Thou shalt not buy time! or.....?

WIPilot

WIPilot

Well-Known Member
Some people say that buying time/type ratings/etc is looked down upon by airlines in the application process...others say that it either doesnt matter or it it looked upon positively. I was wonderting what all of your opinions were on this? (primaraly for pilots who have bought time or know people who have experience with such, but any replies are welcome
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Thanks in advance for any replies!
 
If this thread is purely about buying time for building hours then I think you should take out the mention to ratings/etc so it doesnt turn into a flame war...just a thought.
 
Unless you want to fly for Southwest, it is generally a waste of money to buy a type rating to 'look good' on an interview. Unless you have time in the aircraft it probably will not do much good.

Buying time could go either way. If you need 100 hrs of multi to be competitive or just to meet minimums for your first regional job that would probably be ok. Buying a bunch of turbine time from one of those places like Alpine Air in the back of Flying Magazine would be a waste of money in most cases and would probably be looked down upon.

When it comes to questions like this, I often wonder why they are asked in the first place. Is it really worth it to spend thousands buying time or a type rating for an entry level job? Some would spend anywhere from $10k-25k to get an entry level job that pays in the low $20's to start. After all the money spent on your initial ratings, I always wonder why people think it is worth it.

Another thing that people fail to realize about type ratings, is that even though everyone gets the same rating on their license, all type ratings are not created equal. You could easily spend $7k on a Citation type rating and not be able to get insurance coverage, since you did not go to one of the training providers preferred by the insurance companies (for a SIC this would probably be less of an issue, but could be a rude awakening for an owner operator).
 
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Some people say that buying time/type ratings/etc is looked down upon by airlines in the application process...others say that it either doesnt matter or it it looked upon positively. I was wonderting what all of your opinions were on this?


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I think what it comes down to is being competitive. I think in order to answer your question you have to ask yourself - is it helping to work toward a specific goal in a positive way to make you more competitive? That's what I want to address with the response, because I agree with some parts of it:

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Unless you want to fly for Southwest, it is generally a waste of money to buy a type rating to 'look good' on an interview. Unless you have time in the aircraft it probably will not do much good.


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Exactly. When you get an interview for a job the're going to probably ask a lot of questions about the aircraft you have knowledge in, the one you're flying. How would it make you look to be typed in an aircraft in 10 hours and know nothing about the aircraft itself?

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Buying time could go either way. If you need 100 hrs of multi to be competitive or just to meet minimums for your first regional job that would probably be ok.


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Agreed. If it comes down to needing to meet minimum total time & you're not going the flight instructor route, you need to accomplish the goal some how else.

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Buying a bunch of turbine time from one of those places like Alpine Air in the back of Flying Magazine would be a waste of money in most cases and would probably be looked down upon.


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I disagree. If you're going into a job with 100 hours turbine time to fly a Pilatus PC-12 or Cessna Caravan or the like, this could put you over the top of the other applicants due to knowledge and experience. It again comes back to working toward a specific goal to be marketable.

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You could easily spend $7k on a Citation type rating and not be able to get insurance coverage, since you did not go to one of the training providers preferred by the insurance companies (for a SIC this would probably be less of an issue, but could be a rude awakening for an owner operator).

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Not only that, but it might not be effective to get type rated in an aircraft before targeting the company you want to work. At least if you had a target company you could type in the planes they fly as a marketability standpoint.

$.02

-mox
 
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I disagree. If you're going into a job with 100 hours turbine time to fly a Pilatus PC-12 or Cessna Caravan or the like, this could put you over the top of the other applicants due to knowledge and experience. It again comes back to working toward a specific goal to be marketable.

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My question would be, is it worth it to spend the money for this? Obviously everyone's finances are different, but is it smart to spend thousands to get a job like this? It's all about return on investment. I know you were just trying to think up an example to make a point, but it is possible to get hired to fly a Caravan w/o turbine time. This is usually an entry level job and anyone w/135 minimums should be competitive.
 
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When it comes to questions like this, I often wonder why they are asked in the first place. Is it really worth it to spend thousands buying time or a type rating for an entry level job? Some would spend anywhere from $10k-25k to get an entry level job that pays in the low $20's to start. After all the money spent on your initial ratings, I always wonder why people think it is worth it.


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I always wonder why it would be worth it too, so I called up one of the recruiters at Regional Airline Academy they try to sell you on two things. First, the interview. They all guarantee an interview, but so could Jet Blue... and interview doesn't mean you're going to get a job.

Second, They try like mad to sell these types of programs that in turn sell you a seniority number. I'll agree that in the airline environment seniority numbers are important. But is it really worth going out and paying for a CRJ type rating at RAA, paying $23,000 to get an "interview" and get into a company with 500TT versus 1200 and 200?

I don't know, but I agree with you guys. I don't think that there are many loopholes in aviation as far as building time, and I think it is more respectable if you build it with an MEI or a gig flying dead legs for a 135 operator.
 
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