Again, I am a new to the site and I just wanted to get some insight on starting a regional career. At the way things are going, it is almost pointless to be a CFI unless you just want to be one. Before, it was almost a "must" in order to build time. Regionals are hiring right down to multi/comm. My question is, are pilots that don't do the CFI thing setting themselves up for failure? Experience would always play on their side but are they respected and given the same opportunities as those that did? It seems like alot of the older pilots are against those that get their ratings and jump into the flight deck(low patience with IOE, etc). I am at the point to either go one way or the other and I thought it would be better to just get my seniority and experience at the same time. Please give honest opinions but also be professional.
Thanks in advanced.

 

Its pointless unless you want to know what you are doing. That's not always bad. This way when the thing shuts down you and the other guy don't have a "dude" and "sweet" fest into a smoking hole someday.

 

seniority means nothing unless you are at the airline you want to be at for good. seniority isn't marketable like experience is. you can build time faster as a cfi than you can at a regional since as a cfi you won't spend time in long training or on reserve. you won't regret being one where as you may regret jumping to a bad regional in order to get on with a better one. a cfi who builds time the "old fashioned" way has in my opinion also been more respected by other pilots.

 

In my book there is not substitute for the CFI work.. In many years of CFI 'ing i learned a lot and am still learning a lot.. It also prepares you well for the 'flight deck' environment where you have to spend x amount of days with a captain (and then with an F/O). If I had a dime for so many personalities I'd have my own airline right now..

 

Just because the airlines are not requiring anything more than a wet commercial multi certificate doesn't mean thats the experience they want. They are extremely desparate. From your point of view, the question becomes "well, if I do instruct, how do I know when Im ready to apply?" And I would say thats a difficult question to answer. But I would say look at the kind of experience you have after getting the bare bones minimums. Do you have any real PIC time, other than what you can legally log while recieving dual? Do you have actual instrument time? Do you have a good grasp on the ATC system in the IFR departure, enroute and terminal environments and do you know how to communicate acurately and quickly with ATC? This is the kind of experience you want a sufficient amount of before going to the airlines. Keep in mind, once you have that commercial certificate, you are instantly allowed to fly for hire. The airlines will hire you with the understanding that you are capable of dealing with everything that comes along with that, especially in the IFR environment and they do not spend any time re-teaching that stuff to you. Evaluate your experience honestly and choose wisely. Good luck!

 

Without some experience at something (like being a CFI) your odds of making it through a 121 training program go way down. Washouts happen nowadays and a few years ago when mins were a lot higher washouts happened a lot less.

Beware of trying to fly a jet with the absolute mins. Seriously. More people than you might think don't make it through to the line.

Not saying you shouldn't try, but beware of the new reality, which includes training failures.

 

No doubt in my mind you should do something to build some time before going to an airline. I don't even know where to begin with reasons.

Get your CFI/II/MEI and spend some time using them. You are in a good position, flight schools are desperate for instructors, as the regionals have sucked them dry. The school I left is now offering a few dollars an hour more than I was making when I left less than a year ago. You will probably be able to find an instructing job that pays more than a first year regional. Do it until you get bored, and then keep going for a few more months. You will learn a lot in the process, and be much more confident going into that interview, and into training.

 

I've instructed for two years and then some now and I have learned more in that two years than I did in the 4 years it took me to earn my certificates. I say get your CFI and do your time in the trenches for a while. You'll be glad you did. Plus, you'll have some stories to share later on down the road.

 

Do anything to get some experience...it doesn't have to be CFI. Do some banner towing, aerial photography, crop dusting (if able), reposition aircraft, fish spotting, etc etc etc.

CFI would be a good route, but you don't need to limit your choices to CFI or regional.

Or go to a regional...It doesn't really matter.

But I will say this....so far all the flying I did before I came to a regional was the most fun I've had in aviation =) I did aerial photography, and it was a blast.

 

i was a CFI for about a year, and loved the work, but hated the paycheck i was getting. I've talked to others from my school, and they have gotten a raise recently, with another one on the way, it wasn't a bad lifestyle, but it did get me accustomed to long hours, the majority of which were spent not flying, and not being paid...much like my current job.

Don't limit the scope of your search however, there are other things out there besides the typical CFI route. When i applied to the regionals, i was a definite low time guy by the standards of a couple years ago, and even with that time, i got a phone call about a month past training for a King Air position out in KS i had applied for months before. If i was suddenly "qualified" with that company, even though i hadn't updated my resume' i'd assume jobs of the same type are still out there, and as a result, would be another option for gaining some more real world flying experience, and lots of practical IFR experience, but it's still different from the regionals....