Private, Instrument, Commercial... Then what?

storm glider

storm glider

Well-Known Member
So... I wanna fly, do I?
Why yes, yes I do! :)

I've got many questions. Some might seem trivial or redundant, but please bear with me.

Ok so first I'll need to get my PPL.
Then instrument rating.
Then a commercial lic.

Then...
I think most people get their CFI's and start instructing, but I'm not really sure what all the options are at this point. People talk about multi's and I can't even remember what else (I'm new to all this lingo).

Sooo...
-What ARE all the options after a PPL, commercial, and instrument?
-How much more am I gonna have to "train" before I qualify (or rather, become competitive) to apply for jobs?
-If I pursue my training "full-time", in how long can I expect to finish the PPL, inst., and comm., and any other necessary/essential training?
-Most posts I've read are from people wanting to go to the airlines, so they go the the regionals. I don't think I want to go to the airlines, I think I would enjoy freight or corporate much more. What other options are there other than the regionals for early career positions?

I think that's about all I got right now. I'm looking forward to hearing what you all have to say!
Thanks! :D
 
After the Commercial either a Multi Engine Commercial, or a CFI is the next step. Multi Commercial wont get you too far right away as you wont be finding a super low time flying job in a multi. So a CFI would most likely be your best option and once you get some more time under your belt then add the multi on and an MEI (Multi Engine Instructor) as well.

In order to apply for job airlines are going to require an ATP license come August next year, so thats 1500 total hours, 500 X-C and 75 Instrument, before you can even think of applying to an airline. As for flying cargo you will have to meet Part 135 requirements which is 1200 total time, 500 hours airport to airport 100 night and 75 instrument. So thats what youll need to get a typical job in aviation. However some do get very lucky, networking with the right people at the right time can land you in the right seat of a small jet or a king air, but this is something I would not count on.

As for how long it will take you to get all your ratings, it all depends on you, If your doing this at your local flight school, f you devote several hours a day, every day then 2-3 months for each rating, but like I said it all depends on how much time you will be able to devote to training.
 
I'd encourage you to re-read mastermags post again. Because it's a simple question, but it sort of frames the answer.

If you haven't had any training yet, I suspect the general consensus here is take a couple of flights and see how you like it. If you do (and you likely will, but some do find out it's not for them) then earn your PPL and then....

...stop. Enjoy the PPL for a while. Get a tailwheel endorsement, perhaps? Seaplane? Take a little airplane on some cross-countries? Sharpen your pilotage skills?

Then - if you really wanna pursue things, get the instrument rating. Then pause, again. If you wanna go pro at that point, then go full tilt on Comm, CFI tix and starting the process of charting a career in aviation.

To be sure, this is just what I think, but I've been taking the roundabout way, having only accumulated 125TT in 4-5 years. It's not for everyone. But it has certainly been enjoyable.
 
skypilot6 said:
In order to apply for job airlines are going to require an ATP license come August next year, so thats 1500 total hours, 500 X-C and 75 Instrument, before you can even think of applying to an airline. As for flying cargo you will have to meet Part 135 requirements which is 1200 total time, 500 hours airport to airport 100 night and 75 instrument.
Click to expand...
Sky, thanks for your input. So after most beginners complete all their training, how many of the total 1500 required ATP hrs (or 1200 for Part 135) have they usually completed? And what do people do to rack up the extra hrs to meet ATP/Part135 minimums? Am I supposed to just go out and rent planes and fly on my own?o_O
mastermags said:
Just curious, but how much training have you had so far?
Click to expand...
Well mastermags, none yet, actually. But I've been on the fence about weather or not to pursue aviation for over a decade now and finally I've decided to go for it. I really wish I had taken some of the pilot training courses my junior college offered but that's ok, I'll be finishing up my bachelors degree in December and then I'm planning to get started with flight training early next year. In the meantime, I'm almost completely certain that I'll completely love flying. But just to be sure, I signed up to go up for my first flight in a couple weeks. And will most likely have a few more before next year.
I would appreciate any input and/or suggestions you have though.
killbilly said:
I'd encourage you to re-read mastermags post again. Because it's a simple question, but it sort of frames the answer.
If you haven't had any training yet, I suspect the general consensus here is take a couple of flights and see how you like it. If you do (and you likely will, but some do find out it's not for them) then earn your PPL and then....
...stop. Enjoy the PPL for a while. Get a tailwheel endorsement, perhaps? Seaplane? Take a little airplane on some cross-countries? Sharpen your pilotage skills?
Then - if you really wanna pursue things, get the instrument rating. Then pause, again. If you wanna go pro at that point, then go full tilt on Comm, CFI tix and starting the process of charting a career in aviation.
To be sure, this is just what I think, but I've been taking the roundabout way, having only accumulated 125TT in 4-5 years. It's not for everyone. But it has certainly been enjoyable.
Click to expand...
That could very well end up happening. Only time will tell. Just gotta get the ball rolling first :)
 
storm glider said:
Sky, thanks for your input. So after most beginners complete all their training, how many of the total 1500 required ATP hrs (or 1200 for Part 135) have they usually completed? And what do people do to rack up the extra hrs to meet ATP/Part135 minimums? Am I supposed to just go out and rent planes and fly on my own:)
Click to expand...


You'll finish with -250 hours so you have a bit of work to do. Get your CFi, CFII and start instructing as nobody is going to hire you with 250 hours to do anything else. Maybe at 500 you can look at pipeline survey, aerial survey or banner towing.

You have a few years ahead of you after school before you get the hours you'll need......
 
jskibo said:
You'll finish with -250 hours so you have a bit of work to do. Get your CFi, CFII and start instructing as nobody is going to hire you with 250 hours to do anything else. Maybe at 500 you can look at pipeline survey, aerial survey or banner towing.

You have a few years ahead of you after school before you get the hours you'll need......
Click to expand...
Hmm, I see...
Thanks, jskibo.
 
storm glider said:
Sky, thanks for your input. So after most beginners complete all their training, how many of the total 1500 required ATP hrs (or 1200 for Part 135) have they usually completed? And what do people do to rack up the extra hrs to meet ATP/Part135 minimums? Am I supposed to just go out and rent planes and fly on my own?o_O
Click to expand...

As jskibo said CFI is the usual route for someone needing to build hours, It can take some time, I worked at a Phx area flight school training Chinese guys how to fly, it was guaranteed flying and it still took me almost 2 years AFTER im completed my training to reach 1500 hours. And as I stated before networking can be everything in aviation, the more people you meet the better, you might not have to get to 1500 to find a job if you meet the right people, but again this isnt always the case. There are some jobs such as traffic watch, pipeline patrol, banner towing or ariel photography but even those will require between 500-1000hrs, so the CFI is the best route to go.
 
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