Add an MEI?
 

I'm a newly minted CFI with a Comm ASEL/AMEL/Inst ticket. I stayed a little ahead of the game flying-wise and am now entering my senior year of college with all my flying done except for CFII. Thanks to flying outside of school, I've got about 550 TT and 50 multi.

I was debating adding an MEI on after my CFII since it wouldn't be too many additional hours (i.e. money) and might make me more marketable to a flight school.

Any thoughts?

If you have access to a multi and enough money for it, it'd say do it. I held off getting my MEI while at an aviation college. Now I'm instructing at a small FBO with little opportunity to get any time in a multi.

Get your MEI done within 3 to 4 months after your CFI, while you're still in oral/checkride mode, it's a VFR checkride, just like the CFI. Don't wait.

The CFII can come later when you get time.

IIRC you can do II and MEI at the same time? I would suggest getting your II and get hired somewhere. When your hired some where you might get a deal on multi time and find another CFI looking to get his MEI(5 hours pic in type). If job hunting is not being prosperous then just do as you stated.

Just my .00001 yen.

I did my II and MEI combined but that's at my part 141 school and I am not sure how common it is. I have actually not heard of any other place that does it.

I second what others are saying - do the MEI time and money permitting while you are still in checkride mode. I got my MEI and have not (And probably will not) used it but I am glad I got it. I just like knowing I have all the CFI certs and CAN use it if needed although I doubt any place I could. Most schools have instructors who are already senior enough to get multi students. The "upgrade" at our school is around 3 years.

I'm currently at a 141 school and we do the II first with the MEI being totally optional. I've been lucky with good instructors and weather and am done with everything short of CFII now with still a year left of classes, so I thought the MEI would be a good thing to keep me flying.

Thanks everyone for the opinions.

If you haven't left the bubble of your 141 world yet, get it done at your school. You never know when you're going to need it. Once you get outside the 141 world over there, and try and get it Pt. 61, you will work harder to get it because some examiners go out of their way to fail CFI add on's because they don't know you from a hole in the wall....so they tend to fail people. That is what I have seen. However...comma....if you teach for a little while and hold off you will be a better instructor...and when you have seen all the different ways a student can try and kill you in a single engine airplane...it will make you keenly aware of what they can do when you fail an engine on them!

Either way, have fun instructing and keep flying as much and whatever you can! It will make you a better instructor! Get that MEI! It's better to make people pay you to build your ME time! Hope that helps.

Snippercr...you must be an Illinois guy huh? Go Illini!

Yup! I-L-L. What gave it away? The combined II/MEI course? I actually havent found any other place that does that yet. Did you go here?

It's a useless rating unless you instruct somewhere that does career students.

Amen....that is the truth! I have never seen a ME student walk into our FBO...pretty sad. I keep saying I will get it when I can use it. If I can make money using it, I will get it, but other than that it's just a pretty title!

Yeah, I went to Illinois not too long ago, finished up summer 2008. I haven't heard of other 141 schools that combine those courses. I wish I could have done it, but I didnt feel like sticking around another semester....its a good thing I didn't stay for it because I would have missed out on my current job! Timing is everything!