MEI First?

jboynm

Swiggity-Swooty
Hello all:

New to the forums here. A quick background about my question, hopefully you guys can toss me some advice...

I am instrument current, with a commercial multi-engine land license and an SIC type rating for the airline I fly for. I have approximately 500 hours and am very interested in getting my instructor rating! :nana2:

Here's the difficulty(ies):
1. I do not have a commercial single-engine license.
2. I can't afford another costly tuition.
3. I don't want to get out of aviation (my current employer is furloughing).

A local flight school that I have spoken to informs me that it *is* possible to go straight into an MEI rating (for about $6000), but did not recommend it since getting a job with no single-engine instructor time does not look good. I am hoping that my part 121 experience will negate that and give me more chances at being hired as an MEI.

Any suggestions from you current instructors out there? Anyone been in my situation?

Thanks again, happy to be a part of the forums now! :bandit:
 
I am hoping that my part 121 experience will negate that and give me more chances at being hired as an MEI.
Welcome to the forum

No offense, but "121 experience", especially at 500 total hours, means squat for flight instructing.

We have had dozens of furloughs coming looking for a job lately.

My advice would be to get the single engine add on, and CFI in a single. You could do both for less than that $6000 if you hit it hard. I think that would make you more marketable to a flight school that being limited to multi engine only. Do your Single add on in the right seat, training for the CFI the whole time, save $$$.
 
Any suggestions from you current instructors out there?

You would be widely hated at the small schools. Multi-engine time is hard to come by and to have you walk up and take prospective students from the existing flight instructors would likely infuriate them all, particularly when you don't really need the multi-engine time. They also would be a little jealous that you already have the job they want and got it with such low flight times.

Also, many schools won't let you instruct in a twin without some previous SE instruction time, because a degree of righteously achieved paranoia is useful in a twin.

I agree that the prospects are dim.
 
I think you will find that a school will not even consider someone with only an MEI. It says all the wrong things to an employer when you show up and the only thing you can bring to the table is the ability to teach multi students.

and...as an instructor the LAST place you need to be with no instructing experience is in a twin. My personal oppinion is an instructor should have at least a few hundred dual given before allowed to venture into a twin. I am sure some of the ATP guys may say something different about this one but gulfstream guys will tell you something different about PFT.

and...as was mentioned before there would be alot of unhappy instructors who are slogging around in the one filthy two all day with a tenth of hobbs on the twin once in a while who would see you stroll in at noon and fly with a student in the twin and then leave after the flight. That is exagerated but you know what I mean.

and......WHO HAS A COMMERCIAL MULTI AND NO COMMERCIAL SINGLE?! It just isnt right, not ethical.
 
WHO HAS A COMMERCIAL MULTI AND NO COMMERCIAL SINGLE?! It just isnt right, not ethical.

I left after receiving my multi because I ran out of money to continue. Most of the comments so far seem up and down. Although, thanks to whoever recommended getting my single-engine comm. in the right seat! I might just do that.
 
If you're a good enough stick there isn't ANY reason you can't add your CFI, CFII, and MEI for $6,000. Study your backside off on the ground material and apply yourself in the air and you should be ok. That said, there is a pecking order at flight schools just like anywhere else. If you were to march into a place as a zero time CFI/MEI and start taking the multi students from instructors who have paid their dues you might find that your car goes through an unusual amount of tires.
 
I left after receiving my multi because I ran out of money to continue. Most of the comments so far seem up and down. Although, thanks to whoever recommended getting my single-engine comm. in the right seat! I might just do that.

If you can find an instructor willing to let you do the commercial maneuvers from the right seat, go to them. The transition from left to right seat, or in this case, right to left, is quite simple. By doing everything from the right side sets you up perfectly for the CFI. If you study enough while doing the commercial and you have the maneuvers nailed from both seats, there is no reason why you can not get your commercial one day, and the CFI the next.
Just make sure you go to an instructor who can sign you off for the CFI.
 
If you study enough while doing the commercial and you have the maneuvers nailed from both seats, there is no reason why you can not get your commercial one day, and the CFI the next.
That was my plan, but with Mx, Wx, and Scheduling issues they ended up being 10 days apart. Had a job the next day.

I won't lie and say it was easy, I worked my ass off, but it was worth the effort.
 
