Am I 135 material?
 

I hold a Commercial AMEL, ASEL, Instrument Airplane with CFI, CFII, and MEI certificates. Does anyone know of any 135 openings in the DFW metroplex area? Are any of them hiring guys with only 1200 hours TT and 50 in a multi?

To further complicate things, I am a college student at the University of North Texas with afternoon classes Tuesday through Thursday. It might be impossible, but I am looking for a flying position that fits around my school schedule?

I know that your post didn't mention doing so, and I'm not one to give advice EXCEPT for this: For God's sake, don't drop out of college to take a job that you think you want. I did it 14 years ago and I've regretted it for the last ten years...and I'm still trying to figure out a way to finish my degree.


Good luck to you.

but I am looking for a flying position that fits around my school schedule? 135 on demand, you are not serious are you?

There may be operators looking for weekend fill in positions. Your best luck may be with a part 91 operator, a company with a small flight department that may want a second pilot on an aircraft even though it is not required, such as a Pilatus or King Air. 135 operators require pilots that have gone through their training program and may not want to pay for all of the training for a guy who can not go out on a multi-day trip unless it ends on Monday or starts after Thursday. I am not far from you and my last ad for a pilot position had over 600 responses from pilots with over 3000 hours and considerable twin turbine time. Many had flight safety or simuflite training and current 135 check rides in the equipment I was advertising for and many were in Texas with quite a few from the Dallas area. Keep building flight time anyway you can. Turbine time and multi is most useful, but total time is the first number looked at. Don't shy away from instructing. I love hiring flight instructors. The are usually a cut above those who build time flying along with other pilots and I do hire low time guys as FO's; however, it is low pay and a rough schedule, but the opportunity exists to move up to a fair paying job when the time requirements are met and a position opens up.

Stay in school and get that completed first. Build flight time when and where you can.

Good luck

I wholly agree with SDDO! Stay in school finish the degree, flight instruct in your free time, grab right seat experience when you can. By the time the degree is finished, you'll either be ready for a 135 operator or the regionals.

Agreed. If you can't find a job which is flexible with your school schedule (there are not many), keep instructing on the side until you graduate.

Does your school offer online only classes? This would probably be the only way to do both. If you can do online classes, you might try Amflight, they have a base in DFW. They just hired and have a class of about 23 going through training right now.

I'd flight instruct until graduation, then get a 135 or 121 job.

Unfortunately, with pickings as slim as they are these days, you are in an even tighter position if you have schedule issues AND are unwilling/unable to relocate. My advice is the same as the other, keep instructing in the spare time and weekends until you graduate. In the time it takes to get your degree, you will only be more experienced, have more hours under your belt, and more marketable for a pilot gig.

Good Luck!

PS.
Ameriflight's DFW base is an all turbine base. AMF's new hires (less special circumstances) start in the PA31 and usually in OAK or PDX.

135 is not the way to go
 

Stay out of the 135 world at all costs. 91 until u can get on with 121. 135 regs are archaic if not non-existent. Duty regs are absurd, on call 24/7 is the norm. 13 days off per quarter is the FAR minimum and most operators are only giving you the 13 per QUARTER (about 3-4 per month).

I just saw an opening at GTA out of ADS a few days ago that only wanted 135 mins. Martinaire, also out of ADS, only wants 135 mins. Both are fly-by-night cargo ops, you could probably get on either of those if you looked around.

Avoid DTO like the plague in my opinion, couple bad controllers (yes, couple good ones too), and enough students not making radio calls to give your TCAS a good workout.

You think 135 regs are non existent?! Get on with an unfriendly 91 operation and see what your duty days / schedule look like then!

I wouldn't pay much attention to these comments. Not all Part 135 is like this. If you want to go 135, do your research first and work for a reputable operation who values their employees enough to not treat them as above. This advice stands for any operation you go to, whether it be 91, 121, or 135. There are bad operators in all of them.

Cherry air out of KADS is looking for a FO.

stay in school. don't even enter professional aviation.

135 mins doesnt get you far in this economy. I have more than the mins and havent got a single call from any of the cargo operators that say they hire at the mins. Its hard to compete with guys that have 3000 hours who are applying for the same night cargo jobs that we are.

Welcome to the "world of 135"

I concur with several of the comments, keep doing your homework and research.

There are good and bad 135 operations out there, just like there are good and bad restaurants, grocery stores, sneakers, lawn movers, etc....

Not to be argumentative, but if u find yourself working at a bad restaurant, grocery store, or wearing bad sneakers, etc then it's not likely to result in a violation or worse.

Caveat emptor . . .

This is why I believe 135/91 produces some of the strongest pilots in the industry. We have to be reliant on ourselves, and stand up to what we know is right, or legal. Sure there are good pilots who came up through 121, but they just have to point to a clause in a manuel for their go/no go decision.

I agree. Also beware of all the 134 1/2 ops out there post scheduling far days off and making flight logs work. Avoid 135 if you can other then a few operators (some top tier on demand charter companies are great!!) but the rest keep trying to reinvent the wheel and it keeps coming out with edges.

