Originally Posted by
Biotin
*sigh*.
This rumor/myth has to be displaced. I paid for all my hours because I did not want to do CFI, and I was successful in airline training.
I learned a LOT and gained a lot of experience, much more than a CFI ever would.
Me, and all my other time building pals who have done the very same thing (8+) have made it through without any issues. The good chunk of them in majors right now, and a couple at legacies.
Most people will be just fine doing that.
But it is a path which enables certain personality types to do an end-run around the usual professional development path.
Wealthy career changers, no big deal it's not going to make much difference either way. Trust fund kids on the other hand can often benefit from some real-world professional development.
It's legal and nobodies saying that it shouldn't be because that's splitting too fine of a hair... the 1500 hour rule is very blunt instrument.
But I have noticed it when flying some GIA alumni in years past.