CFIs Needed

Nick and FlyGuy are spot-on. Overall, working at Sierra Castle is a pretty good deal. Like most everything in aviation, there are trade-offs and you take the good with the bad if you decide to apply and get hired.

I arrived Feb last year, the same day as a new group of students. Things were slow to start off due to TSA approval and a wet spring, but there are ground and sim sessions that need to be done. And the free housing helps make dry spells bearable. Once summer came around, we stayed BUSY. If you're willing to work all hours and weekends, you can really earn lots of hours and good pay. You can take weekends off, but those two extra days of work per week really make a difference in getting your students done and boosting your hours (and pay). Don't count on eating the food, at least not very often. I averaged 1-2 cafeteria meals per week - probably about the same as the average instructor. (Would have been less if not for beef stew night.) Mystery meat, yes.... but you can usually tell where it came from (i.e. land or sea)

I left in December after about flying 700 hours (200+ ME) of dual given. Overall, good experience. I would have liked to see the maintenance situation improve, and maybe it has. Fellow instructors were a good group of people. Working with foreign students was often a challenge, and turned out to be a rewarding experience. I keep in touch with a couple of my former students... it's kind of weird to think that somebody I taught to fly is going to be FO on a 737 soon.
 
Wow this thread is still going on... How is Castle doing? Is it as crazy busy as ever... 20 mins at the hold short line everytime you go out?

Anyway there are two Duchess qualified examiners that I took students to, one in Calaveras and the other at San Jose RHV.
 
Nick said:
Wow, you are out there posting at the exact same moment I am! How's it going Flyguy?
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I'm doing alright Nick. How are things at Express? I hear George put in his application recently. I may be also. Might as well just open an MER domicile for Express Jet, cause it seems that's where they are getting most of their piltos these days.
 
Whats the best way to get an application to Sierra. Ive tried emailing it a few times but it keeps being kicked back because the mailbox is full. Any ideas on how to get this into the right persons hands?

I'm also curious what A/C they are flying out of Atwater these days.
 
vikingair said:
Whats the best way to get an application to Sierra. Ive tried emailing it a few times but it keeps being kicked back because the mailbox is full. Any ideas on how to get this into the right persons hands?

I'm also curious what A/C they are flying out of Atwater these days.
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You can email it to me melin.eric@gmail.com and I'll make sure to get it to the right people. Hurry though, I may not be around much longer ;)

We're currently flying 152,172s, and Alaruses for private and instrument, and Seminoles and Duchesses for Commercial.
 
Yeah, but its pretty much a formality. From my understanding, you are hired on probation. You'll take the written test and there will be a few standardiztion flights in each aircraft you will instruct in.
 
Is everybody instructing in 152s? Seems like there'd be at least a few big and/or tall dudes who may not fit in one...?
 
Is the whole "American instructor becoming an FO for Air China" thing still happening, assuming you instruct 2000 hours, and do 2 10 month "contracts?"

Would I get any preference if I trained with Sierra for the Comm & CFI ratings?

Will you guys still be hiring this summer/early Fall?

Sorry about all the questions flyguy...I have an Uncle who is a capt at Southwest if you need a favor in return!!!
 
I don't know if the Air China thing is happening because so far not a single instructor has stayed long enough to find out. They are all off to the regionals once they meet mins, which are comming down, which means instructors are staying shorter. You will easily get hired if you do your training at Sierra, but it'll be easy without it too. No preference is needed. They will take anyone, who trainied anywhere. Actually I wouldn't recommend trainng at Sierra because their rates have just gone way too high. $275/hr for staff rate in the Seminole. And that's staff rate without instructor. The training is top notch, but it is very thorough and at the current rates, it just costs more than the average person can pay. And it takes time to be that thorough too. You probably won't be ready in summer/fall if you train at Sierra. Give yourself at least 6 months for the initial CFI alone. Just get your ratings anywhere you can get a good deal and send in a resume. They'll hire you. I'm sure they'll still be hiring in the summer/fall. Especially with so many instructors going off to the airlines, we're pretty much going to be continually hiring. I may take you up on the Southwest offer, but it'll be a few years before I'll meet their mins. Do you know anyone as SkyWest? :D
 
Unfortunately, I don't know anyone at Skywest...but my Uncle is still in his 40s so he should still be at SWA for years to come.

Thanks for all the info flyguy...I will definitely send a resume out to Sierra when I've got the ratings. Good luck with the next step in your career!
 
The main problem with being 6'4" and flying the Alarus is that when the door separates in flight, your head will be out in the wind a bit more than a short person's.
 
Nick said:
The main problem with being 6'4" and flying the Alarus is that when the door separates in flight, your head will be out in the wind a bit more than a short person's.
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Dang Nick, Louie's afraid of heights. We're gonna have a hard time getting him back up in the death trap with that immage in his head. :D
 
I have now highlited the 'cabin doors closed' on the before start checklist. And maybe I better stop opening my door on the 'taxi back' at Turlock. Yea, I don't do touch and goes with the Alarus at Turlock. Or at least I don't do it with students.
 
Nick said:
The main problem with being 6'4" and flying the Alarus is that when the door separates in flight, your head will be out in the wind a bit more than a short person's.
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/Hifive, Nick! Ever since that day, I always triple-checked that the doors were "closed and latched" before takeoff.

Louie1975 said:
I have now highlited the 'cabin doors closed' on the before start checklist. And maybe I better stop opening my door on the 'taxi back' at Turlock. Yea, I don't do touch and goes with the Alarus at Turlock. Or at least I don't do it with students.
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Smart man. I wouldn't do them at all at Turlock, especially in the summer months.
 
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