Negative effects of Commercial time building

DenverPilot8

Well-Known Member
So for my Commercial training I've been going Part 61 and have been splitting time with another Commercial Student. I have about 80 hours left before I finish up. Now with splitting time half of it will be safety pilot time. I know there have been many discussions about the merit of this time, but my logic tells me at this point its more of a matter of economics then anything else. The flight cost is half when flying with someone else. My question is: Once I build enough time through flight instruction and eventually get to an interview, will the fact that the majority of my Commercial time building was done by splitting flight time affect me negatively.
 
I think if you show up for an interview once you have about 1000 hours of dual given after you get your CPL/CFI around 250-300 hours, nobody is going to give a flying rat's rear that you picked up 80 hours through "safety pilot" time.
 
Also wanted to ask if there was any insight on perhaps building time to around 230 or so and then getting my private multi add on so I could get my private multi and commercial multi in a single check ride. Is that possible? By flying multi at the end I could get my complex and high performance out of the way at the same time.
 
I think if you show up for an interview once you have about 1000 hours of dual given after you get your CPL/CFI around 250-300 hours, nobody is going to give a flying rat's rear that you picked up 80 hours through "safety pilot" time.

As I'm not one to disagree with the abovementioned comment, I'm "hearing" from former CFIs who are presently in classes for regionals they are still taking applicants with less than 400TT and 100 multi who have the safety pilot time you mentioned.

Interesting. . .
 
As I'm not one to disagree with the abovementioned comment, I'm "hearing" from former CFIs who are presently in classes for regionals they are still taking applicants with less than 400TT and 100 multi who have the safety pilot time you mentioned.

Interesting. . .

It is, in fact, true. I have no idea what criteria HR departments use when hiring pilots, but I think it's safe to say its not 100% logical.

As to the OP's question regarding splitting time, as much as I'm against safety pilot time, after several hundred hours of dual given, I doubt anyone would care about some safety pilot time acquired before a commercial ticket.
 
I just wouldn't make it the "bulk" of the experience you bring to the table. Perhaps 10%-20% safety pilot time is okay, but not much more than that, JMHO.

Also wanted to ask if there was any insight on perhaps building time to around 230 or so and then getting my private multi add on so I could get my private multi and commercial multi in a single check ride. Is that possible? By flying multi at the end I could get my complex and high performance out of the way at the same time.

I'm not sure I follow you. You need 250 to get your Commercial anyway; there's no need to take a "private multi" and "commercial multi" at the same time. If you meet the qualifications for a commercial in a multiengine airplane, you can choose to take your initial commercial in a multi, or you can do it the traditional way and get your commercial in a single and then do the multi add-on (at the commercial level). Am I missing what you're talking about? If so, I apologize.
 
One day you will be a CFI and rarely if ever fly instruments. Cherish the time with a safety pilot now because before you know it you'll be teaching a lot of stalls and slow flight...
 
So for my Commercial training I've been going Part 61 and have been splitting time with another Commercial Student. I have about 80 hours left before I finish up. Now with splitting time half of it will be safety pilot time. I know there have been many discussions about the merit of this time, but my logic tells me at this point its more of a matter of economics then anything else. The flight cost is half when flying with someone else. My question is: Once I build enough time through flight instruction and eventually get to an interview, will the fact that the majority of my Commercial time building was done by splitting flight time affect me negatively.

According to other applicants, it was looked down upon when I did an interview for SkyWest. They wanted to see that you had experience teaching multi or that you flew for a cargo operation. Pure multi time building is pretty darn simple compared to teaching a student to fly multi with and MEI rating. It forces you to think about all the dynamics of the aircraft, rather than just two power/prop levers. But I totally understand the cost issue and it sucks to pay that much on your own. But what I did was pay for 15 hrs to get my MEI and than charge people to get the rest of my multi time :)
 
Yeah I guess I'll probably just get the Commercial singe for now. I was just thinking that if I got my multi towards the end I could log some Multi PIC for the remainder of my time building. Again it really comes down to cost at this point. I am lucky though the FBO I fly out of still only charges $97 and hour WET for a 172SP. Since I'm splitting that in half with someone else it has definately saved some money. IF I can budget this right I'll have enough money left over from my flight school savings to pay for my CFI. After that It looks like it would be a loan.
 
According to other applicants, it was looked down upon when I did an interview for SkyWest. They wanted to see that you had experience teaching multi or that you flew for a cargo operation. Pure multi time building is pretty darn simple compared to teaching a student to fly multi with and MEI rating. It forces you to think about all the dynamics of the aircraft, rather than just two power/prop levers. But I totally understand the cost issue and it sucks to pay that much on your own. But what I did was pay for 15 hrs to get my MEI and than charge people to get the rest of my multi time :)

You're talking about seperate things. He's purely thinking about building SEL time to meet commercial time requirements, where you are talking about building time to meet airline minimums.
 
I think you need to do what's best for you right now and worry later about how some HR department in the future will view it. If spending 80-100 hrs of safety pilot time will allow you to get your CFI for the same price as getting your CPL without safety pilot time, then by all means get your CFI. That is one of the best things you can do to advance your career as a pilot, regardless of which route you take in the future. As others have said, by the time you have 1000 hrs, the fact that you have 100 hrs safety pilot time will be moot. Even if they discount all your safety pilot time, the hours you can gain from flight instruction will offset that time.
 
Well at least you aren't building time by logging only Total Time and turbine time on 135 legs in a Caravan (sitting right seat). Although it seems legal, I hear HR finds it to be a bit shady.
 
IF I can budget this right I'll have enough money left over from my flight school savings to pay for my CFI. After that It looks like it would be a loan.

Are you serious? You understand you are paid to instruct, correct? This is not the time to be in a hurry to get your twin time or any other time. Make some money flying and use that to pay for your CMEL/MEI.
 
It seems that CFIs are still in demand. I know several operators that will pay for the MEI, and some that will pay for CFII and MEI.

If your willing to move, you might consider that option as well.
 
I went through ATP, so my 125 Multi, about 50 - 60 of it safety pilot time. I interviewed with 3 airlines:

Air Whiskey - Didnt care. Did not get hired, but a friend did who had the same ATP time.

Eagle - Cared. Asked "How much multi time is you physically controlling the stick." I told the truth, spun it into a crew resource management thing, made me a better pilot, blah blah. I was hired.

Colgan - Didnt even look at my log-book, or ask about where or how I got my time.
 
Honestly my objective is to get through everything with the least amount of cost as possible. But I realize that I will need multi time at some point and don't really know how I'm going to get that. Also The safety pilot time for me is really about cost more than anything.
 
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