Maurus
The Great Gazoo
Yeah it can. Ask me how I know. Not everyone gets lucky in this industry. I still have yet to break $30k for my second time in 7 years on a W2.
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Flight Training Hacks?
- Thread starter ChasenSFO
- Start date
Goonie
Never say die
YMMV. I got a 30K sallie mae and trust me my parents never gave me a dime. They couldn't afford too. I busted my ass at a busy flight school and delivered pizza at night and Rainy days. It wasn't fun but it didn't cripple me financially.
You think doctors or lawyers "pay as they go"? They don't make money for years after finishing school.
Any profession with a potential for high salary is going to have dues to pay.
nosehair
Well-Known Member
It has already been said, but I'll repeat and expand.
If you are pursuing a professional career, most likely your first job will be in the right seat. Either as an instructor or as a co-pilot.
As soon as you complete your Private Pilot training, begin to fly from the right seat.
Start learning all the commercial and instrument maneuvers from the right seat. As soon as you can get comfortable flying them, start teaching them.
Don't just "burn holes" in the sky building time towards the commercial.
You can be CFI checkride ready immediately after your Commercial checkride, ...aaand your Commercial checkride will go really good.
Also, if an LSA is available, get the Sport Instructor rating at 150 hours.
If you are pursuing a professional career, most likely your first job will be in the right seat. Either as an instructor or as a co-pilot.
As soon as you complete your Private Pilot training, begin to fly from the right seat.
Start learning all the commercial and instrument maneuvers from the right seat. As soon as you can get comfortable flying them, start teaching them.
Don't just "burn holes" in the sky building time towards the commercial.
You can be CFI checkride ready immediately after your Commercial checkride, ...aaand your Commercial checkride will go really good.
Also, if an LSA is available, get the Sport Instructor rating at 150 hours.
mastermags
Well-Known Member *giggity*
Eh, be careful about this. Some insurance policies won't cover flying from the right seat unless you are in an instructor's role.
It's really not that difficult to learn to fly from the other seat. A couple times through the maneuvers and you should be good to go.
Goonie
Never say die
Well if you have a time building partner someone has to sit in the right seat. I think that's what he was referring too. And yes, too much time gets wasted by time builders going VFR GPS direct everywhere.
mastermags
Well-Known Member *giggity*
I took it as, "do your flying from the right seat". The time building this is only good for simulated instrument flying and is generally done from the right seat by the PNF. If you are solo or not doing a simulated instrument flight, you should probably be in the left seat.
I second the chair flying! and MS Flight Sim!
@mojo6911 That Tina Turner sax player pic is so damn funny.
To add.. memory hooks are great too. i.e. TOMATOFLAMES etc. I use those a lot to help remember things
One I made up for PPL training regarding radio codes:
7500 - don't let the terrorists survive
7600 - the radio needs a fix
7700 - get the plane safely out of the heavens
Get it? Clear as mud?
@mojo6911 That Tina Turner sax player pic is so damn funny.
To add.. memory hooks are great too. i.e. TOMATOFLAMES etc. I use those a lot to help remember things
One I made up for PPL training regarding radio codes:
7500 - don't let the terrorists survive
7600 - the radio needs a fix
7700 - get the plane safely out of the heavens
Get it? Clear as mud?
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drunkenbeagle
Gang Member
Presumably, if you are flying with a CFI, either of you can be in the right seat, as either of you could be the PIC. Besides, the instruction you are receiving could be for a CFI rating, which has no minimum flight experience requirements, so who is to say when that starts or ends.
ChasenSFO
hen teaser
I know just the place to make that dream come true.
mastermags
Well-Known Member *giggity*
I was speaking more towards the insurance policies of flights schools not the legality towards a CFI rating. My school required the PIC other than an instructor to sit in the left seat. If you were training for the CFI then it was presumed you had a CFI in the left seat. Your school's insurance might be different.
Again, just know your policy before you go jump in the right seat to go pick up your $100 hamburger.
drunkenbeagle
Gang Member
Front seat / back seat is more common for me, but W&B is a bigger consideration there. I think insurance or our policy requires a back seat checkout anyway, one time thing.
nosehair
Well-Known Member
Many schools play the insurance card that doesn't really exist. Company policy by people who don't want to get outside the box.
Yes, you may have to shop around to hack. Isn't that why you call it "hacking"?
...and a couple times in the right seat demonstrating and talking thru all the maneuvers was never enough for me.
You can fly approaches/etc. visually from right seat.
Chandelles, lazy 8s, to CFI proficiency won't come in a "couple" of flights.
Practice all you can.
Be the best instructor you can.
Yes, you may have to shop around to hack. Isn't that why you call it "hacking"?
