I completed flight school in early 2016. Flew my butt off in Korea and am at 700+ hours TOTAL time. I only have the 18.6 ASEL hours we got in C-182 and Zlin with flight safety. My unit sent me to ATP/CTP, but I have not completed the practical or written exams. I went to a flight school in a northern state and after an in-depth review with the FSDO, CFI's and DPE we determined the only time I need to complete was from 61.129 (a)- sections 3 and 4. When all is said and done I will be paying for 2.3 instrument dual time, 2 hour XC day-vfr greater than 100 nm, 2 hour XC night VFR greater than 100 nm (from the 20 hours required in section 3) and 10 hours solo which must include 1 XC flight 300 nm with 3 landings of which 1 must be at least 250 nm away and 5 hours night VFR with 5 takeofs and landings (from section 4). Some of the XC time may count for both. I went and flew a 1.1 with an instructor who immediately gave me a solo endorsement to go do the rest of the leg work to get those hours.

Total, this will cost me around $3000 to pay for the 15 hours flight time and then take a check ride with a DPE. I'm flying a Piper Arrow at $180 wet.

 

It's not the amount of time. We get the Comm RW with ~130 hours (Maybe more or less depending on aircraft). (And it would be less if they "graduated us" after BWS before advanced aircraft, like they used to do back before FS XXI. Actually, since you're FW for life, you have that lesser amount of time in RW.)

We don't (or at least 2.5 years ago with Flight Safety vs CAE) do the ground reference maneuvers. That's why they (FSI) put that little blurb at the bottom of your records sheet when you graduate.

When I went to my FSDO, after explaining that yes... the army has airplanes too, and yes, FSI has actual airplanes, not just simulators, I asked if I could get the single engine as well. He asked if I took a checkride. I said yes, and pointed to my logbook where I had put in the remarks "Checkride" and the IP's name, that was on a C182, and he signed off on it.

 

I currently have an AMEL commercial certificate and want to get a single-engine add on so I can do some weekend flying. I have been a mil IP in single-engine aircraft. Do I need to take an ASEL mil comp commercial exam or can I just show the FSDO my current AMEL commercial certificate, single-engine form 8, and my flight records?

 

This has been addressed many times before.

Go to the FSDO and get your ASEL commercial.

Also, why don't you have a CFI/CFII?