I know you definitely don't want to get involved with the CAPT (Commercial Airline Pilot Training) program. It may be named to something else in the near future, but regardless, don't go there. If they happen to not like you, they'll take your money, train you, but they'll hang you out to dry. Even if they do like you, you may still be hung out to dry since their post graduation job placement efforts suck more nuts than a cheap street ho. Be warned.

 

Hey ConnectionPilot. Sorry there are a lot of guys on here giving you a hard time. My advice is to get the cheapest training possible (which is not DCA) and get your CFI. The others are right, that is the quickest and best way to build experience. If you know someone who can hook you up with a ME charter job or something, then you could skip the CFI thing. You also have to understand something. I am not trying to bust your bubble, but just because you get your ratings, it is not like you have a choice of what regional you want to go to. The best thing to do is take the first job that offers better experience. Fly checks in a Barron. Go to a crappy regional like Colgan or Great Lakes. Although it is good you are thinking ahead, you are at least two years away from working for your choice of regionals, so for now walk a straight line and try not to put the cart in front of the horse.

 

The only problem with the flying checks suggestion that Flex has is that most of those operations will be single pilot 135 companies. Meaning that you'll need to find a way to build time up to that magical 1200 total for part 135 IFR mins.

I agree with being a CFI, then again I'm biased. It's amazing how well versed you become in the mechanics of flying and how much better you get when you're teaching it. I'm in that "the more I learn, the less I know" sentiment that was echoed earlier. Getting paid to build time isn't such a bad deal either.

 

Oh yeah i forgot about that. Thanks for the correction. However, I seem to remember AirNet hiring guys into the right seat somehow till they have 1200TT.

 

ConnectionPilot,

I was fortunate enough to be able to skip the instructor thing myself, and at times I feel like maybe I should have gone that route for some of the same reasons that the other guys are talking about. Such as, the more I learn the less I know, or learning the mechanics of flight in greater depth by being able to watch someone else screw up and have to find a way to help the student learn the correct way to do it. After all instructors don't teach, they show the student how to learn. So I learned in CFI ground at the 141 state university program I went through. I was able to get a job in the maintenance
hangar for the school I was attending just before I got my instrument and gained the experience required to get my A&P sign off while building time flying planes that had just been repaired or shuttleing them back and forth from the satellite campus to the main campus and the like. Got payed while getting discounts on training, and got to fly the Deans and Higher ups in the university. Then I got hired doing pretty much the same stuff for a company that leases aircraft to flight schools who don't have the capital to buy their own. I do all the maintenance flights for the hangar as well as deliver and pick-up planes to and from customers all over the country (true x-country time) in all kinds of weather in all kinds of airspace. I do all the flying, sometimes in a crew environment but usually not. I've flown with all kinds of instructors with all kinds of hours on acceptance flights and everytime am amazed at how far behind the plane most of these guys are. Not dissing on anyone here nor tooting my own horn but give me a break. I know I'm going to catch a lot of crap for "writing my life story" here, but simply telling you how I did it and that there are plenty of other ways to build your time and most importantly experience than sitting in the right seat saying more right rudder all day. Good Luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

Wow this is alot of helpful information. Even tho that might be your "life story" it helps me out. Its not that I don't want to be a CFI, its that I don't want to work for a school DCA for example, if its not going to be worth it. I've heard of Regional AA, and a few others, that I'm trying to look into right now.

 

I highly recommend that you go to Jet University. It worked for me and look who I fly for now! You can too by going there!




http://www.jetuniversity.com/

 

Yeah so I know I'm going to get **** for saying this but its just another option... I was in your situation about 4 months ago. I was a DCA student going into multi and I said to myself that I really dont want to be a flight instructor. I'm tired of training flights and I really dont want to teach.. I just didn't think it was for me. So I looked around. I went to Gulfstream airlines academy and it ended up being a great thing for me. No I'm not flying a jet and yeah I'm getting paid like a bag boy at the supermarket but its fun. I'm flying real routes with real people just like you will be in another year or so if you stay at DCA.. I'm not saying that DCA is a bad place at all. I think that they have a good system that works but I think its the long way around. Most people are going to tell you that GIA it a bad school and its a horrible company and what not but hey its like that anywhere. There are always going to be problems wherever you go. So many people hate mesa and freedom but atleast your flying a jet. I feel the same way about Gulfstream that it may not be the greatest but I know that I'm more happy flying the 1900 then I would be sitting in a cessna flying around Lake Apoka. Thats my take on it and thats my story...

 

How much did you pay for the opportunity?

 

I've heard that if you work for some place like Gulfstream, you might get blacklisted from the airlines. Is there any truth to this rumor? Apparantly, the airlines don't like the fact that you are PAYING to sit in a seat that is required to have a pilot as per the FARs. Then again, I guess working for a regional at $20k/yr is like paying to sit in that seat...