Buying Time
 

I have 1300 hours total with 150 hours of multi. I have not flown for two years except to keep currency. I am currently a dispatcher wanting to get back into flying. I am being told that the airlines do not look favorably on these places that sell right seat time. Is this true? I was looking at doing a first officer program through a freight company here. But if its going to do me more harm than good I won't. Your opinions?

You have 135 pic minimums. Don't pay for useless right seat time when you can be in the left seat. Go fly cargo for a year, gain invaluable experience, then worry about an airline job. 135 cargo sucks because of the schedule and pay, but you will really appreciate your airline job when you get it. Your fellow pilots will also respect your experience.

Paying for right seat time!
 

I agree with the previous poster. Not only will you recieve more respect for this, but you will be getting payed as opposed to paying for the time. The point your at in a flying career should be looked at as the college years. I don't know if you are familiar with "The Road not Taken" by Rober Frost, but many times people say what they wish they could have done if they could go back. Well If I could go back (Having a family makes this next to impossible) I wish I would have taken at least 6 months to go do some bush flying in AK or taken a job flying banners or something intersting like that. These jobs won't break the bank but you will always remeber the fun times. You have the rest of your life to sit in the airline cockpit bored to tears but you can't give up a senority # once you have it to go have a fun summer flying something else. Just my thoughts on it.:D

To summarize though DON"T PAY FOR TIME IN THE RIGHT SEAT!!!! You have enough time to get a job.

XtremeF150

So true! Flying cargo was the funnest flying I have ever done. It was also the scariest and most challenging. Getting that senority number is great, but you can't roll a passenger airplane when you feel like it.

You have plenty of time to get a job with any of a number of regionals. If you are out of currency, you may need a few hours, but you could rent a 152 for that. Start applying now.

Many of the places that sell right seat time do it in airplanes that are not certified for two pilots...in reality you are buying an airplane ride! That kind of time does not count as SIC or for any rating. If you add it to your total time column, most airlines would consider that dishonest (technically you can log anything you want, including riding lawnmower time, as long as you don't try to use it for an FAA requirement)

I would agree with the other posters, with the way the hiring is going now, there is no reason to buy right seat time. I would go and work on another rating in order to get current. I am not sure but you may be able to get an ATP that is restricted until you hit the hour requirements. That would be ideal, flight time followed up with a checkride would look good on the resume. I would look into ATP's 10 hour program, it would get you multi current as well. Flight Express is a good way to go for 135 flying. I think the contract is down to 6 months, but you can leave early, you just have to pay back the training bonus. That may have change also. Main thing is get current, get hired somewhere without a long training contract. Then you can start sending resumes to the airlines and pretty much be guaranteed to get an interview.

You can get an ATP that is restricted to domestic only if you don't meet ICAO mins, and then get the restriction removed later by documenting that you have reached the ICAO numbers.

You cannot take a regular ATP checkride unless you meet at least FAA mins.

Im in a similar situation as you, albeit with much less hours. I, too was considering paying for some multi time. But I thought long and hard about it and I heard that airlines frown upon it. Another contributing factor was the spike in oil which led to a spike in the fees to fly the plane...from $7500 to $10,200. This would have been for 100 hrs multi plus an MEI. For $7500, that didn't sound too bad, but not 10.2, especially if it harms more than helps. I have since decided to do my MEI elsewhere and instruct...it won't kill me. Good luck.

Look into a place called Shebly Aviation in NV and AZ. I believe they have a web-site. I understand you can CFI there after getting your ME ratings.

Don't pay for something you can earn thru work. It will look better and will be one less thing to have to explain away at an interview.

-LAFF

Sorry Rickair, but I'm going to press my B.S. button on ya. As long as the person has a 121/135 SIC checkride, he/she can log SIC in any type aircraft that is authorized by the checkride. This is regardless of whether it's single pilot certified or not. This time is legal and accepted by the FAA for certificate requirements. As far as the airlines are concerned it's up to them, but most accept it.