CFIs Needed
- Thread starter flyguy
- Start date
Nick
Well-Known Member
And you're not helping!
Nick
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I got it. 700 miles later I've got fourteen (14) flattened tubes hanging in my closet. None went flat in the first 250 miles so in the last 450 I've averaged one flat tire ever 32 miles. Basically it comes out to: every time I go on a bike ride I get a flat tire. You can buy my bike if you want to. My next is coming from WalMart. After all, if I'm in it for the exercise, and I'm ending the ride at the same place I started, why do I need to go fast??!
Sounds good; come on out.
WestIndian425
Well-Known Member
LOL...you've seen the light, my friend.
On topic, I'd say that we really are going to need some more instructors. More students are coming in (on top of those already here) and we need people to teach them how to follow the SOP...I mean fly.
AngelFuree
Well-Known Member
I have three useable, and one not useable. Don't think I need more, haha.
Because fast is fun! Yum, I love going fast. I'll never go back to mountain bikes. Road bikes are so addicting. But anyway, I'd say be careful w/ the Walmart bikes (I know you've heard that phrase a million times). I don't say it because of assembly, but because these cheap bikes cut costs by using cheap parts, ESPECIALLY the wheels. They are REALLY REALLY bad. After the frame, the most expensive parts of a bike are usually the wheels. Walmart/Target bikes have bad wheels that are easily susceptible to bending, untrueing, or even collapsing. My parked unuseable bike is a Target bike. The wheels got so untrue by jumping curbs. Something that shouldn't happen just by jumping curbs. I'm 145lbs, pretty light, and it shouldn't have to endure so much damage. My 210lbs friend bent his wheels the same way. His wheels became so untrue he had to walk back home. Build quality along w/ quality control on those bicycles isn't good. If you're looking to save money, go to a bike shop and buy a relatively inexpensive bike from there which might run you around $200. They're usually good enough to meet your needs.
And I agree with you, if you have no preference on bikes, there's no need to spend $1000 on a road bike if you're not really enjoying it. I know I wouldn't be able to exercise without one though, because it wouldn't be fun enough to make me wanna go out and ride.
Excellent!
I'm making arrangements to go out there right now. About how much would a cab ride from Modesto to Atwater cost? Would you have to make prior arrangements with the cab company before making this trip?
WestIndian425
Well-Known Member
From Modesto to Castle is roughly $20. You don't have to make prior arrangements. Just tell the agent at Amtrak, and they'll point you to the right direction.
Are they flying the Duchess at all on the Atwater campus or is it all Da42s? How many Duchesses do they have in their fleet? Their website doesn't give much current info for CFIs other than the fact they are looking for a few. Do they offer benefits? I'm finishing up my instructor ratings now and am considering applying there, are they still hurting for instructors as bad as they were a few months ago? Thanks
flyguy
Well-Known Member
We have a few students finnishing up in the Duchess just because we didn't have enough Seminoles so we borrowed three Duchesses from Livermore. One thing they forgot to consider was that not too many instructors had the 5 hours PIC required to instruct in it, and the problem got worse when the instructors started to leave for the airlines. Another thing that was overlooked was the only examiner within 100 miles that can do a multi checkride wasn't qualified to give checkrides in the Duchess. From my understanding that issue has been resolved though, as we paid for her to take the checkride to give checkrides in the Duchess. We never did get Da42s. As of now we've got 6 PA44s, 3 BE76s and because we are shorthanded in maintainence, we usually have only 2 or 3 multis up on any given day. Fortuantely the last of the multi students should be done by the end of the week. The remaining students are all working on private so they will have several months to get the multi fleet back in line, and get all the instructors standardized. It seems the plan is to use both Duchesses and Seminloles, but remember the original plan was to use Twin Stars so you never can be sure. No bennefits, but the pay is good and free room and board on top of that is not bad at all. (well the food is bad, but the overall compenstation the instructors get is good) I hear they are possibly negotiating some medical bennefits, but since we are contract instructors it creates complications with offering bennefits. As long as the regionals are hurting for pilots, Sierra will be hurting for instructors, so they'll probably be hiring pretty much continuoulsy for the next few years. Hopefully there will be at least one opening comming up in the next month or two.
