If I've got access to a (relatively) inexpensive aircraft (C172, PA28), and I have the means to just fly myself to 500 or 750 hours, then get on with a low-time job that I'd prefer over instructing (say, SIC at Boutique, Great Lakes, AMF), is that a viable path?

After a few years, would I have a decent shot at getting to, say, an LCC (Frontier, Spirit, Allegiant)?

I know the typical path is CFI to regional, so I'd really appreciate insight into whether a Part 135 to LCC path is at all viable. Does HR look down on folks who just flew long cross countries on their own to build time?

Thanks!

 

I just got hired at a regional earlier this year with less than 200 hrs for commercial flying and all of that was multi engine flying skydivers. about 800 of my hours was flying my PA24 around. I have over 600 hrs of cross country doing that and over 300 hrs night.

It is a viable path to the regionals. I honestly thing you are not going to skip regionals going that route though. But honestly I don't see you skipping the regional step, any LCC is going to want to see 121 time from somewhere usually.

 

It's always amusing over the years to see the lengths to which people will go to get out of flight instructing.

 

Two steps...

Step 1: Get a 121/135 job and start building professional multi-turbine crew time...you're not getting a major airline job without it. To get started you either need 1500 for the regionals, or 400-500 for 135 SIC. Pretty much any type of time will work for that...they're desperate enough to let anyone try the training program these days. Whether you graduate or not will likely come down to how much (recent) IFR/IMC time you have.

Step 2: Build 2000+ turbine with ideally 1000+ TPIC in 121/135. LCC's will consider non-121 pilots but frankly you're probably at a disadvantage compared to regional pilots. If for no other reason than regional pilots all have recommendations from their CA's who have moved on to majors.

Time in smaller turboprops isn't going to weigh as heavily with the majors as glass/jet time. Some majors are OK with it, you'll just have to figure out who they are.

 

What's wrong with that? People who have no motivation to instruct should not be doing that.
Nothing worse than CFI's who CFI simply because they have to to build the hours.

 

Except that airlines are usually looking for prospective Captains, which means instructing and doing much of the same stuff as flight instructors in terms of interacting with people. If you aren't good "teaching", you might want to get out of aviation...

 

Yeah professional aviation is mostly a team sport, other than banner tow, pipeline, and night cargo in light planes.

 

Flying your own plane, on your own schedule boring a hole in the sky isn't, in the remotest, like flying commercially. It isn't a subsititute for working as a pilot, including instructing. On your own, every decision is optional, no demand. You have a student, you have to show up in time, have to be actually responsible for an aerial outcome--student can land, pass checkride or not. Employers of pilots want pilots who can make aerial outcomes happen, safely, on schedule.

GF

 

So, am I hearing that you basically need to instruct in order to get on at the likes of AMF, even to get on as an SIC? I'd hate to fly hundreds of hours on my own dime just to hear that they want me to instruct first.

 

At the entry level the demand is so high right now, they'll take anyone. You should be fine for regionals/low-end 135 as long as you have the 121/135 minimum aeronautical experience.

But like I said before, you still have to pass training.