Originally Posted by
JabroniJohn
Hi all,
Full time CFI/II here who will be hitting 1500 hours at the end of September. So far only 1 airline has offered me an interview but there is no set date for it and it's looking like class dates are 6 months out after getting a job offer anyway.
I don't mind instructing but I can not live off the low wages. I am a career changer and I am getting ready to go back to my old career until hiring picks back up.
My plan is to continue to fly maybe once a week to stay current. I don't have my MEI so I believe I will be getting that rating as well. Hopefully I can find a way to continue to do some freelance flight instructing.
Will my application be "weaker" since I'm no longer a full time CFI? Any other suggestions on how to move forward? I am pretty much 100% shooting to be an airline pilot.
Thank you.
You think 1500 hrs will be competitive once "hiring picks up again"?
Yes, less total time, less recent flying, a tiny professional flying resume, all add up to "next in line please" for the recruiters.
If you're "100% shooting to be an airline pilot" then back it up - do whatever it takes to fly as much as you can, improve your resume so you can move up the career/resume improvement ladder when the opportunity strikes. You're ahead of almost every less than 1500 hrs pilot in the entire U.S. right now. If you switch to part time you'll be behind almost every single one of them. Nothing you're saying backs up "100%....be an airline pilot."
Way over at the "wow, you really were scrapping by" was the guy living in his car while CFI'ing and paying off his debt. Low income family background. FBO's would let him shower in the men's room early in the morning. So he'd sleep in his car in a sleeping bag, shower in the nice FBO, and then hang out at the airport building his flying resume. Back to his car at night.
Those are the guys that humble you when you talk with them - they were 100% in on pursuing their life goals. Not 'kinda' 100% in. He could only handle his debt with no rent...so his car was his home.