Old 02-21-2009, 05:37 AM
  #3  
usmc-sgt
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You will need to do a few different things of course. If at all possible find a contract CFI at your local airport that has a high level or experience in the types of aircraft you are looking for with the kind of availability you want. This will be difficult as you will find guys like me with plenty of extra 300 and aerobatic time as well as cabin class piston twin and turbine time but no jet time. You will also find guys with plenty of light jet time and cabin class twin time but zero tailwheel hours. It can certainly be done and as I am sure you know and have no problem with this, it will cost money, lots of it to get the kind of specialized training you are looking for.

As for your timeline you will be cutting it close to making it happen as far as the hours but as far as your goal is concerned that shouldnt be an issue. If you can commit to flying 5 days per week or so I expect you should have no problem getting your private through ME commercial in a year without much issue. It would of course be nice if you could narrow down which jet you are looking for so when you finish your training and are ready you can do your multi commercial during your initial training at a major sim center. I think with a great amount of studying and personal effort you can go to a flight safety type place with 250 hours (commercial mins) and pass your commercial multi engine rating and first jet type. I do not think you would be near ready to take on the world with your new jet and type but I do think you could pass. Where I think you would go from there is hire (pay, not find a local CFI who would pay you for turbine time) a professional and qualified co-captain who can show you the tricks of the trade and get you spun up on your new jet. I would probably reccomend flying with that pilot until you get a few hundred hours in type before you start carrying passengers on your own in the system single pilot.

For the aerobatics (something I know quite a bit about) I would reccomend going to someone to specializes in your specific type. Probably one of the best I can think of would be executive flyers in Bedford MA. It is owned by Michael Goulian who oversees every aspect of the program and could instruct you personally for the right price. If you do not fly with Mike you would be paired with a CFI who more than likely has 1000+ hours of aerobatic dual given in Super Decathlons, extra 300 or Pitts series of aircraft. You can either rent the schools extra for around $300 an hour or you can show up in your own or buy a new or used one through them as they are a dealer and they will still instruct you. The extra and edge are a very simple and docile aircraft to fly and land but are not for amatures when it comes to the type of instruction you are looking for.

Now, since you are looking to get your CMEL and a single pilot jet type at the same time you will want to consider a few things. If you plan on doing your ratings back to back and then into the sim at under 300 or so hours choose your trainer wisely. If you know for a fact your jet will be glass and an advanced piece of equipment you will want to train in something similiar. Think cirrus or G1000 cessna or if you have the money a Cessna 350 or 400 would be good. It will take you longer initially because they are not nearly entry level trainers but it will be along the lines of what you will be moving up to such as speeds and technology. On the other hand if you are looking at a citation II with all steam guages you will want to be in something with steam guages. Your single pilot jet type will depend extremely heavily on your stick skills in the actual IFR environment and even more importantly your instrument scan.

Arguments can be made in so many directions here as well and here are some examples. If you want to get profficient as a pilot and end up in a tailwheel I could also reccomend doing your private in a tailwheel as it will make you a very profficient stick and rudder pilot right from the start and make that extra transition a breeze. After that feel free to jump into the all glass complex machine for the instrument.

The best idea I can think of to assure success though would be to do your private in a tailwheel to aquire the stick and rudder skills. Transition to a cirrus or one of the above mentioned planes for the instrument to get used to the technology that it is apparent most of your time will be in. Do your commercial single (if you want it) and then get your private or commercial multi (your choice) in something in the middle of the road. What I mean by that is that a seminole is a cupcake and a breeze to fly where a baron is a bit much for a lowtimer to tackle initially. I would say something maybe like a cessna 310 which is a split between the two. Now, split a few hundred hours between short and long cross countries in the actual system filed IFR in the twin and the all glass airplane of your choice. Split that time equally between handflying and manipulating the autopilot to do everything that it is capable of. Use every resource that the airplane has to offer and learn everything you can about it. After a year of flying and maybe 600 or so hours and you have picked the jet you want then go to flight safety as your chances of not only passing but actually grasping what went on are much higher.

Everyone will have a different opinion here but there is a ton of experience here and everyone will have very valid points.

One of the keys though is to find a local specialized contract CFI who can work with your schedule and is aware of your goals and timelines. Try them out on a few flights to see if you two mesh well together and adjust if necessary. A good CFI that you get along with and guides you safely towards your goal will be what makes or breaks this deal and timeline.
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