Wanting my first Pilot job

drupilot54

drupilot54

Well-Known Member
Howdy folks. I am looking for some assistance in attaining my first flying position at a company. I know Part 135 operations are a good start. I have tried becoming a CFI but i just do not have the motivation nor the money to continue because i got turned off after going through the process the first time. Could anyone recommend me companies that they know that will hire a low hour pilot as a First Officer?

Commercial, Instrument rated pilot just south of 250 hours. Getting my multi engine add on this weekend and will have about 260 hours after that.

Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
From experience with those kinda hrs it will be tough(but not unheard of) to get a 135 gig. Trust me, I've tried. I went to airports and passed out my resumes door to door. Most want 500-800tt with 1000tt being the magic number.

I will be starting my cfi class in mid march or April. Just been saving up for that and studying up for that.

All the best :)
 
Good luck in your CFI training. I appreciate you responding. I would like to continue my CFI some day too but i have to gather money for that again which will take me a while.
 
First step is not admit your not motivated or driven enough to get your CFI.

Unless you are very charming or have good connections no one is going to hire you as a newly minted com/sel.

I have hired some low time com/mels recently to sit in my right seat to fill insurance minimums because I liked their ethic on the flight line as line guys.
But I assume a 250 hour pilot is a liability more than an asset because he is sitting in my desk.
Get your CFI before MEI. build some time make yourself really useful.
Avoid 135 like the plague. Teach until you can get get get yourself into a good part 91 gig.
 
Thank you for your response. The only reason i said not motivated is because i went through the process and got really turned off. I had to switch to multiple instructors and never could build consistency. I plan to finish my CFI, however i do not want to do it in IL. Hence working to make money to get my CFI done elsewhere.

Till then i was also looking for advice on how to continue staying in the air. I have recently started looking for aerial photography flights. Just like you said about hiring low time guys, they can be a liability. I can understand employers not wanting to hire a low time guy, but then again until i get some money gathered up, i cannot even do my CFI.
 
Drop zones and banner towing places are gearing up for the busy season. Get your high performance endorsement/ renter's checkout in a C-182 and log some 10-20hrs in it since loads of drops zones run jumpers in those and are hiring. Most banner towing companies run PA-18's (Piper Super Cub) or similar tail draggers so a tail-wheel endorsement with 25+ hrs T.W. is a must for those.

I was in a similar spot not even a month ago. Spent a few grand getting T.W. time in the cub and landed a job as a diver-driver instead of banner towing. C'est la vie. I have 100+ more TT and 110 M.E. but you ought to be able to land a gig soon if you add a couple of tid-bits to make yourself more attractive to the employers out there and don't mind moving to where the flying is. Get on it because most banner ops are memorial day - labor day and drop zones start even earlier. Stay positive and keep and eye out for the new postings on J.C. barnstormers and trade-a-plane.

P.S. I got some very useful advise on J.C. for my resume. Check the Resume Assistance threads and you'll see who to P.M. about it. It's was a night and day difference from the piece of crap I had before and the Rembrandt I'm working with now. Just a thought.

Good Luck!
 
Keep at it and get (at the very least) your CFI and CFII. The CFII was the easiest ride I had. What you will learn as a CFII will far out weigh just dumping parachutes or pulling a banner in circles to beef up the log book. Then get into aerial mapping. You will fly all over the country, in all air spaces while building a ton of time. There a re a bunch of aerial mappers and former mappers on here. And aerial mapping pay is usually pretty good.
 
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I am going to look for places within 50 miles that need pilots for banner towing and skydiving. But i remember doing this last spring and i got rejected every time because they all wanted a pilot with atleast 500-1000 TT (insurance purposes). I will look into it more in these few days and update you @RickJames

Find a right seat on the 'van i also what i am trying for. I have looked into ACO and Seaport. But no positive responses. Do you know of any other ones that take low hour pilots @alaskadrifter?
 
I just got hired by Hageland (aka Ravn Connect) with 550hrs. Class starts on the 23rd. No idea if it's full or if they will run another one this spring.
 
drupilot54 said:
Find a right seat on the 'van i also what i am trying for. I have looked into ACO and Seaport. But no positive responses. Do you know of any other ones that take low hour pilots @alaskadrifter?
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You're making sure that the places you've applied for are for SIC FO spots right? If you're applying to a 135 looking for a PIC then of course the application will be thrown out the door. Did you apply to Seaport and get no response?
 
