My take on the 1500 hour rule
01-26-2013, 06:12 PM
#13
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2011
Position: 737 FO
Posts: 2,480
My question is how are you supposed to meet the 500 hr cross country requirement as a cfi, or are you hoping this will somehow magically go away? I have a couple friends hired by regionals well over 6 months ago that are still worried they may not meet this requirement by the deadline. As an instructor I'm only averaging about 10% of my dual given as xcountry time over the last 9 months. I'm planning on doing some box hauling or something similar to get my xcountry and multi times up.
Any thoughts on this?
Any thoughts on this?
01-26-2013, 06:15 PM
#14
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2009
Position: Left seat of a Jet
Posts: 514
Originally Posted by atpwannabe
Pearl:
You eluded to the fact that you hope the 1500hr rule doesn't decrease the number of pilots..which is already shrinking. Tests, interviews, background checks and higher minimum criteria are ALL designed to eliminate.
Personally, based on what you posted, and if it comes to past, there will be a huge void of those who meet the 1500 hr rule in about 2-3 years. I dunno...maybe even in less time than that, but I doubt it.
JMO.
atp
You eluded to the fact that you hope the 1500hr rule doesn't decrease the number of pilots..which is already shrinking. Tests, interviews, background checks and higher minimum criteria are ALL designed to eliminate.
Personally, based on what you posted, and if it comes to past, there will be a huge void of those who meet the 1500 hr rule in about 2-3 years. I dunno...maybe even in less time than that, but I doubt it.
JMO.
atp
Its all good until a business or organization is unable to fulfill his or her obligations of a contract. I intend to litigate whereas my attorney will be in touch with your attorney. Guess what? I do not care what type of excuses you claim.
01-26-2013, 06:19 PM
#15
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2011
Position: Volleyball Player
Posts: 3,982
Well, don't make training needlessly long for the students, but there's nothing to say you can't get creative. Take two students and do one flight to an airport 50 miles away, then get the other student up front and have him fly back. Do your maneuvers while enroute. I got my XC time by volunteering for each and every XC I could, with other people's students. 500hrs of XC is good experience.
01-26-2013, 06:28 PM
#16
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2007
Position: Cessna 150 Left seat
Posts: 430
Originally Posted by word302
My question is how are you supposed to meet the 500 hr cross country requirement as a cfi, or are you hoping this will somehow magically go away? I have a couple friends hired by regionals well over 6 months ago that are still worried they may not meet this requirement by the deadline. As an instructor I'm only averaging about 10% of my dual given as xcountry time over the last 9 months. I'm planning on doing some box hauling or something similar to get my xcountry and multi times up.
Any thoughts on this?
Any thoughts on this?
Can you elaborate as to why your friends who have been in regional for past six months will not meet 500 hr cross country min? I mean they have 8 more months to go which would make their regional life roughly 14 months. Isn't all flights in regional airlines more than 50 miles? Are they not getting at least 30-40 hours of flight time at their regionals???
Thank you.
01-26-2013, 08:09 PM
#17
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Math Teacher
Posts: 2,273
Originally Posted by PearlPilot
I am definitely "concerned" about my future.
Yes I am largely influenced by outside forces. I've (unfortunately, or more correctly realistically) met a half a dozen pilots who have given up or are constantly complaining about the industry. I am told to look at the long term, I am told to consider the poor lifestyle of a regional airline pilot, and I am told to consider that I may not ever make it to the majors. Yes these are all outside forces, that I probably should ignore, after all I am not "them."
But I am having a hard time ignoring them. 1153 hours, 347 to go. Gotta keep plugging away!! Hey, at least I am having a good time doing it!
Yes I am largely influenced by outside forces. I've (unfortunately, or more correctly realistically) met a half a dozen pilots who have given up or are constantly complaining about the industry. I am told to look at the long term, I am told to consider the poor lifestyle of a regional airline pilot, and I am told to consider that I may not ever make it to the majors. Yes these are all outside forces, that I probably should ignore, after all I am not "them."
But I am having a hard time ignoring them. 1153 hours, 347 to go. Gotta keep plugging away!! Hey, at least I am having a good time doing it!
Pearl:
Bro your concerns and fears are real and are based on events/facts that others have experienced. Nothing wrong with that. But just as everyone said, especially fbh, "hang in there". I mean, relatively speaking, you're eons ahead of a whole lot of us in this game. Things can change for the better or the worse at the drop of a hat. Granted. We have to adapt and overcome.
