FlyPurdue

Hello All,

So, I need some input. I will be graduating from a major university in less than a week, and although my major was aviation, I have a minor in management, and have diversified my background to be marketable in a job outside the cockpit. I have been offered and accepted a job in sales and marketing at an aviation consulting firm. I am very excited, and know that I am going to be successful in this career. I thought about joining the regionals or instructing full time, but could not justify a very low paying job with no job security.

Here is the deal, I have 600 total hours, a further two-hundred hours of jet simulator time, I really enjoy energy, systems and crew management, and love being in the flight levels. I still enjoy flying small piston aircraft and will continue to do so. What advice do you have to keep learning and flying on my weekends. I am thinking about getting a VLJ type rating, just for fun and enrichment. Do you guys have any other ideas to just keep learning, and keeping that flying itch at bay?

Thanks in advance for your input!

Cheers!

topprospect16

Get your career going with the consulting firm first. From there, worry about flying. Never know, someone may pay for your type down the road if they need a pilot down the road. Don't waste your money

AtlCSIP

If you want to scratch your aviation itch and continue to learn the rest of your life, get in to competative aerobatics. Much more fun than jets in the flight levels!

Swedish Blender

Once you go down the non flying road, that is where you will probably stay. If the 1500 hour rule goes into effect, it would take you a while to gain the other 900 hours starting fresh. The 200 hours in a sim is nice, fun and exciting but equate to zero in the hiring world.

I wouldn't waste your money on a type rating of any kind. What would be the point? To get to fly a sim again? Purdue might let you back in once in a while so that could be your fix. Take that money and do something else to keep your interest in flying. Get a seaplane rating, glider (I recommend Hawaii), tailwheel, or fly some acrobatics as the previous poster said.

I fly heavy metal but the most fun I've had since it became a profession was getting my seaplane rating in a Cub.

YMMV
94 AT

FlyPurdue

Thanks all for the input, I realize that the sim means zero in the hiring world. I just wanted to hear other options to just keep flying (and current), I will keep my CFI current, and do some instruction on the side, and even try to get a job at a DZ on weekends. But we will see. CAE has a neat "supporting crew member" position where you just act as an SIC in a simulator, and with a full time job, it might be fun to do on evenings or weekends. A few of the regionals are starting to glance at me, and I realize that it is now or never for flying job...

Once again, thank you!

Cheers!

Ewfflyer

The 727 sim's value just come with the experience, unfortunately it's not worth anything outside of the school(depending on who you ask). It gave me some vast knowledge in many aspects of flying that I still use today.

You have an interesting path for a AvFlight student, good luck to you! I'm an 04' grad, and I'm actually leaving "full-time" flying myself, but it's for different reasons also. I'm actually joining up full-time on my family's farming operation. I will stay flying on the side, but it will be a flip-flop from my part-time and full-time ventures. I wouldn't be leaving flying for any other reason than farming and my family, so SkyHigh can't get all negative on my post!