Originally Posted by
CC268
Interesting...I think once I get my PPL I will immediately start to save up again for my Instrument Rating...I will have to check out the simulator for that. Maybe my best option is to continue working as an engineer (gaining experience as an engineer) while doing flight training...I guess this will give me the best of both worlds in getting experience in both fields and then I can go from there...
I am not the most patient person sometimes so I tend to want to jump on one wagon or the other...but maybe that isn't the best option here.
I just don't want to sit at a desk all day
ahhh haha
So how in the world did you build up all those hours as a CFI working full time as an engineer?
Believe me, I know ALL too well that feeling of impatience! More than once I was tempted to just get a big loan and make it happen... But I'm glad I didn't. The main reason is the debt situation we already talked about, but the second (and possibly more important) reason was that I spent some time enjoying my training and time building.
You asked how I built that time up? I just flew when I could, and turned the occasional vacation into a time building experience. For example, one year my little brother and I wanted to fly down to FL to have Christmas with our aunt and uncle. So I rented a plane, and we flew from Denver to south FL and back. That was an AMAZING experience that we still talk about, and I learned so much (this was right after my instrument rating, so I was able to experience real world IFR flying to new airports).
That was by far the biggest trip I did, but I definitely flew a lot of "$100" hamburger flights with friends and family. It was really a lot of fun sharing my love of aviation with people in my life, and I've always felt so sorry for the quickie ATP style students that missed out on that stuff. That really is the fun part, and it's also invaluable for building that all important confidence and independent decision making you'll use for the rest of your career.
I should also add that I left engineering once I was a CFI. I didn't want to have a foot in each profession, it's just too difficult to do that and really not that necessary when you're young with little responsibility other than yourself.