I have to agree, it is a "ride along", but I have no problem with this. I was a volunteer in the Civil Air Patrol for 5 years and I'm SURE no one was going to complain because they were rescued by a "volunteer pilot" or "volunteer ground team", if the crashed in some remote area. I also had the opportunity to fly "ride along", as you call it, for six months and build over 100 hours of very valuable experience in 135 freight operation, CRM and flight in all kinds of weather. If I remember right, I spent 30-40 thousand dollars on my Bachelor's degree and flight training, and did not get no where near the experience that I have in my "volunteer" positions. Not to mention, what would it cost for an additional 100 hours of flight training in a Beech 1900. In today's job market, I say do what ever you have to, to gain experience. I only hope that some future employer will consider the fact that I sat in the right seat of a Beech 1900, in basially advanced IFR and CRM training, and consider my "volunteer" experience over that of the person that has been "riding along" right seat in a Cessna 172 day after day in VFR conditions teaching. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against instructing, but experience is experience, whether you pay for it or you get it for free, and experience is the name of the game in today's job market.