Get a Lear or Citation Type. Once you hit the insurable mins, those are the types of jobs that seem to be always out there.

I have to agree with Octobersky, go with the most common type rating. There are so many learjets, citations, and beechjets out there that the odds of getting a job are greatly increased. The Gulfstream type is definately more glamorous, but getting that type of job with your flight time would be difficult.
good luck,
jdt

Go for the GIV or GV... A Citation type can be bought for $5.5K.

Go with the Jet Commander, it's a classic. They are also everywhere so demand for typed pilots is great.

Vader, what type rating did you end up getting from FSI?

How is flight instructing at Flight Safety Academy? Is the pay good? Do they cover medical and other benefits? Are you in the Flight Safety Instructor path program?

Shoot me an email. I am interested in working as a CFI there in Vero Beach.
[email protected]

Now where were you when I was talkin' to my High School guidance counselor all those years ago?????? ;)

Vader, are you sure that all of those ratings are available in the Flight Safety program? I know that Simuflite also offers a right seat program and I previously thought about doing it myself.
However, I later found out that you can only get a Learjet, Citation, or Beechjet type rating; you must put in at least 12 months, and meet the required amount of hours in their simulator. Plus it's based on a scholarship program, so you may not even get the opportunity to get a type rating at all.
You might want to find out for sure before committing to it.

If you can get any type rating, then go for the Gulfstream or one of the more expensive ones. Avoid the RJ type, almost all regional airlines upgrade based on seniority only, and they will type you when it's your turn. The few regional airlines that will hire direct into the left seat of an RJ want at least 4000TT.

Nobody will hire you off the street to fly as PIC in a jet with less than 3000 hours anyhow (unless you're a hot chick and know the chief pilot), so you can expect to fly right seat for a couple years at another job to build flight time. In the meantime, you can work on networking and getting that job with your type rating later in your career. Basically a type rating is worthless if you don't have the required experience.

FYI, I know a very young guy who did exactly what Vader is describing, he got his type in the Falcon, and now is making nearly six figs to fly right seat on a 2000! Very cushy job. Is that the norm, probably not, but I just wanted to throw that out there so you can see it does happen....Market the hell out of yourself at FSI and you'll be very surprised how far you get.

Oh boy....here we go......
 

Vader,

I think it is pretty cool that you have the chance to get a type rating in whatever program it is that you are in. Before I go on, I have to tell you that I was in a similar position. I was under 1000TT and was actually employed by a FSI center to be an SIC in one of their Falcon aircraft many years ago. If you truly do have the choice of whatever aircraft you want (which I can't figure out how or why there would be a program that would allow this), then I would go along with what someone here said about asking yourself what and where you'd like to be doing in say 5 years.

If corporate is your thing, then I would definitely go with a Citation or Learjet rating. Do not go for a Gulfstream or Global rating. ......Now here we go......I can bet that alot of people here are wondering what in the heck is wrong with me!

My completely objective, (with best intentions) advice is that.....with 600TT either heavy jet is wayy out of your league. Yes yes, I know that many regionals train barely legal pilots in their CRJ/ERJ's but there is a big difference between them and any operator of a large corporate jet. The regionals are pilot factories, they have training programs that literally hand hold you from grd sch to the end of IOE. The corporate/charter gig doesnt work that way, and to be completely honest with you, no company that has either Gulfstream/Global would touch you without several thousand hours of jet time under your belt. We haven't even talked about international experience. What international experience do you have? Mexico/Canada wouldn't raise an eyebrow, btw.....

When I say that either jet is out of your league, I mean no disrespect or to address your piloting skills, it is with respect to your experience level. If you were in the right seat and the Captain passes out, would you be able to make the proper decisions and put the plane down whether it be an ocean crossing or transiting middle eastern airspace, or russian airspace?

A citation or learjet rating will be gold in your pocket because many operators will take an inexperienced guy and put them in the right seat because their scope of operations are mainly domestic with either plane not being terribly complex. Please dont mistake that for saying that flying a Lear or Citation is easy, it is not and you will find out when you do go for your type that it will be the hardest thing that you will ever have done in your short career.

To wrap this up, I write this from overseas on a layover, and I remember being in a similar spot, like I said, but if you want the most bang for your buck, the quickest track to a right seat of a jet......be realistic.......a cit/lear rating will be used years before any gulf/global rating would....

ps. my time in a citation/lear/falcon was great! my time in bigger things, make me thank God that I had the previous experience to help me out.

Umm, Being that this thread originated back in '05, Vader is probably a regional captain by now.

It would be interesting, though, if he checked in and let us know what path his career took.....