Sierra has plenty of issues, but it looks like they are starting to turn things around, and even with the BS its probably still one of the best CFI jobs out there.We have a few students finnishing up in the Duchess just because we didn't have enough Seminoles so we borrowed three Duchesses from Livermore. One thing they forgot to consider was that not too many instructors had the 5 hours PIC required to instruct in it, and the problem got worse when the instructors started to leave for the airlines. Another thing that was overlooked was the only examiner within 100 miles that can do a multi checkride wasn't qualified to give checkrides in the Duchess. From my understanding that issue has been resolved though, as we paid for her to take the checkride to give checkrides in the Duchess. We never did get Da42s. As of now we've got 6 PA44s, 3 BE76s and because we are shorthanded in maintainence, we usually have only 2 or 3 multis up on any given day. Fortuantely the last of the multi students should be done by the end of the week. The remaining students are all working on private so they will have several months to get the multi fleet back in line, and get all the instructors standardized. It seems the plan is to use both Duchesses and Seminloles, but remember the original plan was to use Twin Stars so you never can be sure. No bennefits, but the pay is good and free room and board on top of that is not bad at all. (well the food is bad, but the overall compenstation the instructors get is good) I hear they are possibly negotiating some medical bennefits, but since we are contract instructors it creates complications with offering bennefits. As long as the regionals are hurting for pilots, Sierra will be hurting for instructors, so they'll probably be hiring pretty much continuoulsy for the next few years. Hopefully there will be at least one opening comming up in the next month or two.
Thanks for the info. I've got about 200 hours in a duchess so maybe I could help alleviate the problem a bit
roughly how many hours are you getting a month right now?Flyboy or any of you other current Sierra staff members - given the fluid nature of the business and its been a while since anyone posted detals on instructor hiring would anyone care to give a general update on life there and present hiring requirements. I have been following this thread since about the beginning and may even get around to applying one day.
Things such as current mins for hiring, hours flown/ground/worked.
Are pay levels still pushing the $3000 per month? Is there a requirement to remain for a period ie bond etc? And what about the mystery meat, I hate mystery meat, is there a vegetarian option or is it the old Chinese style vegetarian ie pork with some veges thrown in?
Things such as current mins for hiring, hours flown/ground/worked.
Are pay levels still pushing the $3000 per month? Is there a requirement to remain for a period ie bond etc? And what about the mystery meat, I hate mystery meat, is there a vegetarian option or is it the old Chinese style vegetarian ie pork with some veges thrown in?
flyguy
Well-Known Member
Current hiring requirements are - Commercial Pilot, CFI, and a pulse. Preferred are - Commercial Multi, CFI, CFII, MEI. I'd recommend tht also, as its not easy to get training for yourself when you are a full time flight instructor.
Hours flown/ground/worked varries quite a bit. If you have new students without TSA approval you won't be flying much. When it gets to late fall-early spring, you get cancelled for weather a lot. Lately we've been very short staffed in maintainence so we've been getting a lot of flights cancelled due to lack of aircraft. When everything is up and running smoothly you can put in as many hours as you have energy for. Between mid January - Mid February I flew 112 hours and probably put in about 50 hours of ground and sims, and I made about $3000 during that time. I was completely exhausted by the end of that period, but it shows what can be done if you are willing to work hard. Also if you are willing to work weekends you get a lot more flexability with the schedule so you can get a lot more hours in that way. In order to get in my 112 hours I worked 7 days a week. I think the average instructor is getting about 70-80 hours per month, about 50 hours or ground/simms, and $2000-$2500 per month.
