18 Year old pilot/1500 hr ?'s
08-05-2010, 08:25 PM
#21
Moderator
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Posts: 5,809
Go to a normal college, drink beer, chase tail and get a degree in whatever you want. Got to a local part 61 school to get your ratings. Get your CFI, so you can instruct and build time (instructing makes you a better pilot anyway). Also, when you get your commercial, spend your summers dragging banners up and down the beach. You may be able to get your commercial quick enough to have at least one or two seasons of towing banners which should be more than enough to get you to 1200 hours. Go find a decent 135 job, flying barons/vans across the country, in all kinds of weather. Within a year of that you should have >2000 hours with tons of twin time, and more importantly, EXPERIENCE. That should set you up good for becoming an airline pilot. In a perfect world...
If you join the military, do it for the right reasons...not just to build time. It's a great gig, with great pay/benefits, awesome training and good people (mostly...).
Goodluck!
If you join the military, do it for the right reasons...not just to build time. It's a great gig, with great pay/benefits, awesome training and good people (mostly...).
Goodluck!
08-05-2010, 08:30 PM
#22
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 40,057
Go to a normal college, drink beer, chase tail and get a degree in whatever you want. Got to a local part 61 school to get your ratings. Get your CFI, so you can instruct and build time (instructing makes you a better pilot anyway). Also, when you get your commercial, spend your summers dragging banners up and down the beach. You may be able to get your commercial quick enough to have at least one or two seasons of towing banners which should be more than enough to get you to 1200 hours. Go find a decent 135 job, flying barons/vans across the country, in all kinds of weather. Within a year of that you should have >2000 hours with tons of twin time, and more importantly, EXPERIENCE. That should set you up good for becoming an airline pilot. In a perfect world...
If you join the military, do it for the right reasons...not just to build time. It's a great gig, with great pay/benefits, awesome training and good people (mostly...).
Goodluck!
If you join the military, do it for the right reasons...not just to build time. It's a great gig, with great pay/benefits, awesome training and good people (mostly...).
Goodluck!
08-05-2010, 09:11 PM
#23
Does NOT get weekends off
Joined APC: Jul 2007
Position: ERJ - 145
Posts: 1,631
I don't see how future pilots will be able to find enough students to make it to 1500 hours.
In the 1970's the ratio of hobby pilots to career minded ones was perhaps as much as three to one. Today however it is almost one to one. We have far too many flight instructors for the students available and it is due to get much worse.
Skyhigh
In the 1970's the ratio of hobby pilots to career minded ones was perhaps as much as three to one. Today however it is almost one to one. We have far too many flight instructors for the students available and it is due to get much worse.
Skyhigh
I know a few people get lucky who know a guy who knows a guy who owns a king air that they sit right seat and eventually fly dead head 91 routes, but with the pool of new students coming in, it seems like current instructors are going to have a hard time getting those hours for an airline gig.
Also anti-flame note: my post is more regarding the shortage of new students rather than the increase in hours required to get an airline job. I've always known that it would take 1000-2000 hours to get on with an airline. As a CFI, getting that TT I don't think will be too hard of a problem (less the situation I described above). It's that ME time that is ever elusive...
08-05-2010, 10:17 PM
#24
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Years
I agree. I have been instructing part time for a year and while I have almost 300 hours dual-given and 600TT, the math of this does not make sense. If every instructor needs to teach about 1000 hours, that means they need to see at LEAST 10 students from private-commercial-multi + all CFI levels. Okay, then THOSE 10 need to teach 10 MORE EACH in order to get those 1500. Isn't this some sort of Pyramid Scheme?
I know a few people get lucky who know a guy who knows a guy who owns a king air that they sit right seat and eventually fly dead head 91 routes, but with the pool of new students coming in, it seems like current instructors are going to have a hard time getting those hours for an airline gig.
Also anti-flame note: my post is more regarding the shortage of new students rather than the increase in hours required to get an airline job. I've always known that it would take 1000-2000 hours to get on with an airline. As a CFI, getting that TT I don't think will be too hard of a problem (less the situation I described above). It's that ME time that is ever elusive...
I know a few people get lucky who know a guy who knows a guy who owns a king air that they sit right seat and eventually fly dead head 91 routes, but with the pool of new students coming in, it seems like current instructors are going to have a hard time getting those hours for an airline gig.
Also anti-flame note: my post is more regarding the shortage of new students rather than the increase in hours required to get an airline job. I've always known that it would take 1000-2000 hours to get on with an airline. As a CFI, getting that TT I don't think will be too hard of a problem (less the situation I described above). It's that ME time that is ever elusive...
Skyhigh
08-05-2010, 10:48 PM
#25
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2007
Position: Self employed
Posts: 3,048
Can't some of the computer based flight simulators count as sim time? Couldn't an airline buy some twin diesel Diamond Stars and have ab initio students PAY them to build the time? Make it an internship, with a good $16,000 / year job waiting for them the day they hit 1500?
Come on, Sky, you know the pent up desires of those that have to fly for a living will not be left unaddressed. It's just a matter of money.
