Low time SIC positions?

A

aviatorsneah

Well-Known Member
Ok here goes my story:

Times: 405 TT 40 ME 70 IFR

I was looking to getting on with an aerial survey gig this fall and it fell through. Since then I've been told by a chief pilot of a 135 company in the area that I have first dibs (through a special recommendation of course) on a right seat position opening in 6 months on a Kingair. Here's the problem though. He says I need a couple hundred more hours of multi-time. So a couple hundred hours in 6 months...in a twin no less. Not impossible, but definitely not realistic either.

My question is what jobs would be available to get right seat in anything (preferably twin of course) currently? I'm nowhere near Part 135 PIC mins but are there companies that hire SICs with my kind of hours? Any job postings I see are for PIC with no mention of SIC minimums.

The other route of course is going to ATP or something and getting the 3 CFI's outta the way in a couple week's time and trying to instruct to build the twin time. But is that even worth it?

Any jobs anywhere that are known in the Chicago area to get you some twin time (or anything for that matter) besides CFI and aerial survey? Don't really care if it's in Chicago either. I could definitely leave. :D

I kinda feel silly even posting this as i am asking the same ultimate question that is always asked by low timers. But, worth a shot.

Until then it's just doing some aerial photography work on the side in 172s and bouncing around in a seminole whenever i can afford it..
 
I would not go and spend thousands of dollars on CFI training for a short term goal that is unfortunately unrealistic in the current market.

One thing I have learned is never to count on anything unless the ink is dry on paper (or a paycheck).
In my opinion, the chief pilot telling you that you need a "couple hundred hours of multi time," in six months no less, is a polite way of saying that you are not qualified and do not get your hopes up.

I would talk to the chief pilot and see what the absolute miniums his insurance requires. If he really wants to hire you, there might be a way for you to act as SIC with you current times. I know others have got on flying SIC in turboprops with far less than you have in the recent past.

Good luck!
 
there is a guy, based in Florida, he is a CFI/II/MEI ATPL, he flies his own piper aztec all over the US to do speeches and attend meetings...wish I could find his website, well he lets you fly along, not for free but it seemed a pretty good deal to build multi time (and yes he will let you fly the plane too).

Try to look in the back of aviation magazines, you may find his ad.

Btw you can easy be a King Air SIC with those times, I was approved with 380TT and 60ME on a C90.
 
Even if you spend the money to knock out your CFI certs, you may find it difficult to walk into a new CFI job and start flying their multi aircraft right off the bat. Unless your company has you drum up your own students I think you will be competing (unsuccessfully) with your senior CFIs to grub multi time.
 
Chucco said:
Even if you spend the money to knock out your CFI certs, you may find it difficult to walk into a new CFI job and start flying their multi aircraft right off the bat. Unless your company has you drum up your own students I think you will be competing (unsuccessfully) with your senior CFIs to grub multi time.
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i agree. do you think i'm better off begging to split time with people and look/wait for a SIC gig than spend the money to get my MEI where I might not get much ME time anyways?
 
I bet so. Its only 8-9 hours a week, but still rather expensive. I wouldn't do it unless you had the job in the bag for sure. It sounds like you may want to think about the next opportunity?

I don't know of many ways to fast-lane to the right seat of a turbine anymore. I haven't been looking in the last year though, so hopefully some others have some ideas. Keep checking the forums, I have seen some interesting prospects here in the jobs available section.

Also there are a lot of guys out there who have lots of experience and time who will be competing for these same jobs. Unless you have some good contacts it may be worth your while to get your CFI tickets and build some time/make contacts/learn some more. Being a CFI is pretty rewarding in more ways than just building time.

Many of us are in the same predicament, so don't get too down!
 
Check with some of the 135 cargo haulers in your area, I flew twice a week with a local Georgia company in 2008 as a SIC/Loader and built about 100 hours of Beech 1900 time. I had to sign a release, not to hold them responsible if I was in an accident and be put on the books as a intern volunteer, but I gained a lot of experience that I would not have otherwise. Since I was flying with the chief pilot and an ATP, I was able to log it as dual SIC training for a SIC type rating in the Beech 1900. I know that a lot of people here will say that this is a borderline legal, but I will leave that up to who ever may hire me in the future to decide, if they want to count it fine or if not thats fine too. The company I flew with shut down the Beech 1900 section and most of the rest of the operation about six months after I started, but I would not trade the experience I gained there for anything. Good luck with the job hunt.
 
Go get your CFI's, best 6k I've ever spent in aviation. They paid for themselves 10x over.
 
jhugz said:
Go get your CFI's, best 6k I've ever spent in aviation. They paid for themselves 10x over.
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i'm beginning to think this is the most realistic way to go about it with the greatest benefits in the future, not just being dependent on the short term. but a lot of people say it's not worth it and have gotten 'there' without it, which is what makes me wonder which to do.
 
^ I agree that getting your CFI is very worth. You think you are a good pilot before, and then you find out how much you didn't actually know after 100 hours of instructing. And I'm sure after we have 10,000 hours we'll realize how little we knew after instructing for a while.

But on the spending 6k and making it back 10 fold? You must have been instructing for a while...I'm at 1.5 years and well I might have made 12k out of instructing, certainly not a way to get rich.
 
Carbon said:
^ I agree that getting your CFI is very worth. You think you are a good pilot before, and then you find out how much you didn't actually know after 100 hours of instructing. And I'm sure after we have 10,000 hours we'll realize how little we knew after instructing for a while.

But on the spending 6k and making it back 10 fold? You must have been instructing for a while...I'm at 1.5 years and well I might have made 12k out of instructing, certainly not a way to get rich.
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I don't see how a CFI couldn't make their 6k investment back 10x yearly. You might just be doing it wrong though.

that being said, Don't just get your CFI to build time, get it because you want to teach and you want to do that kind of work.
 
Codyjp said:
I don't see how a CFI couldn't make their 6k investment back 10x yearly. You might just be doing it wrong though.

that being said, Don't just get your CFI to build time, get it because you want to teach and you want to do that kind of work.
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WOW! You make 60k a year as a CFI!

$6k a year times 10 = $60k!:drool:
 
mshunter said:
WOW! You make 60k a year as a CFI!

$6k a year times 10 = $60k!:drool:
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Yeah, that and I'm home every night, set my own schedule and days off and have a whole ton of fun doing it. It isn't easy and I work my tail off but I really enjoy it. I'm flying 5-8 types of a/c at any given time and I get a strong sense of accomplishment when I'm all done at the end of the day. Seeing somebody solo for the first time is a lot more important that getting a load of tourists or executives to a weekend vacation. That is just me though!

I reached a point about 4-5 years ago where I could either go on to an airline or enjoy my life. I choose the later and don't regret it. Now I'm running my own operation with 5 planes and loving every minute of it.
 
Codyjp said:
Don't just get your CFI to build time, get it because you want to teach and you want to do that kind of work.
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I got my CFI to build time, I didn't want to teach nor do that type of work. However when I went in to do the job I was there for the customer, willing to bend over backwards and was pretty successful at it. There is a difference.
 
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