On the other hand I agree with Ziggy. 135 guys do it all with no dispatcher, no great union contracts, no legislation coming down the pipe to reduce our duty time. Just self reliance to get the job done safely and effeciently.

135
 

Wow, so much negativity towards 135. Granted, much of it is understandable. I work for a small 135 outfit and I am on call 24/7 with 6 guaranteed days off per month. I have been called out in middle of the night only 2 times in the year I've been with the company and I typically only fly 1 maybe 2 day trips per week. I am also in school, but switched to online classes to afford me the flexibility my company requires. I have a wife and 3 kids i get to spend lots of time with, and my QOL is great...other than the fact that I get paid crap (40k). So, don't drop out of school, don't give up on flying (unless you're thin skinned), and get to know people within companies who can give you the lowdown on how the company works.
I got hired into turbo props with a single pilot 135 outfit last year with 2000 TT and 67 Multi and no ATP. I'd say that is definitely more the exception than the rule, but it's because I worked the airport and got to know people. Get out there, make contacts and educate yourself on your best possibilities and convince companies that the need you. Aviation is a tough profession and the more you understand that the easier the aviation life will be for you. Have fun!

I disagree and find 135 quite a good way to make a living. I have normally worked a 5 day week with weekends off and now work an 8 and 4 schedule. Many operators work week on /week off schedules or two week on one week off. The regs are easy for anyone to understand and if you go with a good company pay and security are better than many 91 jobs or 121 jobs. THe primary determination on how good the job is depends on the operator. Many 121 jobs have low starting pay, slow promotion and little security there are 135 and part 91 jobs with the same issues.

135 flying is more about people and personalities. While I cant speak to the cargo operations out there when you are in the on-demand charter world it truly is all about customer service, and sometimes it is indeed a high wire act, balancing duty regs, and safety with the customers needs, but it can also be a very rewarding career for the right personality type. I enjoy the fact that I have much more freedom in the 135 world. But with that comes much more opportunity to step on your own wang. Personally I enjoy the challanges of on demand. I cant see myself ever re-entering the 121 world, but then never say never:D

Jet7 - Are you getting any multi-time at the flight school you're working at? With over 1000 TT and only 50 Multi, it doesn't sound like it. You can be friggen Superman and not be offered a seat virtually anywhere in the 121/135 world because of low multi-time. Even a bachelor's degree will be meaningless. Not having one can be overlooked to get on with a carrier. It's not on the insurance policy minimums. Multi-time minimums ARE. How do I know? I'm an honors grad from an aviation university with very low multi-time and I can't get anyone to respond to my resume unless I hand it to them face-to-face. Is a Bachelor's important? Hell yes, but don't neglect your multi-time. I've had to fight for every hour I've logged.

Yes and no. Education is important. Some companies may require a 4 year degree and others prefer it. The multi-time requirement is important. But given how things run in this industry let them tell you "no." If you meet the overall total time minimums but are only shy by 50 hours of multi then you should apply. There have been cases where pilots are hired who don't always match the minimums. It could be because of an internal recomendation or it could be because they really liked the individual and felt they were a good fit. It's a crap shoot really. Just keep your chin up and keep knocking on doors and sending the resumes. We have all been where you are at currently. But persistance pays off in the end. Good luck!

It looks like you probably meet the 14CFR135.243(c) minimum experience requirements for IFR pilot in command, so the real question is whether you want to work a full time job. You probably won't find many takers while your availability is constrained by college studies. Maybe you should finish school, then take a look at other postings on this site. Often the starting point at your stage of the game is a reputable 135 cargo outfit. Won't be an easy row to hoe, but you'll get invaulable real-world experience that will open the door to higher rungs on the ladder.

No. No 135 certificate holder is going to want you in your current condition (not available due to school.)
Like one of the other posters suggested, instruct in your spare time while you work on your degree, with the emphasis on multi.

Believe it or not I have avoided working at the local flight schools. The pay and hours are terrible. Instead, I have been flying for a Cessna dealer in Arlington, Texas. My flights/trips are all single pilot IFR and most of them go between 300-1200 nm. Currently, I am 1400+ TT, 870 cross country (>50), 100 actual IMC, and 84 Multi. My hope is to stand out from all of the flight school CFIs who seemingly build most of their time in the local traffic patterns with 152/172s.

Unfortunately, Cessna no longer makes light piston twins, therefore, I don't fly them on these trips. I have been able to tag along on several Baron and 310 flights and that is how the majority of my multi time has been gained.

I have talked with Martinare and GTA, however they are unwilling to train me because I have to return to school in the fall. It does seem impossible to do 135 and school at the same time. :(

Good luck Jet, seriously. I'm DFW with 3500+ TT, 2500+ PIC, 2000+ Multi, 3 types (with time in each), 91, 91K, and 135 experience and I haven't flown in 18 months.

It's tough out there. DO NOT DROP OUT OF SCHOOL BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!

Damn. If that doesn't make you want to pop open a beer, I don't know what does.