Advice

Airmann

Well-Known Member
I would like the help of the experienced CFI's of the forum.I have completed the Commercial SEL and will be earning the CFI. I do not intend on going beyond CFI. I am debating if I should spend the money on getting a ME Rating? I am not sure that I would ever use it, and not sure if I could justify the cost to stay current in a ME plane? I am thinking that my money might be better spent by time building in a SEL aircraft or a TW or Seaplane endorsement.
 
Do you plan on instructing as a career? Hobby? If you aren't planning on going further, ME time would be a waste I think. Especially because its so expensive these days.
 
You mention time building, but for what purpose? If you're not going beyond the CFI what are you building time toward? Your goals should drive your plan for building experience.

As for the rating, it certainly doesn't hurt to have ME on your certificate, but it's not necessarily helping anything either. I wouldn't break the piggy bank open to do it as there's a pretty low likelihood of using it unless you make a concerted effort to get on at a busy flight school, pay your dues, and do some multi-engine instruction. However, there's also a chance that with networking around the airport you might get to know someone and get invited to right seat a King Air or other smaller twin and with the rating you can log the time while flying... so ya never know.

Whether you get a MEL or a SES or even a tailwheel endorsement, with a few hours of training from checkride/endorsement preparation, then neither is going to be particularly useful as insurance isn't going to let you do much more than continue to ride along with an instructor anyway... but I'd say there's a hair more chance of networking into an opportunity in a multi around the average GA airport. With the SES you'd have to be pretty intentional to continue renting a SES to build some time and even then there's going to be limited opportunities to use it unless you buy one or instruct for a seaplane operation.

The way I look at it, as someone who flies mostly for the enjoyment of it (but still tries to get paid), is that if you need a flight review and have a little extra cash available, go add a rating, mostly just for fun and personal goals. So, go after personal goals while also being realistic about what opportunities might be available in the area.
 
SES is a fun rating, great to knock out a BFR or just expereince something different. Not real practical that you'll use it anytime soon.

Might be a good conversation piece....."Oh, hey you did your SES ride in a Piper Super Cruiser too?".......
 
If you have to choose between ME, SES, and a tailwheel, then I'd say get a tailwheel endorsement. It will be slightly more expensive then the SES yet cheaper than ME but it will definitely make you a better pilot. There are plenty of FBO that would rent taildraggers with just a one hour checkout (assuming you already have an endorsement and can handle it)

ME rating is a relatively easy one and it's a lot of fun. And it's not that hard to rent a multiengine plane these days (well it's kind of hard on your wallet but that's a different story)

Finding a seaplane to solo is next to impossible. I know only one place that would rent it after 10 hour checkout.
 
Yeah, I don't know, our school has a Aeronca Champ and you need 5 hours time in type and 15 hours tailwheel time.
 

I stand corrected. Just checked the school website, they do require 125TT/10 in make/model although it doesn't have to be in their plane or with their CFI. So it's a one hour checkout if you have 10 hours in make/model from elsewhere.

The other school now requires 5 hours checkout, but that must be a recent change, I found the email I received from them few months ago where they say it's just a one hour checkout.
 
Ideally I would like to instruct PPL only and on a part-time basis, as I have other interests. I would like to get typed or experience flying the Caravan so that if I ended up with enough hours in the Caravan, I might get work flying PAX or Cargo or jumpers or whatever? This brings me back to if I should or even need to get the Commercial MEL rating at all? Maybe money better spent by getting my TW endorsement? Of course if I did not have my Commercial MEL rating and a client or someone asked that I fly right seat for this or that, I could not do it? However, is it worth spending the money for the ME Rating and the costs to stay current in the ME? If I had my choice, I would shoot for enough hours and experience to get a job flying the Caravan or some really nice and cool single engine plane or turbine?
 
If your goal really is to fly a Caravan part-time, see if you can build enough time to qualify as a jump pilot (may be 500-1000 hours, network at regional jump sites to find out), pay some dues flying jumpers in a crappy 182 and see if you can transition to a Caravan eventually. There's no such thing as a type rating for a Caravan. I think in Europe there's a "single engine turbine type" of sorts...but no such thing available or required in the USA.
 
Ideally I would like to instruct PPL only and on a part-time basis, as I have other interests.
I highly recommend a tailwheel, especially for you. In general, tailwheel experience makes a pilot more aware of the proper use of rudder, but especially a CFI.
With the intention of only instructing PPL, you will be a better instructor in this critical Primary stage, plus if you get CFI proficient in a tailwheel, you may become much more sought after. Tailwheel CFIs are rare, since most CFIs are working towards instrument/ME time.

Tailwheel will give you the most bang for your buck right now.
 
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