At a Fork in The Road

[Coney]

My comm (ASEL) check ride is coming up soon. Then, I will have decision to make: CFI or Comm (AMEL). Does anyone have suggestions? It seems that by becoming an instructor, I could begin earning money and building time... if I find some students. Anyway, I'm a little stressed about the whole thing. I much prefer to have a definitive plan. Thanks in advance.

 

[gomntwins]

Once you have your CFI you're at least marketable in aviation... so I'd go that route!

 

[chrisdahut1]

Many of my students had this dilemma in the past as well, and I advised the same way- get everything you can as soon as you can. Once you become an instructor, unless your lucky enough to find one of the few relatively well paying jobs, you’re going to be digging up change from in between the car seats just to put gas in your car to get to work. The last thing your going to want to do is spend more money on ratings, and it's going to get put off for eternity. Eventually when you do go for that rating, it'll be more expensive, as one thing we can be guaranteed of in this world other then death and taxes is that the cost of flight training only keeps going up and up.

Another thing to consider....the longer you don't have that Multi rating, the more lost opportunities your going to have to build multi time. You'll be amazed at how quickly you'll network as a CFI, and soon offers and opportunities to fly multis will be coming in.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Coney]

Hi, chrisdahut1. That sounds like really good advice. Thanks much for the insight!

 

[chrisdahut1]

Anytime!

Good luck on the decision.

 

[pscraig]

I'd get your CFI first and start flying more. By all means get your multi rating, but unless you have a job lined up as a MEI, do what will get you hours and income the quickest.

The Comm-MEL add on is fairly simple and can be done in 3-4 days. When I did those add-ons for ATP, some of my best students were current CFIs that waited to get their multi rating; I think their added experience helped their performance.

 

[Texasspilot]

I'd say it depends.

If you have a job where your earning enough cash to pay for your training I'd get the multi first. Simply because It really is a super simple rating and you can do it in a weekend. Be studying for the CFI at the same time. The flying is the easy part on the CFI, its the ground that I always had holding my students up. Then after the multi slide over to the right seat and finish up the CFI.

If you have to choose because you can only complete one in the next foreseeable future I'd get the CFI that way you can start building the hours.