Originally Posted by
El Pilot
building Flight hours? Currently have 400 hours CSEL IR with the goal being to get to 1200. The most obvious and effective path would be CFI. However I am not the greatest at communicating and presenting stuff, so I am very apprehensive about the ground teaching portion. Banner towing seems a bit wild and dangerous flying to me. Aerial Survey sounds awesome but I can't commit to being on the road for extended periods of time. Skydiving outfits require 500 and above and prior jump experience. I still continue to fly and split safety pilot time, but It's time to get a job. What is the best job out there when you are low time, but want to stay close to home or at least not being away for extended periods of time?
No, nobody else has ever had difficulty "building" flight hours. You're the only one. Why do you ask?
Getting the requisite experience (notice that word: I didn't say hours) is your responsibility. It may require some sacrifice on your part, which may very likely include moving somewhere to do the flying, as well as working a second job to survive while you're doing your flying job.
You say you're not good at communicating (and imply that you wouldn't make a good teacher). Do you think that flight instructors simply come that way? It's learned, just like flying. Did you reject flying because you didn't know how to fly? Of course not. Why would you reject instructing because you don't know how to teach?
Learn.
Banner towing seems "wild and dangerous" to you? Slow flight is wild and dangerous?
You can't commit to being on the road for extended periods of time? You're in the wrong business. You really are.
You understand that airplanes go places, right? That's one of the chief functions. You understand that there are a lot of pilots; a dime a dozen. The work doesn't come to you. You go to it. Where ever it is. Whenever it is.
As an inexperienced aviator, you're a beggar Not a chooser. Have you forgotten that?
The more qualified you make yourself, the more capable you will become of having choice.
I didn't have 500 hours when I flew jumpers. I know jump pilots flying multi engine turboprop aircraft with barely 500 hours, and less. Most of them don't have any jump experience, but it's not a bad thing to have. If you're flying jumpers, knowing how to exit the aircraft and deploy your parachute, as well as how to fly and land the canopy might just save your life one day.
Sounds like you're "splitting time" and doing "safety pilot time" to gain experience. That's not the experience you need.
You say that you only want to fly freight, or fly for Part 91 operations. How do you propose to get qualified?
The more you exclude options, the fewer you have. Start saying you won't do this, you wont' do that...pretty soon you won't have anywhere to go or anything to do, because you've refused to do it. Good luck with that narrow view.