Come on, Sky, you know the pent up desires of those that have to fly for a living will not be left unaddressed. It's just a matter of money.
08-06-2010, 03:02 AM
#26
China Visa Applicant
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: Midfield downwind
Posts: 1,929
I agree. I have been instructing part time for a year and while I have almost 300 hours dual-given and 600TT, the math of this does not make sense. If every instructor needs to teach about 1000 hours, that means they need to see at LEAST 10 students from private-commercial-multi + all CFI levels. Okay, then THOSE 10 need to teach 10 MORE EACH in order to get those 1500. Isn't this some sort of Pyramid Scheme?
But it is not.
08-06-2010, 06:32 AM
#27
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Oh yea
Can't some of the computer based flight simulators count as sim time? Couldn't an airline buy some twin diesel Diamond Stars and have ab initio students PAY them to build the time? Make it an internship, with a good $16,000 / year job waiting for them the day they hit 1500?
Come on, Sky, you know the pent up desires of those that have to fly for a living will not be left unaddressed. It's just a matter of money.
Come on, Sky, you know the pent up desires of those that have to fly for a living will not be left unaddressed. It's just a matter of money.
The whole idea was to be a way for new pilots to be able to buy flight time yet get resume job experience as well. Two pilots could log the time flying a specific route in a cheap piston twin.
Maybe it is time to start thinking about that again?
Just think. Skyhigh Airlines. 150K to get to 1500 hours total with 400 of multi engine. Let your aviation dreams soar!! Skyhigh
08-06-2010, 06:34 AM
#28
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
08-06-2010, 06:52 AM
#29
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 40,057
Sky is right, there is not as much out there as there used to be.
GA is on a decline so there is less opportunity for CFI's (unless they have turbojet types or TAA qualifications).
Pipeline will done by small UAV's within a few years. They are trying to open up civilian airspace for things like that but I think the see-and-avoid problem will be too hard until they can force EVERY airplane (and glider) to carry a $100K ADS-B Out/TCAS-III unit. AOPA will head that off for a while anyway. I think if they change the rules on avionics requirements to enable UAV's they need to make the UAV manufacturers pay for upgrades to the existing fleet (91, 135, 121, and foriegn airlines that come here). I don't see any balance in enabling a 2 billion dollar industry by charging the rest of us 4 billion.
But there is a backdoor which doesn't get much attention... miniaturization. Make it small enough and a UAV is no longer a hazard to manned airplanes. Tiny UAVs would be great for things like pipeline patrol.
I'm not sure how the 135 freight industry is doing. I know the check flying is pretty much done, but I understood they have replaced that with overnight urgent packages and stuff that missed the UPS/FDX boat. Anyone have more insight on that?
Air ambulance is not going anywhere. Niether are skydive operations, although that is not quality time as far as airlines are concerned (but better than no time).
Corporate aviation is HIGHLY cyclical with the economy. That will come back eventually.
GA is on a decline so there is less opportunity for CFI's (unless they have turbojet types or TAA qualifications).
Pipeline will done by small UAV's within a few years. They are trying to open up civilian airspace for things like that but I think the see-and-avoid problem will be too hard until they can force EVERY airplane (and glider) to carry a $100K ADS-B Out/TCAS-III unit. AOPA will head that off for a while anyway. I think if they change the rules on avionics requirements to enable UAV's they need to make the UAV manufacturers pay for upgrades to the existing fleet (91, 135, 121, and foriegn airlines that come here). I don't see any balance in enabling a 2 billion dollar industry by charging the rest of us 4 billion.
But there is a backdoor which doesn't get much attention... miniaturization. Make it small enough and a UAV is no longer a hazard to manned airplanes. Tiny UAVs would be great for things like pipeline patrol.
I'm not sure how the 135 freight industry is doing. I know the check flying is pretty much done, but I understood they have replaced that with overnight urgent packages and stuff that missed the UPS/FDX boat. Anyone have more insight on that?
Air ambulance is not going anywhere. Niether are skydive operations, although that is not quality time as far as airlines are concerned (but better than no time).
Corporate aviation is HIGHLY cyclical with the economy. That will come back eventually.
08-06-2010, 07:05 AM
#30
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Skyhigh Academy
Rickair7777,
Maybe it is time for us to start the Skyhigh Aviation Academy? College grads could pay us a fortune to run a fleet of old busted up planes to build time in. We could hire guys like DE727UPS to give uplifting speeches.
No touch and go's. Few approaches. Just slow cruise with the mixture way back as the hobbs slowly ticks by.
It would be fun. We could buy matching Mercedes. What do you think?
Skyhigh
Maybe it is time for us to start the Skyhigh Aviation Academy? College grads could pay us a fortune to run a fleet of old busted up planes to build time in. We could hire guys like DE727UPS to give uplifting speeches.
No touch and go's. Few approaches. Just slow cruise with the mixture way back as the hobbs slowly ticks by.
It would be fun. We could buy matching Mercedes. What do you think?
Skyhigh
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