what would you do?

W

wyfly

New Member
You've finally paid off student/flight training loans and have even managed to save some money (although half of it has been lost in the stock market). You have a commercial ASEL with instrument rating, and about 250 hours. You have been unable to find a flying job after literally years of looking. You realize to get an entry level job you will probably need another 250 hours.

Also, you live in a rural area with little flying, but don't really want to move unless it's for a career jump-starting type job. In fact your willing to move to just about anywhere for a flying job but can't find anything with your current TT. The busiest local CFI has less than a hand full of students, so thats not an option. You really don't want to instruct anyway.

You have enough saved to buy a plane like a 152, but not enough to maintain it. There is a tug at a local airport, and you have enough to buy a dual place glider and could easily maintain it.

What would you do? Buy a glider to build time? Spend money on more ratings? Or keep the money invested, be patient and wait for a GA job that will hire with your current experience?
 
I'd move.

If you've been waiting literally years that is.

Nothing is going to jump into your lap and tell you to fly it. You have to go get it. One move may give you that "Career-jump start" type of job you're looking for.

Flying, and being paid = jump start.
 
Why buy a two place glider? You can get a Schweizer 1-26 for as low as $7,000 now.

It doesn't glide well at all, but it handles and climbs great!

If you know how to keep it in the air, this would be a good idea I think. Because for $30 a tow, you can fly as long as you want (or can) for that $30. It could be 7 hours or half an hour, and still only cost you $30.
 
Keep doing what you are doing (I assume you have a non-aviation job) and save your money for now. I wouldn't sink another dime into unless something picks up.
 
wyfly said:
What would you do? Buy a glider to build time? Spend money on more ratings? Or keep the money invested, be patient and wait for a GA job that will hire with your current experience?
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If there is a tug at the field, I'm going to assume there are already gliders you could use too?

Keep money invested - flying is a pretty crappy investment.

Becoming a glider instructor is pretty cheap - maybe do that for a while? You won't make any money, but you'll probably meet a lot of people that can help you out (eventually).
 
Is gilder time even worth putting in your log book? Not trying to open a can of worms, but will any operator even recognize it towards your TT?
 
Murdoughnut said:
Is gilder time even worth putting in your log book? Not trying to open a can of worms, but will any operator even recognize it towards your TT?
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It is total time, same as blimp time or helicopter time.

You can use glider time towards the time needed for most ratings.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
You can use glider time towards the time needed for most ratings.
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And from what I understand, you can use glider time as TT towards insurance minimums, which currently appears to be my largest hurdle as most small GA type flying jobs have insurance that has 500 or 1000 hour TT minimums.

About moving for a job, I would move to anywhere in the country tomorrow if I could find a flying job with my current qualifications. I've looked as far as flying sky divers in Hawaii and medical supplies in Ak, and everything in between. I have just not been able to find any job that will hire with 250 hours.

I feel like a few hundred hours in my log book are all that stand between me and an aviation job, and was thinking maybe owning a glider for a couple of years might be the cheapest way to get those hours.
 
wyfly said:
I feel like a few hundred hours in my log book are all that stand between me and an aviation job, and was thinking maybe owning a glider for a couple of years might be the cheapest way to get those hours.
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Well, 500 hours in gliders is going to take some time. You are very dependent on weather. I would try to stay current in airplanes as well (obviously).

Getting your CFI in gliders will be faster/cheaper than getting it in airplanes. Once you have that, you will be getting time 'for free.' You said you don't want to instruct - but from what I've seen, flying is very much a 'people' business. Who you meet instructing may ultimately help you move ahead.

As for time building, buying a 152 - flying 250 hours - selling 152 - will probably be cheaper and faster. I wouldn't buy a glider without knowing that you liked flying them already.

It shouldn't hurt you career-wise though. No one is going to look down on glider time. It also teaches very good stick and rudder skills. And having a glider ticket also makes you more employable as a tow pilot.
 
Time to move, but I'd do it when the economy comes back some more.

PS. Nothing, including careers, ever move fast in aviation.
 
wyfly said:
You've finally paid off student/flight training loans and have even managed to save some money (although half of it has been lost in the stock market). You have a commercial ASEL with instrument rating, and about 250 hours. You have been unable to find a flying job after literally years of looking. You realize to get an entry level job you will probably need another 250 hours.

Also, you live in a rural area with little flying, but don't really want to move unless it's for a career jump-starting type job. The busiest local CFI has less than a hand full of students, so thats not an option. You really don't want to instruct anyway.

You have enough saved to buy a plane like a 152, but not enough to maintain it. There is a tug at a local airport, and you have enough to buy a dual place glider and could easily maintain it.