Someone recently made the comment that becoming a Delta 777 CA (or basically flying for the Majors) isn't a be all to end all. There's alot of truth in that statement. Don't limit yourself, sell yourself short and listen to all of the naysayers. Take it with a grain of salt. There are googobs (maybe not that many, but you get the idea), of companies out there flying charter or freight (other than UPSCO, FedEx and some Fracs) that are stable and have a good financial foothold on market share and services that they provide. And some of these guys have the best QOL and competitive salaries that would rival any Major. It is companies such as these that I've taken an interest in.
You'll do just fine. Who knows, in less than five years you may be a CA somewhere!
atp
01-27-2013, 01:34 AM
#18
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Math Teacher
Posts: 2,273
Originally Posted by bozobigtop
Its all good until a business or organization is unable to fulfill his or her obligations of a contract. I intend to litigate whereas my attorney will be in touch with your attorney. Guess what? I do not care what type of excuses you claim.
bbt:
If I'm correctly interpreting what you posted....then therein lies the problem. If it determined by the interpreters of the law that there was "no foul", then, there should be "no harm"....but we know that that is not gonna happen. When is the playing field gonna be leveled?
atp
01-27-2013, 08:10 AM
#19
Disinterested Third Party
Joined APC: Jun 2012
Posts: 6,006
Did you have 1500 hours of military flight time??? Something else is going on here...
Flight instructing is not the only way to reach the magic minimum, but those making the journey need to understand the concept of minimums.
The hours published for a given job by a company (or the FAA) are published minimums only. The real minimums for the job are often very different, as these are the competitive mins, the numbers that aren't announced or published, and that change with every application that's received.
Competitive minimums are the numbers that others bring to the table. You might have 1,500 hours, but if other applicants have 5,000, then that's what you've got to beat. Now the minimum is 5,000 hours, unless you've got some extenuating, exceptional qualification, or the inside track.
You don't need to instruct your way into that lofty poverty-paying regional seat. Go get a job doing something else, get some real world experience. Fly freight, do tours, fly jumpers, do traffic watch, chase powerlines, chase coyotes, fly fire patrol, or any number of other jobs. Broaden your background.
When it comes to your job search, broaden your horizons . This narrow mindset about the airlines being everything is ridiculous, and quite short-sighted. There's nothing wrong with flying for the airlines; it's a very viable career with great promise, but its only one path. Don't limit yourself.
As for 1,500 hours as a starting point, it's just not a big deal. Opinion on the matter is largely irrelevant, as the discussions on the subject are long closed, and it's become an act of Congress. All that remains now is to do. Get your experience and move on.
The me-generation is all about gotta-have-it-now. With 1,500 hours as a very low starting point, you might have to wait until tomorrow or the next day. Take that time to mature a little in the industry, in your thinking and understanding of your craft, and to expand your experiences beyond simply marking time and climbing a narrow career ladder. It's a big bright world out there. Go live some of it.
01-27-2013, 08:24 AM
#20
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2012
Position: Holding over Macho Grande
Posts: 602
Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes
Are you charging for your time correctly? If you're there with the student, you should be paid. Does the doctor only charge for the time he is doing something physically, or the entire time he spends with you? If you are there with the student, you are responsible for their safety. Your prebrief + preflight inspection (coming out when he is nearly done) should be at least half an hour. Shutdown and post-brief should also be around half an hour, if you are providing quality instruction at all. If your student doesn't show up with an assignment completed that you told them to complete, you sit there and complete it on their time, and charge them for it. You NEVER overcharge students, but you also compensate yourself fairly. If your preflight was wasted because a discrepancy was found and you had to get another aircraft, your ground time you are going to charge for will likely be more for that flight. You might help them with preflight on the 2nd airplane to be a nice guy, but inevitably the ground charge will be higher due to the longer time spent preflighting overall. You need to build these ideas of fair compensation in yourself and your student. Your students will respect you when you uphold these standards and act fair. You do NOT give them a break in the TIME if you actually spent the TIME. If it's better to make a decision to cancel the flight and do it another day because by the time you get into the air, it will be a waste of time, that's the right call and that's what you do. When you teach XCs you will likely have to go through two entire XCs with them, and then a third one at least partially. With some people they take less, with some they take more. Motivated students can do stuff much faster, and you give them the keys to minimize their cost if they are motivated, but time is time and you never shortchange yourself for what you work. I hope this helps. Through the years when I used to flight instruct I noticed many people "giving the student a break". That's noble on some levels, but it's futile and it only shoots you in the foot. If you want to really do the right thing, charge fairly and make sure you are putting real value in what you teach. Give them keys to study on their own. Make sure they know the PTS and how to study for it. If they waste your time, you charge for the time it takes to teach them what is necessary. If they finish fast because they are motivated, you can get another student that much faster.
This is outstanding. Well written and 100% accurate. Props (no pun intended).
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