...and a couple times in the right seat demonstrating and talking thru all the maneuvers was never enough for me.
You can fly approaches/etc. visually from right seat.
Chandelles, lazy 8s, to CFI proficiency won't come in a "couple" of flights.
Practice all you can.
Be the best instructor you can.
uncreative
Well-Known Member
My hack was to fly with a guy named @Hacker15e. Flying with as many experienced pilots as I can has helped me tremendously. It's good seeing how others accomplish the same task with different techniques and try to pick what works for you while knowing that there is more than one way to get to a desired outcome.
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FlyingScot
Spanish Proficient
Stay focused, don’t screw around, come to each lesson and each rating, ready to get it done.
Don’t work at the airport. Get a job in a restaurant so you can make better money, work at night and fly during the day.
Fly the cheapest plane you can find. My original’s flight school motto was “we scrimp on safety and pass the savings on to you.” I did all my X.C. flying in a C152 usually with another big guy sharing the costs.
Study ahead of time for each lesson or rating. Buy two or three books on the subject and find one that works for you but cross reference the other books for subjects you struggle with. Rod Machado is awesome for the PPL. The cost of one flight lesson can buy you a nice aviation library, if it saves you one ride with an instructor its money well spent.
Come prepared for each lesson. Know the subject and maneuvers. If the instructor has to teach you this stuff as opposed to review what you know that is money lost.
Don’t dabble with the ratings. Wait till you have the money time and focus to knock out each rating.
After your PPL make an effort to become a whole pilot next, not just an instrument pilot. Study Instruments, commercial maneuvers and right seat flying. Don’t bury your head in the instruments for 50 hours then wonder why the commercial maneuvers are hard. You need to get to 250 hours to get your Comm rating anyways.
Share flight time with another Instrument student. I did cross countries with the left seater under the hood and the right seater as safety pilot. Right seater did take off and landings to work on their right seat skills. Split the costs, log as much as reasonable.
Have your instructor teach you some commercial maneuvers early on and practice them on your cross countries. As long as you land 50 miles away it is a cross country. If it takes you 3 hours round trip that’s 3 hours of X.C.
Don’t get your multi rating until you have taught for a while, 200 hours or more. The chance you will get hired to fly a multi or teach in a multi at 250 hour is slim. You will be a better pilot after a few hundred hours as a CFI, a better student also, your CFI may be your buddy, and you might get a hook up from the school you are working at. You can also get your Multi-com and MEI done back to back. Any hours you can shave off of multi instruction is a huge savings.
Unless you have a better idea to get “there” without your CFI, focus on your CFI as the ultimate short term goal. Your first ride as a CFI represents a $150+ saving to each hour in your log book.
Don’t work at the airport. Get a job in a restaurant so you can make better money, work at night and fly during the day.
Fly the cheapest plane you can find. My original’s flight school motto was “we scrimp on safety and pass the savings on to you.” I did all my X.C. flying in a C152 usually with another big guy sharing the costs.
Study ahead of time for each lesson or rating. Buy two or three books on the subject and find one that works for you but cross reference the other books for subjects you struggle with. Rod Machado is awesome for the PPL. The cost of one flight lesson can buy you a nice aviation library, if it saves you one ride with an instructor its money well spent.
Come prepared for each lesson. Know the subject and maneuvers. If the instructor has to teach you this stuff as opposed to review what you know that is money lost.
Don’t dabble with the ratings. Wait till you have the money time and focus to knock out each rating.
After your PPL make an effort to become a whole pilot next, not just an instrument pilot. Study Instruments, commercial maneuvers and right seat flying. Don’t bury your head in the instruments for 50 hours then wonder why the commercial maneuvers are hard. You need to get to 250 hours to get your Comm rating anyways.
Share flight time with another Instrument student. I did cross countries with the left seater under the hood and the right seater as safety pilot. Right seater did take off and landings to work on their right seat skills. Split the costs, log as much as reasonable.
Have your instructor teach you some commercial maneuvers early on and practice them on your cross countries. As long as you land 50 miles away it is a cross country. If it takes you 3 hours round trip that’s 3 hours of X.C.
Don’t get your multi rating until you have taught for a while, 200 hours or more. The chance you will get hired to fly a multi or teach in a multi at 250 hour is slim. You will be a better pilot after a few hundred hours as a CFI, a better student also, your CFI may be your buddy, and you might get a hook up from the school you are working at. You can also get your Multi-com and MEI done back to back. Any hours you can shave off of multi instruction is a huge savings.
Unless you have a better idea to get “there” without your CFI, focus on your CFI as the ultimate short term goal. Your first ride as a CFI represents a $150+ saving to each hour in your log book.
