allflight57

I'm working at a drop zone right now as a fueler. The chief pilot has been talking about getting me into the Caravan for winter season if I continue to work here through summer, but I'm still going to school on my days off and have about 2 years left. They usually lease out their planes and pilots to other drop zones for months at a time. Doing this I would not be able to keep goingo to school because of being on the road all the time, and I am terrible at online classes. The other option would be to leave the drop zone now while I still have time left during summer and go finish my CFI. With the job market the way it is now it seems like I would be shooting myself in the foot for turning down turbine PIC flying. Any advice?

Luv2Rotate

Why leave a summer job to finish up CFI? Can't both be done without giving up one for the other? CFI would be a good thing to have! I unfortunately never finished my CFI's and at this point in the game the cost/benefit just wouldn't make sense for me right now, back to you...
You should be able to work 20-30hrs a week while finishing up the CFI. If you're working 40hrs talk to your mgr and see if he/she will let you take a part time or reduced hrs to finish up.
The "Van" is a fun airplane to fly but the keyword is "if". In aviation take that with a grain of salt. Things change quickly and the carrott is constantly being dangled in front of us all. Bottom line do what you want to do. Turbine time will come. CFI's get a little harder the longer you wait. Perfect example is myself.

XOpilot

The problem with flying Caravans for a drop zone is that it's all single engine VMC, and it's outside of the IFR system. All turbine PIC is not equal. The fact that you can start a PT6 is not going to get you a job. CFI time, or better yet, MEII time will be far more useful to you especially if you can stay busy. You're point is taken about passing up any paying flying job in this market, but don't make turbine time into something it's not. You're talking about flying single engine, single pilot, VMC, fixed gear, outside the IFR system. It sounds like a lot of fun, but it's not quality time.

It's probably not what you want to hear, but I think you should stay in school, and work on the MEII. There will be other opportunities. It's unlikely you'll ever look back and regret finishing school. You very well may regret not finishing though.

Good luck with whatever you choose,

X

TheReelDeel33

"With the job market the way it is now it seems like I would be shooting myself in the foot for turning down turbine PIC flying"

That sentence suggests that your most desired aspect of this job would be building turbine time. And if you are looking to build time, and you are going to school I'm guessing your eventual goal is something other then flying jumpers. If i'm right, I would say stay where you are and get your degree because you are going to need that just as much (if not more) than the turbine time. Once you stop going to school and start focusing on nothing but work it can be really hard to switch back to the college lifestyle. If you never get the degree you could end up stuck.

When people say the job market is horrible right now they are only half right. It's only horrible for people with no connections because it is true that if you walk into a place to introduce yourself and drop off a resume you probably aren't going to get a call back. That doesn't apply to you though since you already know the owner and are in his good graces. Keep doing what your doing and stay in his good graces. Once your done with your degree you can come onto this forum and hear people complain about how the job market is "horrible." The reason it will seem horrible for them is because the guy from dropzone never called them, because he was to busy throwing their resume in the garbage as soon as they walked out the door because he already has a guy (you) to fill that job.

allflight57

Thanks guys for the good advice, leaving and getting CFI is starting to look like the better option the more I think about it. I'll admit though, it's Tough being around these planes all the time then walking away from it with only 350tt. That's a good point about it not being the quality time airlines want, and the reason I would leave here for CFI is I had started it before I got this job and now I work 55-60 hours a week so I don't really have time for it, and they will definately not let up on the working hours. Another part of the equation is that Southwest has a ramp opening that i applied for which is only part time...that would give me time I need to finish CFI before summers over. Not that I got a job offer or anything but it's just something to think about. It wouldn't be too hard to go back and work on CFI because I haven't been away from the training enviornemt for mre than a few months.

lakehouse

TRUST ME, DO NOT NOT NOT NOT, believe anyone about getting turbine time around skydiving. It is how DZO's keep pilots around, its how they keep their Cessna pilots, and its how they keep people like you doing fuel. Why don't they give you the right seat time now? You think some dropzone is gonna pay to lease a caravan and then let you sit right seat, that takes up a slot on the plane, and it takes away the right seat they might want to have someone sit in. I would say theres a 90% chance its an empty offer.

allflight57

Rick, funny you say that because the first time I heard about any flying they said "if you work as a fueler through summer then..." so kinda seems like they're holding the carrot in front of me jst to hav me stick around 12 hour shifts every day throughout summer with no overtime pay.

lakehouse

What state is the dropzone in? I might know who runs it if its in a certain few states. Do they have a 182 there?? I would tell them put out now or your gone.

Cubdriver

I'm with Rick- they are manipulating you. Fuel planes if you need the money, but regard the rest of it as being made of hole cloth. A drop zone is only as good as its owner and I do not mean to knock the business since I am the chief pilot for a small operator, but it is not a particularly honest industry.

allflight57

I appreciate your honesty guys, and Rick, it's a DZ in south Houston, they don't have a 182, smallest thing they use here is a Caravan You've mentioned you jumped here before and know Hank. So pretty much Im outta here, I'll go work on my CFI and see if I can get a ramp job or something