Good luck finding a job you qualify for in your area. I was trying to do that for the past year and nothing but crickets. I'm moving 2100 miles from home for the next 8 months to get paid to fly so you may want to give relocating for work more serious thought. There's a fire patrol job posted a week or two ago for Kelso aviation in Kelso, WA. I called about it and they said you could expect around 250 out of the season and you don't need to be a CFI. @xargos posted it from barnstormers on J.C.
 
tcco94 said:
You're making sure that the places you've applied for are for SIC FO spots right? If you're applying to a 135 looking for a PIC then of course the application will be thrown out the door. Did you apply to Seaport and get no response?
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Yea i made sure to apply for the FO positions but still did not get any response from them.
 
drupilot54 said:
Yea i made sure to apply for the FO positions but still did not get any response from them.
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Did you follow up at all? What'd you use on your resume to make yourself marketable? 141 training? Any college degrees? Any extra endorsements (high performance etc.) or something?
 
RickJames said:
Good luck finding a job you qualify for in your area. I was trying to do that for the past year and nothing but crickets. I'm moving 2100 miles from home for the next 8 months to get paid to fly so you may want to give relocating for work more serious thought.
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Well put. Seems like the only way to get hired at such low hours is willing to move, travel, and work crappy hours. I imagine the only way to realistically find a job locally would be CFI...unless you know somebody.
 
tcco94 said:
Did you follow up at all? What'd you use on your resume to make yourself marketable? 141 training? Any college degrees? Any extra endorsements (high performance etc.) or something?
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I put all of those things you said. I also had friends that used to work at Seaport that told me that their FO class was so backed up at that time that they will put my resume in a pool. I plan to follow up with them again once i finish my multi engine add-on this weekend.
 
drupilot54 said:
I put all of those things you said. I also had friends that used to work at Seaport that told me that their FO class was so backed up at that time that they will put my resume in a pool. I plan to follow up with them again once i finish my multi engine add-on this weekend.
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I've got a friend there that's a dispatcher who said the opposite that they are needing pilots and hired someone at 200 hours. Probably want that ME on the resume...just what he told me. He graduated from my school, degree in Aero Science...probably 220 hours I bet...but got a job there as a dispatcher and they asked him about flying. Told me to apply once I had my ME add-on.

If you're doing 141 training then why not get the CFI? It will look a lot better on the resume and definitely a back up option if a 135 job falls through randomly. From my understanding it looks nice on a resume for the 121 guys too (what I hear at least)...maybe look at getting a loan or some type of financing through your 141 school to knock that hummer out. That's my plan at least....because I'm scared the 135 SIC route is very slim, poor, and hard to get. Lots of jobs out there where you could make more salaried as a CFI, probably getting more time, and PIC time.
 
tcco94 said:
I've got a friend there that's a dispatcher who said the opposite that they are needing pilots and hired someone at 200 hours. Probably want that ME on the resume...just what he told me. He graduated from my school, degree in Aero Science...probably 220 hours I bet...but got a job there as a dispatcher and they asked him about flying. Told me to apply once I had my ME add-on.

If you're doing 141 training then why not get the CFI? It will look a lot better on the resume and definitely a back up option if a 135 job falls through randomly. From my understanding it looks nice on a resume for the 121 guys too (what I hear at least)...maybe look at getting a loan or some type of financing through your 141 school to knock that hummer out. That's my plan at least....because I'm scared the 135 SIC route is very slim, poor, and hard to get. Lots of jobs out there where you could make more salaried as a CFI, probably getting more time, and PIC time.
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Look at my first few posts in which i describe about my CFI experience. And i have graduated out of my 141 university almost two years back. I am finishing my engineering school this year while still trying to constantly fly.
 
drupilot54 said:
Look at my first few posts in which i describe about my CFI experience. And i have graduated out of my 141 university almost two years back. I am finishing my engineering school this year while still trying to constantly fly.
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I read that you don't have the motivation but someone has to kick start that motivation...starting with yourself. If you sit idle waiting for the one perfect job you want then it's gonna be a long road. Why not move somewhere and throw the application at every living soul that has SIC jobs? You shouldn't ever admit that you're unmotivated. Sounds lazy. Aren't we all already lazy enough..? Losing motivation will kick you out of the industry for good. If finances are the problem have you looked at financing a CFI? We aren't very marketable pilots at 220+ hours even for a SIC.... You've gotta put all the routes on the table and try your best for everything...specially now with the restricted ATP mins (if you qualify).
 
I understand your point. Right now its all about not having the financial stability to get my CFI. I am working right now while going to school and collection enough funds to start my CFI program this summer.
 
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