Originally Posted by ryane946
Sounds like good advice. I have not looked into 135 flying that much, but can you tell me a little about it. What min's do the companies hire with? Average upgrade times? Pay (Relative to CFII) and how much "work" you need to do? What are the quality companies?
Thanks for the recommendation directbears.
135 cargo mins are usually similar to or slightly less than regional airline mins, but at various times the two can diverge. Insurance and FARs will never let the 135 mins go much below 1200/100, but when airline mins go up to 2000, then 135 could be a good stepping stone.
Airlines will usually prefer a 2000 CFI/135 guy as oppsed to just a 2000 CFI.
I had some friend go that route, but I avoided it for these reasons...
1) Crappy bases (I could CFI 5 minutes from home)
2) Minimal travel benies (MUCH harder to commute than an airline gig)
3) Low pay (probably worse than regionals).
4) The training is probably every bit as b@ll-busting as regional training, but you're only going to be there for 6-12 months, then have to do it all over again at the regional...
5) Usually start out in SE (Wasn't going to leave mt MEI job for that).
6) Single-pilot, single-engine, night, mountains, weather, icing...sound like a fun combo? I have a family...I'm not bagging anyone else's experiences or decisions, but 135 cargo has a SIGNIFICANT fatality rate. You'll gain valuable experience, but I gained much of the same experience in an RJ during a new-england winter. But I had two turbine engines, reliable anti-ice, and a mentor along for the ride.
7) Some of those companies don't have any tolerance for go/no-go decisions that don't result in a "go".
Just my thoughts. But if you're a 1500/200 CFI and not getting calls for whatever reason, then 135 might boost your resume.
