Good afternoon everyone,

I am reaching out to seek advice or information regarding methods to accumulate flight hours without obtaining my Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) certification.

To provide some context, I am currently a student at a university and enrolled in a CFI course. While the CFI and CFII certifications are not required for graduation, passing the End-of-Course (EOC) assessment is mandatory. Unfortunately, I have been informed that the wait time for a checkride is several months due to DPEs being hesitant to conduct initial CFI check rides. This delay poses a significant setback in my efforts to build flight hours hoping to be at my hours when I graduate in May.

I have considered alternative options such as enrolling in an accelerated CFI course outside of my university or applying to Mesa's Pilot development program time-building program. However, I am curious if there are other viable options that I may be overlooking.

If anyone has insights or experiences related to this issue, I would greatly appreciate your input.