jhugz
Well-Known Member
It involves wine coolers and a glory hole.
First officer training program?
- Thread starter Treblesum81
- Start date
It involves wine coolers and a glory hole.
ComplexHiAv8r
Well-Known Member
jhugz said:
Not your story, his.
jhugz
Well-Known Member
BobDDuck
Island Bus Driver
Because if you are going to be a crappy CFI, chances are you are going to be a crappy captain. Yes, there are plenty of people that have upgraded without ever CFIing and do just fine, but ask ANY FO and they will tell you that they can figure out in the first 10 minutes flying with a CA whether the guy ever instructed or not.
Being a captain (especially at a regional and even more especially when a lot of hiring is going on) is EXACTLY like being a CFI. You just don't have to sign any logbooks.
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
I noticed that at the regional level a lot more. XJT was my first jet, so the learning curve was pretty steep there. At Cape, I was sometimes flying with guys with 300TT. Nowadays though, we all kinda just show up and pitch in to get the job done, catching each other's errors as we go.
I should add, there has been a significant learning curve with a first international job as well, but the learning curve was more procedural (oceanic ops, etc.) than the stick and rudder handling of the jet.
drunkenbeagle
Gang Member
Okay, for an average DAY towing, I've got at least an hour drive, both ways. I get to pull the tug out of the hangar. Add oil. Put in brake fluid. Do a super thorough preflight, 'cause something is probably broken. Pump gas, 'cause it rained yesterday and the last guy didn't. Get covered in grease. Put the ladder back. Then sit for a few hours in the heat, because everyone wants to wait "until it gets better up there." 3 hours later, everyone is ready to go at the same time. No one wants to wing walk or help, 'cause they all want to go now. Keep an eye on the weather and remind everyone that didn't look at the prog charts whats going on. Bring up the radar and give the PPL glider-only guys a lesson on how to do that (wow, sounds like instructing) Actual towing starts, dodge meat missiles and hope the guy that just soloed last week in back of me doesn't plant me into the runway. Fly about 1.4 tach. Piss everyone off because I need to get gas. Go to other side of field and wait in line for gas, come back everyone has left to eat. Do one more tow, probably with the student who has waited all day. Give him a critique of how he was doing, and things he can work on (wow, kind of like instructing). Land and race back to pump gas before a thunderstorm. Get soaked. Possibly talk to a new tow pilot that needs an endorsement at the hanger (Wow, sounds a lot like instructing again- And you'd be doing this CFI or not.)
After a 9 hour day, I've logged 1.6. Gee, could have hopped in a Cessna with back to back 2 hour lesson blocks closer to home, been done in less time and logged about 3-4 times as much. Would have made a fair bit of cash too. Not sounding so bad, is it?
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind towing. I actually like it most days. I do it to help out, it is a volunteer type of thing where I fly. But I would not call it easy, and if your goal is to get 135 mins, hmmm... Well, it would take you forever and not qualify you for much.
BobDDuck
Island Bus Driver
That's probably true. I haven't escaped regional hell yet so I can't speak to that in specifics though.
I realize this thread is a little worn out and everything that can be said has been said 6 times. But I still wanted to add my .02 cents and let the OP know how things have worked out for me. While instructing, I made several connections that led to hundreds of hours of quality flight time. I met aircraft owners that hired me to fly them around in their piston twins/singles. I also ended up with an aerial photography gig that I really enjoyed. It also added a lot of flight time to my log book. All of this flying was QUALITY learning/growing experience and none of it would have happened if I wasn't instructing. It took me about 3 years to build about 1500 hours from the time I started learning to fly. I then got on with Ameriflight and spent a year there, and now I'm flying a jet with a different 135 company. I haven't "made it" by any means, but I'm happy with where I'm at and I'm able to fly airplanes and support my family.
IMO guys that pay to sit in the right seat don't come out much better than when they went in. There's a difference between watching the captain make decisions and handle adverse situations and actually commanding the aircraft and making the decisions. I'm not Mr. Single pilot hero or anything like that, I'm a first officer of a 2 crew aircraft and I learn something new every time I fly with some of the great captains I fly with. But, I'm really glad I got some single pilot/PIC/instructor time before I entered the crew environment. I wouldn't trade CFIing for anything and would defiantly considering giving it a try before you decide you're not cut out for it.
IMO guys that pay to sit in the right seat don't come out much better than when they went in. There's a difference between watching the captain make decisions and handle adverse situations and actually commanding the aircraft and making the decisions. I'm not Mr. Single pilot hero or anything like that, I'm a first officer of a 2 crew aircraft and I learn something new every time I fly with some of the great captains I fly with. But, I'm really glad I got some single pilot/PIC/instructor time before I entered the crew environment. I wouldn't trade CFIing for anything and would defiantly considering giving it a try before you decide you're not cut out for it.
WacoFan
Bigly
Before this thread goes away, I just wanted to say that I think it would be really fun to actually do PFT/PFJ - and not necessarily in a cool airplane either - in any kind of airplane. Preferably an airplane that is really single pilot but I would log SIC. I would do this, then write threads about my experiences and how awesome it was. Then, the multitudes here could have much gnashing of teeth and shaking their fist at God and pants-wetting about how I'm "lowering the bar" and "killing the profession" and other such stuff. I think it would be a blast actually. Imma work on this. I can do this, log questionable time, raise the flaps in the flare and fly oversquare (particularly in a Caravan or some other turbine equipment) and then post about it. It'll be epic.
rframe
pǝʇɹǝʌuı
You are the devil, aren't you?
WacoFan
Bigly
Just call me Lucifer.
drunkenbeagle
Gang Member
Haters gonna hate!
I like the plan though, I might even sign up with you. We can test the limits of how hard it is to get fired from a job you are paying for. And people think it is hard to fire a volunteer. I see bigger possibilities - reality TV here we come!
WacoFan
Bigly
Deal. Perhaps in one episode we can mix with another reality show, Honey Boo Boo. I've seen pics - we'll need something really big - but we could fly them around and eat "sketti" with them and have all kinds of reality TV mirth and such. It would be classic.
KLB
Well-Known Member
I don't necessarily think that you'd be fired. It would likely be summed up as "uninvited".
drunkenbeagle
Gang Member
We'd make more in appearance fees than we would ever make as pilots.
Maurus
The Great Gazoo
Lucy for short?
Treblesum81
Well-Known Member
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓... This.... ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
It's been said at least a couple of times before this as well. Basically, I get the impression that there are people who think anyone who isn't a CFI shouldn't bother working as a pilot because they aren't going to be good at their job. Maybe that's just my interpretation of the statements, but, with so many people here saying I almost HAVE to go the instruction route, I don't think it's an unfair assessment, at least of some people's attitudes.
jhugz
Well-Known Member
Again another dude that has been there done that, a RJ captain/ex-CFI. You still think you know what's best? Go do it, I tried, and refuse to care anymore.
Did none of you listen to what I wrote before?
To the OP: quit arguing with people you don't even know, over crap that doesn't even matter. Just go do whatever it is you're going to do, and see if it works or not.
To everyone else: quit getting so worked up over what's on someone else's plate of food; worry whats on your own. It's not worth getting you BP increased over.