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Instrument Rating

Old 03-06-2011, 07:13 AM
  #1  
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Default Instrument Rating

Greetings all, brand new to the forum and have a few questions. I'm looking for my instrument rating and was trying to decide on an accelerated program or a traditional program. I'm currently in Afghanistan but live in Fayetteville NC.

I'm in the Army and just crested 20 years. I have no intention of getting out yet but want to have all my ratings in place for when I do. I'd like to be as marketable as possible once I close this chapter of my life. I have a BS in Pro Aero form ERAU, my A&P license and will be plugging away at my masters from ERAU as soon as I return.

My goal is to nug out another 10 years in the service of our country, then retire and fly. Corporate aviation, charters, or even contract work interests me. I have a family to support so I figure with a 75% retirement from the military, my standard of living shouldn't take to hard of a hit.

So, in short, best way to get an instrument rating (part 141 preferably so I can go the VA route) and where should I focus to achieve my goals in the long run?

Much thanks and I appreciate all the info already received on this forum
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Old 03-06-2011, 07:35 AM
  #2  
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Ranger,

Thanks for your service to the country. Your experiences have certainly been more difficult than most of us on the air side can imagine.

With your tax free combat zone pay raises, I would consider saving and doing your stuff little bit at a time on the part 61 side. Here is why. You mentioned you have a family. If you plan on staying in for a while, then time is on your side to save and do the instrument training slowly over time. That way you can save the Post 9-11 GI Bill for your children.

With Jeppesen books available used for cheap on Amazon, and with the knowledge you have already from having a PPL, DVDs, and today's flight simulators, you could certainly do a lot of the prep work on your own and probably do the instrument rating fairly quickly when you do start training. You probably know either some pilots in the army, or a few people working on their CFIs who would love to practice teaching and they could guide you through using MS Flight Sim in the appropriate ways to get some good understandings of the way approaches work, and how they are flown without building any bad negative transfer type of habits for your actual time in the aircraft.

Just my .02, Good Luck and be safe over there.
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Old 03-06-2011, 08:50 AM
  #3  
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Thanks for the kind words Tweet. What about other avenues? When I first started flying back in 1992, I was a lowly Private and the money ran out way before any ratings came. I used to wash aircraft on the weekends for flight time. Seeing as I have an A&P, I have heard of people turning wrench hours into flight hours but have never met anyone who has done it.

what else should I focus on? will an A&P, masters degree, IA and military experience make me more marketable in aviation?

I saw an ad from Dynamic Aviation the other day, they were advertising for King Air pilots with their A&P licenses. How common are jobs like these? Sounded like something I would be interested in, travel, benefits, independence, etc...

How does someone "get" experience in a King Air? Once I nail down all my ratings, it's not like I go to the FBO and rent one, I doubt I could afford a full bag of gas for the thing. Forgive my ignorance on the matter but my resources are currently pretty limited.
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Old 03-06-2011, 11:39 AM
  #4  
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Default IA, Comm MEL/SEL then CFIs

Hey,

You have a BS and an A&P. All you need is the remaining ratings through CFI. Since you are going to be in the military for the next ten years, I would get to the CFI level and instruct.
Use your VA benefits to get your ratings and for building multi time. The Masters is a waste of VA money unless you have some need for it in the military.
Getting on with a Corporate Department is all about who you know. It would be tougher to get that gig than to go to a Regional Airline.
I don't know what your age will be in ten years but remember you can work in 121 operations now until you are 65.
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Old 03-06-2011, 11:57 AM
  #5  
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Welcome to the forums!

There are several threads on Dynamic, you can find them here (search box in the upper left is a goldmine of info)

Airline Pilot Central Forums - Search Results

Any aviation job is going to be supply and demand, dynamic is heavily biased towards DoD contracts so as long as the DoD sees a benefit there will be pilot work there.

I'd second the recommendation to get your CFI and teach as much as possible before retiring. That alone would be a huge step in balancing credential with flying experience.

Finally, I'd suggest that you stay away from the pilot puppy mills. Accelerated for-profit programs are rarely for the benefit of students.
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