Good Opportunity? CAE Simflite

AirVenture

AirVenture

Well-Known Member
Hey guys, need some help on a career move.

I got a phone call the other day for an internship I applied for. Basically I'll get get classroom/sim training and eventually type rated in a turboprop/jet aircraft. This is all done as a right seat "fill-in" for people that don't have training partners for their simulator session. Many of these interns get jobs just by meeting sim patners. It's unpaid, however it's partime and and has very flexible hours. I lived in this area over summer and have connections at a flight school where I'm sure I can get a part-time CFI job. This should also free up enough time to get my MEI and ATP written out of the way. My current full time CFI job is leaving me no time to get any multi-time and my Gleim ATP is gathering dust on the shelf. Also, some of my long term goals include becoming a check airman, simulator instructor, and being involved in a flight standards department. What do you think? I'm also looking for any info from those who have been through their interview process.

More info:
http://www.cae.com/cts/scm/

-Brett
 
Sounds like a very good opportunity for you. It seems to be a stepping stone for some of your goals for the future as well. Even though it is unpaid, the opportunity in and of itself makes it worth while.

You hit on some key points; a type rating, networking and a very flexible schedule. If you can get that job locally as a CFI to off set some of the expenses, I would jump on it. Just the people you meet will have a big impact on your future in the industry.

I say give it a go!

Good Luck!
 
Dude if I lived in Dallas I would have been ALL OVER THIS like four years ago. One of my best friends got like 4 types out of this gig and COUNTLESS contacts. If I could've talked the wife into a DFW move I woud STILL be all over this. Good Luck!!
 
It is a great opportunity. I did the Simuflight internship as well and now I am flying corporate in a Lear 60. It DOES work. If you have a desire to fly biz jets you will meet TONS of people. Chief Pilots and Director of Flight Ops go for recurrent as well and you can network, network, network with them. I am not saying that my current position is a direct result of my internship but it sure as heck helped. We had a common bond and I was able to strut my stuff by being the best darn FO possible. Good luck.
 
Another "testimonial" to add...well, two of them:

1) A friend of mine from Riddle went to work at FSI in Teterboro after he graduated, teaching recurrent and doing sim flights as a "fill in". He got typed in a Falcon 900EX and is now flying a Swiss based 900EX after being offered the job by a client he flew in the sim with.

2) I just came back from the Dallas Simuflite in the Lear 55. I would hire the guy that I had as my sim partner if I was the chief pilot of a flight department. He was on the ball. You could be that guy.
 
My current job is a direct result of the Right Seat Program. I have a buddy currently doing it (JC Name: Poeman) in the Falcon 20/50. He says they've made some changes to the program which makes it better than when I was involved. My current boss was in for recurrent and I was his sim partner. He asked me if I'd be interested in living in Chattanooga (and of course since I had no job at the time and really no place to live) I jumped on it...and the pay was good! I also knew a guy in the Gulfstream V program who got a job about the same time I did...fairly low time as well. If you can get a CFI job (U.S. Flight Academy in Denton may be looking) then I don't think you can go wrong. Good luck!
 
I also had a friend in his (very) early twenties with under a 1000 hours get hired through Flight Saftey doing this (flight saftey is paid though). With under a 1000 hours he was making 80k in the right seat of a Hawker at a fortune 100 company and will be on the GV before he is 25. He worked his ass off though and earned it in my opinion.

Alex.
 
Just another add to this thread. One of the other Captain's at my company was hired the same way (almost). He was in the Flight Safety program and was hired directly into the Lear 60 for being an awesome FO. BTW...he was 22 when he got his first job flying jets, right into the Lear 60flying corporate. THIS DOES WORK and is a great networking tool.
 
Make sure you get something you are insurable for. You are not likely to get hired in a real job if you get on something like the Citation X.
 
Well, I just got back from Dallas. It looks like I'll be in the Beechjet 400! No class date set quite yet, but I should know shortly.

-Brett
 
Awesome man, congrats! Next time I'm out there, I'll look you up.

By the way, awesome photo collection on Flikr. I did a little shooting myself on the perimeter road at DFW next to 18R, but after about an hour the Dallas SWAT team asked me to leave. You'll have to find us some good locations for next time.
 
Big congrats. The Beechjet 400 is a very insurable airplane and I think you will find yourself flying a real one quicker than you think. Awesome job.
 
TFaudree_ERAU said:
Awesome man, congrats! Next time I'm out there, I'll look you up.

By the way, awesome photo collection on Flikr. I did a little shooting myself on the perimeter road at DFW next to 18R, but after about an hour the Dallas SWAT team asked me to leave. You'll have to find us some good locations for next time.
Click to expand...

Do they still have the "viewing area" at the approach end of 35C? That was a good place to go sit around and watch airplanes...and no SWAT team!:laff:

fsiflyer said:
Big congrats. The Beechjet 400 is a very insurable airplane and I think you will find yourself flying a real one quicker than you think. Awesome job.
Click to expand...

:yeahthat: Congrats!!
 
JDE said:
Do they still have the "viewing area" at the approach end of 35C? That was a good place to go sit around and watch airplanes...and no SWAT team!:laff:
Click to expand...

Its still there, but they moved it; its now at the approach end of the 18s. I knew about it, but I would have been shooting straight into the 5 o'clock sun, so I played dumb when the SWAT showed up and told me I needed to be taking my pictures at the viewing area.
 
TFaudree_ERAU said:
Its still there, but they moved it; its now at the approach end of the 18s. I knew about it, but I would have been shooting straight into the 5 o'clock sun, so I played dumb when the SWAT showed up and told me I needed to be taking my pictures at the viewing area.
Click to expand...

Well, that's good to know. Any idea why they moved it?
 
Thanks everybody!

My guess is they moved it due to security reasons. The new one isn't all that great, but it's better than nothing. I was really surprised, I never got hassled once by the police while spotting. Of course it was summer, so I rarely sat around for more than 30 minutes taking pictures. There's some decent shooting in an vacant parking lot at the Bear Creek Country Club. I'll never forget waiting 30 minutes in the 100 degree heat for an AA 777 departure. After awhile I gave up and left, only to see it pass overhead on the way home. :banghead:

-Brett
 
Congrats, Brett. I have wanted to do the CAE SimuFlite "right-seat" prog. for months now but haven't yet found out how I will do it while being in college and that it is unpaid.
 
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