I call this the 3000-Hour-CFI syndrome. It hurts me to see these guys working for peanuts accumulating worthless single engine time. It happens all the time. Not enough multi engine time, and barely enough money to survive let alone rent a multi engine plane. It typically happens at small shoddy FBOs that don't have any multi engine planes for instruction.

Very sad.

I pushed a friend of mine who had a ton of total time to get that elusive 100 hour multi time and apply to the regionals. He did, got hired, and then quit saying he couldn't live in a strange place away from home and the money was less than what he made being a CFI. So he went back to being a CFI.

I guess you have to know what you want and you have to have a plan and you have to pursue your plan at all costs. Most people don't though. It's a combination of inertia, apathy and resignation. Sad indeed.

This industry is hard and the times are harder still. But I don't get the CFI for life guy, or the FO at Eagle for life guy. There are better alternatives. Maybe it is worth pausing for a moment and reflecting on what the options are. What is the best route to the Majors?

 

Military.
Or whatever regional/commuer provides the fastest route to turbine PIC. Glass cockpit turbojet time really helps.

Corporate/Fractional could be a good alternative to the majors, but regional time is still probably the quickest path.

 

I've heard of the same story many times over the past couple of years. Its real tough right now indeed. Things are so tough that it makes me wonder if it will ever really return to the industry it once was.

 

Sometimes staying put pays off. I have a friend who has been at the same flight school for 15 years now. When he got hired all they had was a few 152's and a 182, now they have 7 Learjets and 2 challengers. The company stopped flight instruction 8 years ago. I called him an idiot for staying.

I have another friend who was a Cherokee 6 pilot in AK for 7 years. No twin time at all. He got hired at Alaska airlines over many others since HR liked his stability as an employee. Go figure....

SkyHigh

 

It will never go back to what it was. Of course some of it wasn't that great. Back in the 80's and 90's there were few regionals and it took around 4000 hours to get hired by one, and they rarely hired. Now anyone with a few hundred hours can get hired but the pay is low and the job bites. My guess is that in a few years even the majors will be like that.

SkyHigh

 

Life is what you make of it...Some people make lemonaide and other throw away the lemons...It all depends on the person.

I have two rules - never second guess, and things always work for the best.

I hope I don't sound too happy....Its just that I can't help but find the silver lining in things...

-LA

 

have two rules - never second guess, and things always work for the best.

I like that, the only thing you can do is work hard and hope things turn out for the best!

 

Well said!

 

I dont see anythng wrong with waneing to be a career CFI. I like teaching and I love flying. Whats wrong with combing the two. If I decide not to become an airline pilot, I would love to teach aviation in a college or university setting like Purdue or ASU or a community college. You dont make much money. But I am fine living with $50K a year. It al depends on your preerence.

 

$50K wow man you must have some serious students or something. I worked for one of the biggest flight schools in the nation (we flew almost 65,000 hours last year) and I was a Turbine instructor in a King Air Flew about 150 hours a month and only turned 40K last year. However I do know someone that has been instructing his whole life and actually holds the world record for time in pistons I hear (He has about 34,000 hours in them), and every day he comes in smiling like he just hit the powerball so yes your right it might be for some people. Yet I know its not for me