JohnBurke

It might have been nice if you'd contributed to the discussion in some meaningful way before you left. Dont' forget to look into that reading comprehension problem. You'll be glad you did.

TiredSoul

We were all in your shoes once, well most of us anyway.
As a CFI I’ve been offered right seat in a KingAir 90 and in a Mitsubishi.
Politely declined as it was a sketchy operation under Part 91 subpart K.
I’d make a phone call to the local FSDO and pay them a visit with a list of questions and take some names.
On this date ASI so and so told me this.
Then go from there.

Flyboy31

Hi everyone! I was busy instructing yesterday so I didn't see the responses until now. I much appreciate everyones input! As great as it would be to fly a jet, that's not really the reason I was looking at this job. My main idea was getting multi time since I'm so low and instead of renting another 13 hours to get to the min 25, I thought a full time job might do it better. However, after reading the responses and doing some more in-depth research, I've decided to look elsewhere. It appears right now to be one of those too good to be true positions, and when I'm looking for a job that could later on down the line get me investigated my the FAA on legal hour logging, I'd much rather pass. I've since started looking more at PlaneSense. They have a more established SIC program where I can still get turbine time, be based in PHX, and if I like it and stay long enough, get my multi time on a PC24.

The main goal in all of this is that I don't want to apply to the airlines as just another CFII with 1500 hours and 25 multi. I want my resume to standout and help my chances the best I can. If that means I pass on a multi turbine job because it's a little sketchy and instead add at least 750turbine and 250PIC turbine to my resume, maybe that elongates the path to the airlines, but my resume will look a lot better than an CFII straight outta the traffic pattern will!

QRH Bingo

Have you looked at Ameriflight? They have an established SIC program because they operate aircraft requiring 2 crew out of PHX. While it can be hit or miss for a street-hire FO, it is possible. If it's experience you're looking for, while building multi time, it would fit the bill.

captjns

Ameriflight may be the best avenue to achieve your goal to reach the 25 hour of multi engine time between PIC and SIC. I believe having a CFI will give you a better chance of being hired, proivided you have your MEI. I haven't read your entire original first post.

Good luck and all the best.

Flyboy31

I have looked at Ameriflight and would go to them rather quickly, however, even with my CFII, I've heard that they stoped hiring FO's recently from the street due to them currently having sim issues during training. Rumor is most of their FO's now come from the UPS cadet program. I sent an email a few weeks back to what I believe was the pilot hiring email for them, but never got a response. Their website also appears to only have positions for captains at the moment. If I'm misinformed please let me know!

Azpilot06

Ameriflight does indeed street-hire FOs, and has a hard requirement for CFI/II prior to 1,200 hours. They do not post the positions, and your first stop will be corresponding with Zeke Zeitak, who mans the [email protected] email address. Follow their social media for semi-frequent updates on what they're up to. Zeke himself has put out a number videos on what they're looking for.

The CFMI position isn't about fluffing your pilot resume for the airlines - though experience like that may have a positive effect on an airline application if and when the time comes. Gaining exposure and experience in three wildly common and popular business aviation platforms, becoming a great internal candidate for when they need to staff PICs in those platforms, and becoming experienced in 91/135 ops in this system is the reason one takes a position like this. It's never going to be the fastest time builder to 1,500, and involves entirely too much work and commitment simply to avoid paying another $5,000 to build to regional airline mins for multi time.

Even sniffing any seat on a turboprop or turbojet was once a 2,000 - 3,000 hour cost of entry. People literally paid "airlines" to gain this kind of exposure and experience. Know your history, and understand how quickly it can swing back this direction when the music pauses.

Right seaters are increasingly a requirement in business-class aircraft ops - for both insurance as well as customer optics purposes. As you may be cynical about what they offer you (describing a turboprop/jet role at a -95 year old- company as "sketchy"), consider what you offer -them- at this stage of your career. They will have to literally teach you -everything- about these aircraft for you to be a useful SIC or support pilot. An empty vessel (as we all were once), should not over-estimate its worth.

In a role like this, you will fly hours you can't log. It's part of paying your dues, and it's not for everybody. As you establish yourself as a reliable, useful, and productive employee, you may see your role (and correspondingly, your opportunities) expand. PC12 pilots are in strong demand, HondaJet pilots enjoy great salaries, and PC24 contract pilots command $2-5K day rates.

Planesense offers good opportunities for piston-background pilots, but doesn't hire much below 1,000 hours. PC24 upgrades currently sit at around 4 years...so good luck with parlaying that into your other 13 hours of multi for the airlines.

Business aviation had absolutely been raided by the airlines. This is the reason you see multiple, hard to fill turbojet vacancies (which usually require ATP-min level hours for insurance) across the 135 spectrum. When the music slows at the airlines (and/or the hiring goes back to super-competitive), these vacancies will evaporate as pilots "hold what they got."