pompeync

Quick question! Trying to get to commercial / CFI the most cost effective way. I am looking in to ATP (lots of twin hours) and also a Local FBO here in Raleigh (Single hours). Would I be better off building my hours required for the commercial license with single engine time, then add the twin rating at the end, or go ahead and get the twin rating and hour build in the twin. I guess the question is, is it worth the extra money hour building in the twin. Hope this makes sense!

250 or point 65

do your stuff single, add on the multi and eventually the MEI and GET PAID TO FLY A MULTI.

DON'T PAY FOR MULTI TIME, WHEN YOU CAN GET PAID FOR IT!

de727ups

I wouldn't worry about twin time. Do whatever it takes to be able to get a paid job flying (probably CFI) as inexpesively as possible. Then, get a job and start building time and experience. If you hang in there for a 135 freight job, they will pay you for the multi time.

The big thing that once made ATP maybe worth the money was getting hired into the shiny jet at 500 hours. Those days are gone, hopefully for good. For some, paying top dollar for one of the academies may still make sense. But I hardly see it as "cost effective" in this day and age.

pompeync

Great hoping you guys would say that, makes the FBO decision a lot easier. I'm currently training in the Liberty XL-2, can rent the Liberty for $100 P/h.

usmc-sgt

That is a really great idea that you are training in that plane. It is a great happy medium in the sense that the 152 is typically the most cost effective but often times very outdated where the liberty is probably just a few dollars more than a 152 but has alot more of the standardized instrumentation that you will see in your career in the industry. By standardized the ones that I have seen typically have an HSI and maybe a small garmin GPS which are handy to have just not handy when you are paying $250/hr for it in something more high tech. I trained in the RATTIEST 152s on the line that were if I recall $57/hr at a local flying club and when I moved up to a twin it was the RATTIEST beech duchess for $145/hr and had a single nav com with no gps and more inop placards than checklist items. When they used to dispatch me they would dispatch me with a 2 foot flat head screwdriver because often times the bendix drive in the starter would not extend to engage the flywheel to spin the prop and get it started. I would remove the cowling, manually with the screwdriver spin the tiny gears on the bendix drive until it would engage the teeth on the flywheel and then put the cowling back on and hope it worked (since I was typically in the middle of who knows where on a XC.) Moral of the story, its not always about the latest and greatest or the brand name packaging its about the ride and getting it done with the most green in your pocket. Ive got more stories from those flight training days than I know what to do with and it was a heck or a ride.

As others have said the multi time thing is a thing of the past. The issue was that airlines were hiring guys with 300-500 hours but wanted typically 50 or so multi. Most students at your average school would only have around 20-30 MAX hours of twin time by the time they meet those mins making it a bit more difficult to land a regional job. Now since no regional will really consider a guy with under 1000TT you should have no problem getting PAID to acquire 100 or so multi time while working up to 1000TT +. ATP will be a thing of the past for all but the misinformed or parentally funded. Finishing ATP with 260TT and 180 ME will not look so hot when compared to guys on the street with 3000TT 2500ME 2300 turbine.

pompeync

It's a great little aircraft,the XL2 is a 2-seat, IFR, touring aircraft. it has a Garmin GNS 430.

BTDT

I would get my ratings in a single except of course for ME or MEI. There are several ways to go about getting the twin time. One of course is being an MEI at a FBO or school that has the people wanting a ME rating. Sitting around waiting for someone to show up wanting a twin rating is not all that fun but you may be able to network while doing it.

Paying for time building is rediculous.

How you go about it can also help. I was never an MEI. I took a freight job in 210's which helped me land a twin job. The check haulers using Aztecs hired me immediately with 65 hrs of ME time because I had the same 135 experience in the single.

I would personally take a 135 freight (or charter) job in a single with the ability to move to a twin over instructing for the twin time.

I will also repeat what was told to me 25 years ago. If there are none of those type operators near you and you really want a career in aviation you must be willing to move.

ryan1234

If you become an MEI, it is a wise thing to have more than 15 Multi PIC... no one should be teaching multi with less than 30 multi PIC....

Do yourself a favor get a private multi-add on after your instrument (counts toward your TT anyways)... fly here and there multi but build most of your time single-engine... do your commercial in the multi (log all of it as PIC) followed by single add on, etc.... also do it at a reasonable costing FBO... while fuel is down. After you do that get your MEI (if you can first) followed by Single, II, etc.

Just because you have an MEI doesn't mean you can fly a multi-engine aircraft and teach it to others properly. Also depending on the school you work at having the extra multi hours may help you get most of the multi students,etc

After all that you build MEI multi-time/ whatever til you're blue in the face.


ATP or DCA = waste of money

frozenpilot

I recommend getting at least 50ME total, unless you get on with a place that will upgrade you to a twin. I had 29ME total when I finished school. Applying to places that offered twin time was a joke. I got lucky and the place I worked at was able to sell time in their Aztec and they upgraded me to it. Got 500ME total by the time I left. Everyone says twin time is golden, but you should do everything you can to be paid to fly a twin, not pay to fly it.