Why do you want intentionally get paid bad and not take a position you are fully qualified for again? And your hourly rate would only be 11.30, not really something you can live off of for a long time unless you eat like a bird and live in a box.
What risk are you talking about?

I was out of flying as a full time pilot for a while so I wanted to spend some time as an FO at Cape. This would be a move on my part top get my skills back up to speed before upgrading to Captain. I am not one to think that just having ATP mins is enough to qualify me to start as a Captain. I got all of my experience as a CFI flying the pattern, if you get my drift. The time as an FO would be valuable.

The pay would not be an issue since the time spent as an FO would only be a couple months at most.

Anyway, I don't think I would want to get in a C402 and fly as Captain right off the bat like that.

You seem fairly certain that having ATP mins would cut it to start as a Captain at Cape. Have many pilots done this? Might these actually be people who have previous 135 time at a company like Air Net?

Risk
 

The Risk would be centering around me not having been flying as a full time pilot for a while. The FO position would get me back up to speed quickly, and allow me time to learn the SOP.

I couldn't imagine that Cape hires people into the Captain without previous 135 experience. Would you tell me, or do you know whether Cape hires people who only have CFI experience like myself?

The entire issue is whether a person with ATP mins, but only CFI time is really qualified for this.

I see
 

This is very incitefull! I see you must have been thinking the same thing at one point in your career. Maybe it is a natural inclination for a CFI to feel he needs to start as an FO.

So, you are telling me the training is adequate enough to bring a CFI up to speed that fast? You obviously were successful at this. Were you a previous CFI or did you have previous 135 experience?

Most pilots that have the time upgrade right away. Given your circumstances of just getting back into things, your concern is valid. It's a tough job when you have recency, and for those who don't, the training outcome is often times bleak. If this is a legitimate concern for you, then you have to talk to the recruiter / training. We are having a tough time getting qualified pilots, so it may be in their best interest to let you fly right seat for a bit rather than turn you away altogether. The ball may just be in your court right now since we are having the same staffing issues as pretty much every other regional out there.

Outa, valid concerns on your part I wish you luck. If your skills were rusty they won't be after flying around single pilot IFR in a 402.

That is what I was hoping for. That right seat time is important and I would prefer to fly as an FO before taking passengers by myself.

I was a Cfi new to commercial aviation- i didnt know ****:)
It was a steep learning curve and it kicked my *** but when theyre through with you and youve done your ioe, You are ready to learn how to fly the plane and system. Good luck- youll do well.

How are Cape pilots doing on the job front? There is a great deal of love for turbine time. But generally, Cape Air pilots build a lot of PIC time and work for a decent company. When people ask me about places to apply, I try to get them to consider Cape Air. But I want to make sure they have a decent career path.

I went straight from Cape Air to a BeechJet, 1 year later and I'm over to the left seat. Another guy did the same but changed companies and is now flying a Lear 60. If you're not looking for an airline career, Cape Air is a great place to get the stick and customer service skills the corporate and charter companies seek.