Originally Posted by
arthur106
I'm currently a CFI and getting roughly 80 hours per month, hopefully more when this darned weather gets better. I recently came up on an oportunity to fly for a small cargo operation where I'll get 500 hours per year flying twin turbo props. Captain upgrade time is 12-18 months and the pay is decent. I'm inclined to take the cargo job because it puts me closer to home, but I'm wondering how it might affect my career. My end goal is to get to majors.
Option 1 would be to stay at said company untill I get my 1500 hours, then go to regionals. If I do this, I'll be slowing myself down.
Option 2 is to stick around, get my captain upgrade and fly 500 hours per year until I get to majors, skipping regionals entirely.
Thoughts? How much twin turbo left seat time would I need to be competitive for majors? If it helps, I've got a degree in mechanical engineering (I've heard degrees are helpful).
You've left a lot undefined, including your age and current hours and WHAT KIND of CFI flying you are doing.
If you are an ATP graduate with 500 working for them as a CFI, CFII, and MEI getting 80 hours a month, instructing instrument and ME, well that's awesome. Hang in there another year. If you are working for some little mom and pop FBO, haven't flown instruments since you got your own ticket and then it was all sim or foggles, that's a horse of an entirely different color.
You are, IMHO, going to get some real quality flying time doing cargo hauling in a twin turboprop. You will get good at instruments to a degree that you will never get as a CFI doing predominantly day VFR work in the pattern and practice area with student going for their private or private pilots doing their biennial.
Unless things change, I think you would STILL need a thousand hours of 121 time, but SIC time woukd likely be enough. Although things may well change since 2022-23 will be the peak of major retirements.
My $.02 worth.