need some advice and how much multi time is enough?

thehobbit

thehobbit

Well-Known Member
Because of the post 9/11 gibill I'm in the fortunate situation of having access to $100,000 in flight labs that are available to me. Originally I started flying in 2006, was paying out of pocket and earned my private single certificate before I found out that the government would pay for my training. I currently have enough hours fixed wing to qualify for my instrument and my commercial with just a few xcountrys that need to be accomplished. Where I stand with my ratings is private single, private rotorcraft, instrument rotorcraft, comm rotorcraft and my total time is around 400. I've got access to a beechcraft baron or the piper seminole at a rate of $295 an hour for the multi time and a cessna 172 for $154 or cirrus sr-20 for $185 for the rest of the time.

Which would you go for the multi? The baron or the seminole and why? How much of the money would you use towards multi time. If done right I would only be a few hundred hours short of atp mins and if I used a safety pilot for some of those hours I might actually meet them right as I finished the program. I'm leaning towards the sr20 for the rest as I already have about 200 hours in the c-172. thanks
 
Go with the cheapest option. Time is time regardless of the airplane. The airlines dont care. Personally Id go with the cheaper 172 option for single so you have more to spend on multi time building later. I dont have Baron time so I couldnt really compare. I was lucky enough to build multi time in the wonderful Dutchess :sarcasm: and maybe have 3 hours in a Seminole which was a Cadillac compared to the Dutchess. You're very fortunate to have those fund available to you. Im extremely jealous.
 
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Seminole and Baron both rent for the same price? Wow.

It depends on where you want to go. If your goal is to apply at a regional, go for the Seminole. It will be an easier plane to fly for somebody learning to fly twins (I realize I'm opening a can of worms here) and because nobody who hires at an airline really cares what kind of piston twin you flew. I think all you'd need for most regionals is 50 hours of multi these days.

If you want to do 135 or some type of GA for a career, go for the Baron. It's a better plane than the Seminole, and although it will be more difficult to learn in having Baron time will open more doors than Seminole time, since I don't think anybody flies the Seminole outside of flight training. How many hours you need in a Baron to open those doors is a crap shoot.

Edit: I read the part at the bottom you wrote about ATP mins which makes me think you want to work for a regional. Don't waste the money on flying a Cirrus because nobody on a hiring board will care that you flew a cirrus and not a 172.
 
If the cost between the Baron and Seminole is exactly the same I'd personally go with the Baron. They are both twin pistons but the Baron will force you to have to "think faster" to stay ahead of the airplane.

I had over 100 hrs flying the Duchess and the Seminole before flying a Baron for the first time and despite the instructor warning me, I felt like the plane left me in the ground on that first flight. The Baron is a nice airplane. It's not a trainer.

Between the Cirrus and 172, I believe the Cirrus is almost the same in terms of having to think faster to stay ahead of the plane, I'd stick with the 172 as it's cheaper.
 
I agree with SeanD, go with what's cheapest, Single time is single, Just to build time go for the 172, get checked out in the SR20 and fly it for fun take up friends and family in that. To get the milty go for the Seminole, it was designed for training and not much else. Its an easy to fly, forgiving airplane, get your multi rating in that then move onto the Baron and get a little bit of time in that as well if you want.
 
Make sure you spend that money getting at least 100hrs of multi though.. Some markets are rough and employers don't want to have to pay for 2 aero engines when they can get by with one or with a single PT-6. Piston multi's were sparse when I was building time, your flight training might be the last time you see one.
 
If the Baron really costs as much as the Seminole then it doesn't matter. The regionals want 100 hours multi-time, and some are beginning to drop to 50 hours multi-time. Seminole will be easier to fly, but the Baron would be good experience as I hear it is a much more "finiky" airplane. I fly Seminoles.... I'd love to get my hands on a Baron for a while. But multi-time is multi-time in the eyes of the airlines. The one thing I will say about Seminoles.... They are narrow and have horrible seats! Not the most comfortable airplane to train in.

As for the single time, save the money and build it in the 172. No sense in spending extra cash. But If I were you I'd still get checked out in the sr-20 and take it up a few times. Fun airplane.

Good luck!
 
Nice!

I will agree with what has been said. I trained multi in a seneca, and now I fly an aztec. It's not a super sleek aircraft like the baron, but due to the way we operate, it takes a long time to get this plane down (and often doing 200kts in the descent) so you really have to think ahead when you're going over 3 miles per minute (vs a 172 where you can chop and drop from 10 to sea level in 5 miles)
 
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