider yourself lucky if you are getting 2-3 days off per week. At the Jax location, they are up to 15 instructors (the most there have ever been previously is 10) to handle the capacity of students. My guy has worked 12+ hour days for the last 17 days straight doing add-on's. At least he's building the hours quickly so we won't be here forever...

K
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Yeah, I could have instructed at Jax, but after 4 years in the Coast Guard and 3 months away at ATP for training, I didn't want to torture my fiance anymore. She teaches in New Jersey, so I really needed to get back home. I don't mind having some days off, the downside is the reduced flight time. I'll still get where I need to go within a few months.
 
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