If you can find an instructor willing to let you do the commercial maneuvers from the right seat, go to them. The transition from left to right seat, or in this case, right to left, is quite simple. By doing everything from the right side sets you up perfectly for the CFI. If you study enough while doing the commercial and you have the maneuvers nailed from both seats, there is no reason why you can not get your commercial one day, and the CFI the next.
Just make sure you go to an instructor who can sign you off for the CFI.

Sounds great. I (of course) did all of my initial training in the left seat, but currently fly right seat for an airline. Hopefully it will make things easier! Thanks again!
 
Did you do the FO program?

I did, and was/am very happy and proud of what I accomplished. Unless where you are taking this is in reference to my original post, let's just stop now.

People hate Gulfstream, they have that right. I am proud of the airline I work for and came here to seek advice about getting CFI...

So, you were saying? ;)
 
Paying for your job as a 121 FO (AKA PFT) is more commonly depised in the airline world and on this website. Not sure how or why you're so proud of being someone who paid to become a 'real airline airline pilot' but you're credibility is really lacking when you say -

joyboynm said:
I left after receiving my multi because I ran out of money to continue.

Which sounds like a major cop out, by the way. Yet, you'll drop $30K for some pseudo-airline/academy to put you in the right seat of what they call a "jetprop airliners"? That's something that will follow you around for the rest of your life (being a Gulfstream'er) and candidly, I feel bad you made such a decision because you're going to be the 'talk' when you're done introducing yourself and your background to your peers and colleagues. Least but not last, I am not sure how you can be "proud of the airline I [you] work for" when you weren't hired but rather paid them (what a concept, I know) to be a 'real airline pilot'.

As for your original question, to be blunt, a MEI is worthless. You're going to get hired based off of your [paid for] 121 experience? Don't count on it buddy. Get your private pilot certificate 'upgraded' to a CSEL, then go for your CFI SE and maybe you'll get a gig doing initial training.

Cheers!
 
Paying for your job as a 121 FO (AKA PFT) is more commonly depised in the airline world and on this website. Not sure how or why you're so proud of being someone who paid to become a 'real airline airline pilot' but you're credibility is really lacking when you say -



Which sounds like a major cop out, by the way. Yet, you'll drop $30K for some pseudo-airline/academy to put you in the right seat of what they call a "jetprop airliners"? That's something that will follow you around for the rest of your life (being a Gulfstream'er) and candidly, I feel bad you made such a decision because you're going to be the 'talk' when you're done introducing yourself and your background to your peers and colleagues. Least but not last, I am not sure how you can be "proud of the airline I [you] work for" when you weren't hired but rather paid them (what a concept, I know) to be a 'real airline pilot'.

As for your original question, to be blunt, a MEI is worthless. You're going to get hired based off of your [paid for] 121 experience? Don't count on it buddy. Get your private pilot certificate 'upgraded' to a CSEL, then go for your CFI SE and maybe you'll get a gig doing initial training.

Cheers!

Well it's a shame I came to the forums for help and advice, and received this. But frankly, after seeing your other posts... I'm not surprised. I take what I've learned from people that wanted to be helpful and go. Thanks to those of you who actually posted something meaningful.
 
Leave the guy alone. If you don't want to buy him a beer that is one thing but right now he is asking for advice on a fairly simple question, help or don't. All you're doing is making yourselves look like petty children.
 
Leave the guy alone. If you don't want to buy him a beer that is one thing but right now he is asking for advice on a fairly simple question, help or don't. All you're doing is making yourselves look like petty children.

Exactly...

Like others have said, get the other CFI's first. No one will really want an MEI only.
 
Well it's a shame I came to the forums for help and advice, and received this. But frankly, after seeing your other posts... I'm not surprised. I take what I've learned from people that wanted to be helpful and go. Thanks to those of you who actually posted something meaningful.
Bizactly.....meritflyer's not exactly the "helpful" type.
 
i've heard different things. i dont plan to persue a career in CFIing. so i'm just asking of curiosity.

IS that even possible!? Getting the MEI as the initial instuctor rating?

I thought you had to get CFI first? but i suppose theoretically you could not even have a CSEL and still be an MEI? i've never heard of anything like that.

wouldnt the FAA guy from the FSDO have to do your initial CFI ride? and does he do that in the Multi?
 
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