View Single Post
Old 01-25-2013, 03:45 PM
  #1  
PearlPilot
Gets Weekends Off
 
PearlPilot's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Mar 2006
Position: DHC-8 SIC
Posts: 634
Default My take on the 1500 hour rule

As some of you know I am a full time CFI. I currently have 1150 TT and 35 ME. I am of course in the process of building 1500 hours and 50 hours ME that qualifies for me to apply for a part 121 airline. Without surprise I received numerous responses from airlines kindly asking me to reapply once I reach the minimums. I have been a flight instructor for about a year as of date, and I expect to reach minimums in about six months or so. In my case I can't wait to reach 1500 hours and start applying for the regionals. However, I do feel kind of bad for those new CFIs entering hoping to jump in a right seat of a CRJ or a turboprop. Flight instructing, during the first couple of months can be scary, then it hopefully becomes easy at least in my case. However it is still an exhausting profession. I made 23K last year! Being 27 and living with my folks and having no major loans enabled me to support the life.
How will the 1500 hour rule change the industry? Would it force more applicants to seek aviation degrees or join the military as it will reduce hiring criteria? On a side note, my answer to safety is not 1500 hours and I personally don't think hours can make a pilot safe. If I were the king of the FAA I would perhaps implement more training on stalls, icing and any other aspects of flying that pertains to air carrier operations. (Yes Colgan 3407 comes to my mind) I don't however think a 250 hour candidate is qualified to fly a CRJ.
Flight instructing is a great way to go, but I think, (and this is something I feel that may happen) the number of candidates who are willing to give 1250 dual time may drastically decrease...
Therefore, how would a candidate build 1500 hours if they happened to be purely "civilian" (non-military, non aviation degrees). I truly hope it will not result in a decrease in the already declining pilot population. Should the FAA revisit the rule? If not, perhaps flight schools should or will have to drastically increase the pay of CFIs...
PearlPilot is offline