What would you do? Buy a glider to build time? Spend money on more ratings? Or keep the money invested, be patient and wait for a GA job that will hire with your current experience?
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You're not going to find a job with 250 hours even at a very big city, maybe even 500 today. You need to think about instructing(moving) or buying that 152.
 
Like I was saying, I am willing to move, but I won't move unless it is for a job. I've already made the mistake of moving without a job and hoping for the best too many times in my life. The problem is I can't find any jobs that will hire me with only 250 hours. Most require 500, the closest I found was a banner towing job in FL that required 350TT with 50 in a tail dragger.

Drunken Beagle, thanks for the advice. About flying sailplanes, I know I'll be big time into it, I've been around soaring my entire life and have many hours soaring other things like hang gliders. I also know from recent local experience that it would not be too difficult to average long flights in the summers.

I've just worked so hard over the years to pay for my flight training, so I'm very hesitant to spend even more money on flying right now.

If anyone has any other ideas for time building or even knows of a job with no minimums I'm all ears.
 
The way we used to do it, was just get hired by the place you pump gas for or the place you took you CFI with. That's all I got man. Teach privately?
 
jynxyjoe said:
The way we used to do it, was just get hired by the place you pump gas for or the place you took you CFI with. That's all I got man. Teach privately?
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Yea I figure thats how it usually happens, unfortunately the only local FBO, which is the one I have been using to work on my CFI until recently, is not very busy and is not planning on having any more instructors anytime soon.
 
wyfly said:
Yea I figure thats how it usually happens, unfortunately the only local FBO, which is the one I have been using to work on my CFI until recently, is not very busy and is not planning on having any more instructors anytime soon.
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Where are you at in WY?
 
Dude I hate to say it but you need to move. I think 250 hours and a comm cert is not going to get you much. Hell, I have around 700 and can't find anything better than a instructing job. <---Notice the instructing job. You may not want to do do it, but if you have are a CFI the number of doors before you increases exponentially.
 
Day-am, this sounds exactly like me about 10 yrs ago. Other than the glider, it's an accurate portrayal of where I was.

So I feel like I have something beneficial for you. I'd stay where you are, doing what you're doing. You're trying to make a hobby into a career. If you want to fly, great. But do it for YOU, not to build hours towards an illusive goal. Yes, the hours will come but don't make that be your goal.

Buy the glider and go have fun while enjoying the security of where you are. I don't mean to sound sour on commercial aviation but if you do make the jump, you won't have what you have now. My advice is to stand back and look hard at the value of where you're at. Are you ready to sacrifice it?

I lived in a very rural area. It was an aviaton backwater. I wanted a paid pilot gig so hard I could taste it. I would have to move. You'll move for that first job. You'll get laid off, they go belly up, wahtever. Then you'll be sucked deeper into the whirl as you anticipate you may be ready for the next job. You'll be encouraged by thinking, that wasn't so hard; I got another pilot job. Hey, I'm on my way! They merge, you get laid off, they go belly, whatever. But you're encouraged.... If you can just hold out long enough. You won't look back, you'll always want to plow ahead. You'll try to double down on that encouragement but you know, deep down you know, it's running low.

Welcome to the Blvd of Broken Dreams. YMMV
 
You'll have to move from WY... I would find another type of job (don't move unless you have a job--even if it isn't flying) and use some money towards flying at the local FBO once every couple of weeks. I live in Dallas with over 1000TT and still can't find anything flying other than instructing--which I no longer do anymore (aside from one student).

The ugly truth: You're just going to have to get more time (or better location to network) before you'll find a flying job. :dunno:
 
The reality is there are few jobs available for 250 hr guys other than instructing. If you're ot interested in being a CFI, I'd discourage you from doing so. You'll loath it and your stdents won't enjoy flying with you.

If you enjoy flying gliders, why not focus on that for a while? Buy an old SGS 2-33 or 1-26 and fly the wings off of it. You could probably buy a glider like that and fly it for 100 hrs cheaper than you could fly a C-152 for 100 hrs. (Gas alone will cost you nearly $3K, and the general rule of thumb for a light single is twice the fuel cost is a good estimation of the overall cost.)
 
TheresaPilot said:
You'll have to move from WY... I would find another type of job (don't move unless you have a job--even if it isn't flying) and use some money towards flying at the local FBO once every couple of weeks. I live in Dallas with over 1000TT and still can't find anything flying other than instructing--which I no longer do anymore (aside from one student).

The ugly truth: You're just going to have to get more time (or better location to network) before you'll find a flying job. :dunno:
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That's the conundrum, the Catch 22; don't move unless you have a job lined up but to better you're position you'll have to move.

To do this means putting everything else in life on hold for now. This includes committment to family. It can get brutal.

Now the issue of having a timeline needs to be addressed. How long should yo give it? What is a realistic time frame?
 
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