The guy in the FBO who told you that...he's an experienced airline pilot with plenty of interviews and experience (and conventional gear time in his logbook)?

I've got conventional gear experience in large airplanes and small, single and multi, light recip, larger radial, turbine. I don't think I've ever had an airline or corporate interviewer express much interest at all.

On one of my initial flights on an oceanic leg with a particular company, the crew asked about my background and experience. What had I done recently. I mentioned flying an air tractor, and was asked if that meant I'd been some kind of farmer. Not so much, I said. What did I do with it? Precision formation flight under powerlines. One would think that might count for something. One of the crewmembers noted "doesn't really apply to what we do, does it?" Nobody cared. Nor should they.

Point is, if you have some conventional gear time, it may impress you, but probably doesn't do much to impress the judge, or in this case, the person interviewing you. It's largely irrelevant. You might consider focusing on relevant experience, because the rest tends to just muddy the waters, and may even look like you're adding categories of experience to pad your time. After all, why not include a breakdown of experience in yellow airplanes, or airplanes with fabric covering, or airplanes that have an L in the registration number?

If your'e going for a job that uses aircraft with conventional gear, then it's a good time to bring that experience up.

 

While all that’s true, John, tailwheel time, formation, low-level ag flying, like some military flying, makes a pilot better. Smoother, better anticipation, deeper experience under pressure, etc. it may not impress an airline interviewer, but it might just impress the plane in some trying time at night. Or a nasty crosswind at a strange airport.

GF