Originally Posted by Macchi30

I’m a CFI in a similar position, but I’m not at ATP mins yet. I recently dropped to part time instructing at my school so I could do a full college semester and try to finish my degree. It’s still really depressing tho.

Originally Posted by firefighterplt

The guys with R-ATP mins who just missed getting a number...ouch. The ones who don’t have a flying gig to go back to? Big ouch. No one knows what future hiring mins are going to be, but the writing seems to be on the wall. Gotta find a way to get those hours up into the 2-3000 range in order to be competitive, I’d imagine. Doing that on your own dime? Obscenely expensive.

I’ve been thinking about the traditional low-time flying jobs that people use to build time, and it seems like they were drying up even before COVID. Guys used to haul checks, but that’s a thing of the past. Pipeline patrol is still there, but I’ve heard that UAS is going to become a factor in that industry. CFI seems to be the standard. With the pilot shortage gone, and airline cadet programs going the way of the dodo, what effect will that have on traditional low-time jobs? Gonna get (and stay) super competitive, methinks...

Originally Posted by Excargodog

Get the degree. It’s still a discriminator once you get your ATP mins and hiring begins again. And for a few years, it’s going to be real competitive again until all the 121 experienced guys from shutdown regionals are hired somewhere...

Originally Posted by VegasChris

Those low time jobs are gone- or being picked up by "over qualified" guys coming back down the career ladder from the airlines (see the post above)

2-3000 hours is not financially feasible for me while sitting at R-ATP minimums now- especially with the lack of students as mentioned in your post. The cost/benefit analysis just doesn't make sense in terms of time and making little money as a CFI.

Seems like it might be a while for it to come back at this point. Only thing I see to do now is to work another career and wait for hiring at minimums to come back.

Originally Posted by Macchi30

I’m a CFI in a similar position, but I’m not at ATP mins yet. I recently dropped to part time instructing at my school so I could do a full college semester and try to finish my degree. It’s still really depressing tho.

Originally Posted by VegasChris

Those low time jobs are gone- or being picked up by "over qualified" guys coming back down the career ladder from the airlines (see the post above)

2-3000 hours is not financially feasible for me while sitting at R-ATP minimums now- especially with the lack of students as mentioned in your post. The cost/benefit analysis just doesn't make sense in terms of time and making little money as a CFI.

Seems like it might be a while for it to come back at this point. Only thing I see to do now is to work another career and wait for hiring at minimums to come back.

Originally Posted by Macchi30

I’m a CFI in a similar position, but I’m not at ATP mins yet. I recently dropped to part time instructing at my school so I could do a full college semester and try to finish my degree. It’s still really depressing tho.

Originally Posted by AllYourBaseAreB

Whole industry is luck and timing.

Originally Posted by AllYourBaseAreB

Whole industry is luck and timing. All anyone can do is hope for the best and adapt. The real career killer is not being in a position to take advantage of the next upswing. You can not compare yourself to those who have had “dream” career progression. I know multiple people that are on track to be #1 at their majors. Some hacked it hard, some benefited from nepotism. Either way, It doesn’t seem to make them any happier. In some cases they are still miserable azzclowns. Make the most of the journey, worry less about benchmarks. Obviously easier said than done if you have a family to feed and you’re behind the power curve.