Originally Posted by
Clue32
How about Mokulale, Berry, Denver Air Connect, Cape Air, Great Lakes.... You'll probably need to CFI for a little bit, but there are jobs that you can do if you are willing to take on an adventure.
Right now you need Total time, Night, Cross Country, and PIC hours. CFI will do that for you. FE on a clapped out 727 will not.
Then you need Turbine, and especially ME Turbine hours. Any of the above will help with that.
Then you need ME Turbine PIC hours. FE in a clapped out 727 will not help.
If you can work both as an FE and CFI, that will help pay the bills in the near term and show your ability to train and succeed in complex jet operations. It is not, however, a long or mid term strategy.
I see being an FE as only part of the picture and the immediate next step...not a medium- or long-term career as a FE. When I talked to someone who started at IFL and was a FE, he transitioned to being a FO in their 135 operator way prior to ATP minimums...at about the 1 year mark, and eventually made his way to a major. The person I spoke to at Oshkosh as the same experience. My understanding is that I can only build a total of 500 hours toward my ATP minimums through a position as a flight engineer, and then the FE hours only count 3:1.
If I can start at IFL as an FE and that journey can take me through getting experience as an FO in their 135 operation, getting the ATP, gaining 121 experience, earning a few type ratings, and getting PIC turbine time, that's a win for everyone involved.
The (in my view significant) upside of the FE position is that I'd get to develop a MUCH deeper understanding of systems on large aircraft and I'd have actual experience in the operations of a 121 operator before my ATP minimums.
Of course, my next steps after the commercial ticket are to start work on my CFI and CFII, and build relationships with flight schools... but I'm trying to look at unconventional and overlooked paths. And if this opportunity opens up, it's likely something I'd jump at. In the past, I've been well-served by being open to and seeking out paths that have been a little bit unconventional.