Originally Posted by
HermannGraf
You should already have good skills before even flying a CRJ) and much better than sitting as a CFI watching a student hour after hour.
Not directed at you, HermannGraf, but I'm going to get on a soap box here because I see this statement (or those similiar) very often....
... and its dead wrong.
It seems to me that the only people that say building time as a CFI is worthless are those who have never been CFIs or have never been 121 Captains.
The biggest thing about being a CFI is that it forces you to be ahead of the airplane. Every minute of every flight. You're in a situation where someone is sitting next to you trying to invent new creative ways to kill you with little notice. Secondary to that, the experience you gain as a CFI is invaluable as a 121 captain. Simply being used to having someone less experienced than you in the cockpit flying the aircraft. Knowing how far to let it go before its "too far."
CFI time is not wasted time. Even if you do 1000 hours of nothing but pattern work. Yes, you going beyond CFI work (ie: 135 freight) will even moreso develop and round out your skills, but the CFI step is not a step that is worthless by far.