Can't help you with the mystery meat, I haven't eaten there in almost a year and I don't recommend anyone does either. You don't get an option, there is no menu. You eat what they serve. Its almost always some kind of chicken-like meat with some kind of leafy vegetable, fried together in a wok with a side of white steamed rice. Pretty much the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even the students can't stand it, and they are the whole reason they serve Chinese food.
Hours flown/ground/worked varries quite a bit. If you have new students without TSA approval you won't be flying much. When it gets to late fall-early spring, you get cancelled for weather a lot. Lately we've been very short staffed in maintainence so we've been getting a lot of flights cancelled due to lack of aircraft. When everything is up and running smoothly you can put in as many hours as you have energy for. Between mid January - Mid February I flew 112 hours and probably put in about 50 hours of ground and sims, and I made about $3000 during that time. I was completely exhausted by the end of that period, but it shows what can be done if you are willing to work hard. Also if you are willing to work weekends you get a lot more flexability with the schedule so you can get a lot more hours in that way. In order to get in my 112 hours I worked 7 days a week. I think the average instructor is getting about 70-80 hours per month, about 50 hours or ground/simms, and $2000-$2500 per month.
Can't help you with the mystery meat, I haven't eaten there in almost a year and I don't recommend anyone does either. You don't get an option, there is no menu. You eat what they serve. Its almost always some kind of chicken-like meat with some kind of leafy vegetable, fried together in a wok with a side of white steamed rice. Pretty much the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even the students can't stand it, and they are the whole reason they serve Chinese food.
P&H
Well-Known Member
Or else? Under California law, they can't really make you continue to work.
flyguy
Well-Known Member
When they did have a contract they offered a bonus at the end. If you left early you missed out on the bonus. Now they have done away with the contract altogether. As for multi time, because as the previous poster pointed out, they cannot legally enforce the contract, and because there no longer is a contract, many instructors leave once they get their time. They usually get their time toward the end of their student's training, which leaves 4 or 5 multi students with no instructor. I remember a time thinking I'd get 1000 hours long before I reached 100 multi. Because of the situation I just described I actually passed the 100 mark somewhere around 700 total. it came in the blink of an eye. Actually I started out with 3 students. Not one of them has made it to multi training yet, but in the last 6 months I managed to sign off 6 commercial multi students and I logged over 200 hours of multi. I may have underestimated the potential for multi time. For me it has turned out to be closer to 40%.
Nick
Well-Known Member
To those inquiring about updates at Castle -- what Flyguy says is correct.
There were a few of us last summer doing 135+ hours per month of straight flying, bringing monthly pay hours well over 200 and the $4,000 a month that comes with that is a good deal especially when you are in free housing. You just don't have a life at that time, which was fine by us.
The multi-engine hours are plentiful when they are in season. In season means 80 students about to start 40 hours of training each in a twin. That is 3200 hours of multi-engine flight time to be flown by less than 20 MEIs -- you do the math.
I would imagine the shortstaffed MX situation is rather dire at this time but I am out of the loop these days. Maybe they've found enough A&Ps to get caught up in the tule fog season. Even if they haven't, nearly the entire first group of students minus the last few are now back in China, freeing up the planes for the remaining ones.
There were a few of us last summer doing 135+ hours per month of straight flying, bringing monthly pay hours well over 200 and the $4,000 a month that comes with that is a good deal especially when you are in free housing. You just don't have a life at that time, which was fine by us.
The multi-engine hours are plentiful when they are in season. In season means 80 students about to start 40 hours of training each in a twin. That is 3200 hours of multi-engine flight time to be flown by less than 20 MEIs -- you do the math.
I would imagine the shortstaffed MX situation is rather dire at this time but I am out of the loop these days. Maybe they've found enough A&Ps to get caught up in the tule fog season. Even if they haven't, nearly the entire first group of students minus the last few are now back in China, freeing up the planes for the remaining ones.