Single engine turbo or piston multi
 

Which time will make a low hour pilot more marketable, single engine turbo prop (Caravan) or piston twin time?

IMHO multi is always a good thing, but thats just me.

Depends what your goal is. Most airlines like to see multi time as opposed to caravan time.

Thank you for the feedback would you bypass a potential Caravan job to pursue an illusive multi piston job?

Personally, I would because I wanted to get into the airline track of the business. They seem to all have requirements for several hundred hours of Multi time, and when the hiring starts up again you can bet the minimums will be at least in the 200-300hr Multi time range.

Multi……….....

Though I also agree, take the multi over the caravan, I would not pass up the Caravan job in order to keep looking for a multi job. Keep looking while you're flying the Caravan.

Flight time and being employed are a lot more marketable than "I sat around for 8 months looking for a job to be able to put on my resume for you guys."

If you had offers from two places all other things being equal.. I would say multi... however, if you have an offer of a caravan job and no offer of a multi job... then sounds like caravan is the way to go.... and who knows, maybe that will lead to the corporate world which might just be a better career anyway...

Thanks for the advice. I have a good lead on a Caravan job, but no immediate prospects for multi

I was in this exact same position back in 2005 as the flood gates of regional hiring were opening. While flight instructing, I had been offered a job flying a PC-12. At the same time, the flight school I was working at was quickly losing MEIs to the airlines. Thinking my ultimate goal was the airlines, I passed on the PC-12 job, did my MEI and quickly had several multi-engine students dumped in my lap. Looking back, I probably would have done the same thing. But if I thought my goal was corporate flying, I might have gone after the PC-12 gig.

If that's the case and you are flying single-engine pistons right now, I'd take the Caravan job and keep looking for that multi time. Depending on what the Caravan gig is, it could lead you to something more marketable like twin-turbo prop or jet time.

Without knowing all the details, this appears on the surface to be a no-brainer. Take the Caravan job! Great airplane, and FedEx feeders use the type...may open a door later on you didn't know was there.

Also, I got hired flying regional jet with more piston twin time than normal, and lost a recent job prospect flying King Air 200's because I specifically had no turbo-prop time. Ouch! If I'm not mistaken, the Caravan uses the Pratt PT-6 also, and will give you knowledge of turbine engine management.

Just something to think about.

The Answer
 

First off in this economy you would think Twin Cessnas or Caravans had type ratings, which they dont. People want specific requirements. Right now with hundreds of hours of twin cessna time one could get a job in a Twin Cessna quicker than a guy with hunderds of hours in a Caravan and vice versa.

Now lets say in a normal economy. (Not 2007-08 hiring boom)

Airline-Get about 300 ME

Corporate/135- Single Engine Turbine will get you farther. Most operators will take a guy with caravan time and 300 ME. But with 1000 ME and no turbine they dont want to trust you with their expensive jet engines. HOWEVER...lol...its a mind screw...most requirements to be an SIC in any corporate jet are around 2,000 TT and 1,000 ME.

If you are flying a Caravan and already have 1000 hours turbine...get to a piston twin asap. And vice versa.

The airlines dont matter as far as lots of turbine or lots of multi in nomral economic climates.

Corporate/135 good gigs...get 1000 ME PIC and 1000 SE Turbine PIC as fast as you can. Sure its great to get 1000 Turbine ME in one shot but that is not realistic. Once you can say you have 1000 turbine and 1000 ME you are ready to get a ME Turbine Prop or Jet job.

And make sure you understand that SIC in Piston Twins or Single Engine Turbines are not worth much. PIC is what we are talking about here.

Good luck.

Thanks again for the great advice

I was recently in this situation and had to make a decision...I was flying both a King Air and a Caravan part time for two different operators...Had roughly 300 multi, and 500 turbine. The Caravan operator made me an offer for full time, and around the same time, a piston multi operator also made an offer for full time.

The way I see it, what good is thousands of hours of single engine turbine, if you don't have the minimum multi to even submit your resume to that dream job that requires 1,000 multi to be looked at.

It was a hard decision, but what really pushed me towards the piston multi was something a friend of mine at the caravan operator said to me, and to paraphrase, "I have 40 hours of multi engine time...Unless someone wants to take a chance on my low multi, i'm stuck here". This is coming from a Caravan/PC-12 PIC.

My goal is to remain 91/135, and my hope is to reach 1000 multi within a year. I don't have a lot of turbine time, but between the two King Air Flight Safety's (Initial/Recurrent), and the time logged, i'm hoping it's enough to show someone I understand how a turbine engine works, and how to operate it.

Depending on the economy, the "filler" job you take today, may not be something you can leave in 12 months for the next best gig. You very well may end up doing 1-2 years with them before you can move on.....Certainly keep that in mind.

I would not by pass anything right now homie.

Like others said, don't pass up a flying job unless it has some ridiculous training contract (like three years).

If you have a choice:

If you are airline bound: ME will serve you getter. When regional hiring resumes, assume that competitive mins to even get called for an interview will be 1500TT and 300+ ME. Once you are at the interview, some turbine time will help, but if you don't have 300 ME you will not even be called. Also some of the other folks here have missed something: Congress has a bill in process which will require (among other things) that airlines place an increased emphasis on ME time. No specific ME time requirements are spelled out, but if that law passes nobody will be getting an airline job without hundreds of ME hours.

If you are corporate bound (or possibly interested) it is more complicated. Like others have said, you will need turbine time but insurance requirements will also dictate ME time. If you are headed down this road, consider which would be easier to get later, turbine or ME? Also consider who the potential employer is...if you can get a job at 135 or even 91 operator who has larger airplanes you might be able to move up eventually. My gut feeling would still be get the twin time first...most potential corporate jobs are in ME airplanes, and lack of ME time will probably hurt you more than ASEL PT-6 time will help you.

Bypass it, then let me know where it is, so I can take it! I have thousands of hours of total, multi, and jet time...and can't get a flying job.

I loved the Caravan. Fun to fly, comfortable, good coffee cup holder.

No, I wouldn't pass up a Van job for something that doesn't exist presently.

Don't forget the heat vents on the cargo 'van does a great job heating up a can of Beanie Weenies.

Just don;t forget to break the seal or the can will explode :eek: