making of a well rounded professional pilot
 

I wanted to start a thread focusing on the "extra things" that help elevate a professional pilot to the top. Specifically, I am referring to things such as having additional ratings, such as sea plane and glider, that are absolutely not required for you specific career target but are the signs of a well rounded, all around pilot. I'm working as an aerial survey pilot currently, building time and great experience, but feel like I should be doing more. I am doing my best to keep in the books but I am open to suggestions as far as anything that would make me a better pilot, and ultimately help my career progression. I don't intend for the suggestions to be limited to just a list of additional ratings; I figured I'd throw that out there as a starting point. On a side note to the pilot recruiter, how important are the "extra things?"

Spelling the title of your post correctly will probably be a good start on being viewed as a proffesional [sic].

Huh? He DID spell it right...YOU are the one who screwed it up. Best to make darn sure of yourself before making posts like that... :rolleyes:

Cake,

Here is my take on it. None of that stuff will hurt and it all adds to your skill level and experience and it makes for interesting conversation. BUT it won't get you through the door either.

Here is an example. I've got PIC time on several "heavy" tail wheel twins, float time, turbine transport category PIC ski time on polar sea ice. I taught aerobatics in T-6's, flew gliders, flew for the BLM Smoke jumpers and have tons of low level para cargo time in steep high altitude terrain, mountains, and the tundra.

None of that stuff on it's own got me an interview at a major airline. However the combination of varied background did give me the experience and the confidence to get to where I am today.

Any and everything you can do is good. Just don't go into debt buying ratings that you aren't going to use and think that they will get you that airline/corporate/ whatever job.

If you've got a real passion to fly floats go do it, gliders, aerobatics, whatever. But do it because you want to not because you think it will get you a job somewhere.

Milky,

Professional is the correct spelling. Thanks for your input.:D Don't sweat it dude if it wasn't for spell checker I'd be in big trouble!

I found myself in your situation about 8 months ago. I had finished my commercial and was about to get me CFI. I knew I did not have enough time to get any paying job and I still had another year of school left, so I looked for more learning opportunities. I even looked into getting a 737 type rating, but because Southwest has that as part of their minimum qualifications, I was told that it would make it nearly impossible for me to get hired at any other airline because they would think that I will leave them for Southwest. I decided to get my seaplane rating for all the wrong reasons. I thought that I would have no interest in flying a seaplane after I got the rating, but I was wrong. It was a lot of fun, pretty cheap ($1100) and I am going with some friends to the place I got it this summer to fly some more. I then took an aerobatics course to get my tailwheel and to get a chance to really fly an airplane.

Both of those experiences gave me more stick and rudder skills than any other flying I have ever done, but they are not going to get me interviews. What these extra things do is widen your experience level, not increase it. Although they will not have a direct impact on getting a job, they do give you something else to talk about at an interview besides 500 hours of 172 time.

No matter what you “extra” things you decide to do, make sure you are building quality time. Do not just wait a bunch of money flying 172s or warriors around your airport until you meet hiring minimums. Do something challenging and different. A glider rating would be an excellent choice (I plan on doing it too as soon as I get some more money). It is really cheap and does not take too long if you already have an airplane rating. The ability to land an airplane without an engine safely is something impressive and you will certainly meet interesting people who may help you find a job. Getting your tailwheel would be another inexpensive thing to do. If you do go for your seaplane rating, do not do it in a 172. Try to find a place that flys Cubs on floats. I have flown both and the 172 on floats is a waste. It costs twice as much and your learn half as much.

OK, so that addresses the issue of value add for additional ratings, but there must be more that the pilot recruiter looks at besides just numbers. Or is there? I mean what are the things that come after the numbers, provided all the numbers (between applicants) are the same? I have a pretty diverse background, having worked for several large companies, and the interview was always crucial. There were elements of each interview that came up that were certainly outside the scope of technical ability, and at least once this is what got me the job.

Very interesting thread... Tail wheels, sea plane, glider ratings all seem very good to add on to make you stand out from the bunch. Great advice..

My Sherlock Holmes instincts tells me that the original thread was started a little after 0900 with an incorrect spelling of PROFESSIONAL. Milky comes on a little after 1000 and makes a smart-aleck remark about title misspellings and uses the original misspelling in his post - thus making it seem that he himself can not spell. :rolleyes:. OP goes back about an hour later and corrects said misspelling and then multiple people blast Milky for seemingly bashing a correct spelling. Jeez people ;)

USMCFLYR

OMG some of the stuff on here just cracks me the heck up, but then ive been told I have a really dry sense of humor...:D