Is there anyone here who has been or currently is on the flying team? I'm thinking about trying it out and wanted to get some feedback about the experience.. is it worth it, does it help out getting hired after college, how much time does it really take up, etc...
Thanks!
I was on the team for two and a half years and went to two regional and two national competitions, most recently last May. Unfortunately, we took second both years. I was fortunate enough, though, my senior year to place as the second highest scoring individual competitor in the nation.
The team is not for everyone. It takes a
lot of time and dedication. It's a lot of work. Getting ready for nationals, I was putting in probably 30-40, maybe more, hours a week. If you do any flying, you'll also be putting in early mornings (ie showing up at the airport at 6:00-6:30). It's basically like a full time job.
To me, though, it was all worth it. I would definitely recommend joining, especially if you're the competitive type. The people you meet on the team are awesome, they'll quickly become your best friends. It's amazing how much fun hours of practice can be with those guys
Normal classes become a breeze, what with all the extra studying you do. It may or may not help you get a job, too. I got an internship flying citations right after graduation, and I blame that on the proficiency I had in the sim from all the practice I did. I know a few other team members who've graduated in the past year or two now have very cooshy corporate jobs, and there are several at the airlines as well. (For example, a competitor from a year ago got hired at Horizon with 700 hours, while the others that got interviewed, most with around 2000 hours, got told to try again next time). I wouldn't say that they got their jobs because they were on the team, though, but rather the hard work and positive attitudes the team gave them.
Oh, and one other thing: starting this year, if you are on the team and you go to competition, you get
free in-state tuition. If that's not motivation, I don't know what is
Feel free to pm me if you have any questions. I can also get you in contact with the captains of this year's team. They'll be able to give you a lot more information about when and where.
