CFI or rent until part 135 minimums?
 

I'm graduating college this May and have my commercial SEL with 350tt. I'm about a month away from my CFI checkride as well. However, part of me doesn't want to CFI when I graduate.

Money isn't an issue for me so I was thinking of renting a C152 for another 200 hours (cross country flights) and apply for part 135 companies. Maybe get my multi and build 50 multi as well. However, I'm concerned that a part 135 company may not hire me even after the additional hours. What should I do?????? My goal is to get to 1500 for regionals.

Thank you everyone!

CFI. It will teach you a lot, force you to get in the books. I would always hire a CFI before someone who just rented an airplane and flew it around.

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Do you want to spend money or make money?

Would it be worth instructing to make contacts that may help your future?

Get your CFII, and do all the instrument instructing you possibly can. Especially if you can get into actual IFR conditions with the student. Try to schedule as much as possible at night. If you go to a different airport for approaches, do a touch and go, and then you will be logging night IFR cross country time, which will help you get hired. If the T&G airport is more than 50 miles from the departure airport, then the student also gets to log cross country time towards the requirements for the commercial and instrument tickets. You get to log cross country time towards the ATP minimums as long as there is a landing at a different airport from the departure airport.

With respect to the multi, if you get hired as a CFI, generally the school will give you a discount on multi time.

Joe

Not 100% accurate. In order for the cross country time to count towards ATP mins it has to be at least a straight line distance of more than 50nm from the departure airport and does not need to include a landing. It is cross country if you land at an airport other then where you departed but in order for it to be used towards ATP mins. it still needs to be straight line distance of more than 50nm from the point of departure.

PPL/IR/CPL XC req. landing at least 50NM away.
135 - IFR mins req 500 hrs XC which may include any landing at a different airport regardless of distance.
ATP - 500 hrs XC req. at least 50NM but no landing required.

Example: fly an Instrument approach at an airport 35NM away but the IAF is 50NM you may log it as XC for your ATP. However, in the comment section you need to document the waypoint.
If you landed out of this approach you could count it for 135.

Concur on CFI. Continually teaching others is a great way to maintain your skillset and even improve it. If you fly a C152 for 5,000 hours you'll learn less than you will teaching for a couple hundred hours. I just talked to a pilot recruiter the other day and they don't really value the hours guys build towing banners or punching holes in the sky just to log time. Additionally, when you fly by yourself as you progress and you haven't ever gone through a well developed training program, it's easier to develop poor habits. Good luck!

If you don't want to teach, then don't become a CFI. There are enough bad CFIs out there who care more about building time than actually teaching their students.

Willing to travel?
 

In this environment there are operators hiring guys with not much more time than you(the OP) into the right seat of a 1900. (Probably other types as well)

I had a friend hired by a company in AK with about 350hrs commercial multi. He flew a 1000hrs/year and upgraded in about a year and a half. He has since moved on to bigger jets.

A half hearted attempt at instructing is a disservice to you and the student.

Get your multi and brush up on instrument procedures.

CFI. You’ll learn much more about flying and it will improve your overall airmanship. The next job you get after you instruct will show the quality of your instruction.