What's next?

pilotdude

pilotdude

Well-Known Member
With Pt. 135 mins. fast approaching, what's your opinion on the next best step to get to a career Fractional or Corporate gig? Six options I'm considering:

*Flight Safety, Instructor:
Free Instructor Ratings
24 month contract
Benefits if full time
Free Type Ratings
Sim Instructor, Corporate contacts
$16.50 ground/flight

*Ameriflight, Freight:
Single pilot weather experience
12 month contract
After 60 days Benefits
Twin turbine time

*Planemasters, Charter:
Single pilot weather experience (Caravan)
Upgrade to King Air, Citations
Twin turbine time

*Air America, Survey:
Great pay
7 month contract
Possible twin time

*Cape Air, Freight/121:
Single pilot weather experience
6-12 months contract
Benefits
Twin time

*PlaneSense, Fractional:
Single pilot weather experience
Benefits
Single Turbine time
 
I would go with Ameriflight or Cape Air as long as you have multi mins.

Would not go with Plansense
 
Autothrust Blue said:
Cair. Because dasleben is going to suggest it, and I'm somewhat jealous of everyone I know who works there.
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:D

Actually, out of that list I might actually recommend AMF. Multi-turbine PIC would certainly be a nice thing to have.

OP: Cape is only 121 on the ATR side...the 402 side is 135, and almost all pax (there's 1 freight/mail aircraft out of something like 70 in their fleet).
 
I'd take whatever job is offered and provides you with the QOL you can enjoy. Not to be a downer, but just because you meet the minimums doesn't mean you'll get an offer. I'd goe with AMF it an offer comes your way. We've hired several former AMF pilots and most of them have worked out fine.
 
FSI will be a slow, painful way to get to a flying job if you're low time. Also, don't expect to be one of the actual "flight" instructors at FSI; those are very few and far between...

Oh, and if you do choose FSI, make them put in WRITTING any job position before you become an employee.
 
If I could do it all over again I likely would try and get a job with FSI/CAE. If you are able to hold a medical it's a no brainer. Impress multiple clients over your 24 month contract, accept job offer into Part 91 flight department, hopefully never fly 135 :)

Seriosuly though, everyone I know who has instructes at a 142 school AND can get a first class medical has ended up in pretty amazing positions in 91 departments. Ymmv
 
Maybe it's just where I go for training, but I have never had an instructor at FSI that did not have experience in jets and none without at least 121 experience. And getting a 91 job from a sim only experience will be tough on the insurance companies to allow, at least for some of the big jets.
 
SFLAX said:
Maybe it's just where I go for training, but I have never had an instructor at FSI that did not have experience in jets and none without at least 121 experience. And getting a 91 job from a sim only experience will be tough on the insurance companies to allow, at least for some of the big jets.
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This........
MikeOH58 said:
If I could do it all over again I likely would try and get a job with FSI/CAE. If you are able to hold a medical it's a no brainer. Impress multiple clients over your 24 month contract, accept job offer into Part 91 flight department, hopefully never fly 135 :)

Seriosuly though, everyone I know who has instructes at a 142 school AND can get a first class medical has ended up in pretty amazing positions in 91 departments. Ymmv
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Rarely this!
Good friend has been with FSI for 5 years, dual type rated, 700+ hours in the sim. He right-seated with me on his first moment in the actual plane (he had 600 hours in sim then). He still doesn't have the insurance req for a line job.
 
AMF has been fine with me so far, but I'm also as flexible as a cooked noodle. Turnover is ridiculous right now, so you can get into a 99 pretty fast and probably into a metro/1900 pretty quickly after that. It's a standardized environment, or at least trying to be, so that will bode well for when you move on as well.

Air America, or any other pictometry survey company will probably be the most fun you can have in the lower 48, but it can make you a sloppy IFR pilot. *see above*

Interesting thinking with FSI. One of my friends, who's still at AA in an aztec, did that first before AA. He might be in a pretty sweet spot at the end of this season if he's maintained those relationships. I know he had some pretty solid contacts/friends while he worked there.

In general, freight can be a good route to get the time and make contacts if you put forth the effort. I will say that you definitely have to want to do it or you'll be unhappy. It isn't glamorous by any coke induced stretch of the imagination. :)
 
You are kind of past total times for surveying (don't do that for multi it'll take a while, long while). I'd go Cape or AMF. If you are low on the multi perhaps Cape with some better qol or AMF for that turbine PIC. Really don't see you going wrong with either, had friends do both and do well. The Cape guy is now on a very sweet pt91 deal coming out of that 402. Same for ameriflight however you have that other side of the airport syndrome and always flying weird hours. If you had 3000/1000 multi perhaps I'd give the school house more thought but not right now.
 
Go fly, FSI/CAE, is for guys like me who have more time then they need and are sick of hotels. If I had one near me I would be there right now. But I don't so I get to spend this weekend in Southern Illinois, if anyone is around let me know. I buy beer.
 
pilotdude said:
*PlaneSense, Fractional:
Single pilot weather experience
Benefits
Single Turbine time
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PlaneSense operates 99% of the time two crew so it would be SIC time initially, FYI. I've only seen them deadhead back to PSM single pilot once or twice because the other guy lived local to the departure point.
 
I would recommend freight, build some time and experience and hit the road running. Or, stay in freight like @A-300F4-622 and become rich.
 
pilotdude said:
How so?
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If you find the right PT 91 flight department, it can be the dream job that everyone talks about. FlightSafety is not a bad play depending on who you know, and how big of an airplane you want to fly. Unless you really know somebody, it's extremely difficult to get into the large cabin stuff straight out of the sim. If you're thinking about Lear SIC or Hawker, going from sim to right seat is a realistic possibility. But, you also have the possibility of sitting in a sim for two years and having nothing to show for it. Personally I wouldn't do it unless I had a very solid connection to a flight department. In response to the "insurance won't cover you because you're low time", that simply is not true. I have a buddy that did FSI at one of the Gulfstream centers for 2 years, had 500TT in airplanes, ~ 700 hours in the Gulfstream sims, and is now cruising around in the right seat of the G550 and G450 for a PT 91 flight department. Also, Valero hired a guy into their G550 with around 1000 hours and less then 100 multi in a Navajo. If you know the right people, your flight time does not matter.
 
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