Fly and Raus,
No I didn't instruct there, nor did I go through the CFI Program. To this day I don't have a CFI, and I'm not working on it either, maybe later down the line. When I finished my contract, to Muti-Com, I bought a multi block of 100 hours, and stretched ito to about 115 hours, and then I went to Miami for 2 months to get my Flight Engineer Rating in the 727 Simulator at Aeroservices. This was FEB-MAR of 2001, and I was getting calls for interviews BEFORE I had even taken my FE Checkride! After I finished in Miami, I sent out a hundred more resumes and told my wife that I would have a job at the end of the month. The best offer I had was with a regional to work as a mechanic for a year until they got their East Coast Mx facility going good, and then I would move into the right seat. I started with them in May 2001. After 9-11 they had 160 pilots on furlough, and there was no chance of me flying with them for years. Every month I sent out resumes, and I got FCI(Flight Crews International), and I would talk with Capt. McNicol, who made FCI every month, and he gave me the ins and outs, and help me tweak my coverletter/coverletter.
I WILL DO THAT FOR ANYBODY, TOO, just send me a P.M., and feel free to leave your name off, if you have privacy concerns.
Well, I gave that regional my year as a mechanic, because if there is one golden rule of aviation, it's that everybody knows somebody that knows your old boss, and word gets around sometimes even faster than your resume! In May of 2002, I went back to Comair Academy as a mechanic, and 3 weeks later I was called up by the Chief Pilot of a 727 Freight Airline, and he hired me right over the phone! On my cover letter to them I mentioned my 727 Instructors, with their permission, and it turns out that the Airline used them as Instructors as well, and those Instructors remembered me.
Getting back to Comair, or DCA as it is called now, the training I got, and the way that I was taught to prepare for the Oral more than anything else, is EXACTLY the way to do it later when you are getting your Type Ride in an MD-11(not that I'm typed in the MD-11), basicly, know all of the regs, inside and out. Know all of the systems, inside and out. Know all of the profiles(at Comair/DCA they don't call them profliles, they just call it performance), inside and out.
And that's about it. The academy will spoonfeed it's students up to a point, but the quicker that the student gets into that stands manual and soaks it up like a sponge, the better off they are. Study A LOT, and know the airplane, but most of all.............
Have fun!
I honestly think that the BIGGEST factor of being an airline pilot is, if you can spend 2 weeks on the road with a crew, and on the last night, sit at the same table, and still laugh together, you have what it takes. A monkey can fly the plane around.
Again,
Thanks Comair, Greg, Rob, and Rob, Geoff, Cedric, and everybody else, You guys are awesome!