CFI required for Regionals?
 

Is a CFI certificate required to get hired at a Regional? Does it make a pilot more competitive, or do they just care about hours?

In my experience have the CFI was nice to have but in no way required or necessary. More licenses and certificates the better but to answer your questions it is not required.

Not requires as long as you have the flight time (ATP mins + however multi they want).

But when regionals interview GA pilots, the interview is tailored towards CFI's...so a non-CFI piston GA pilot is gong to get asked questions which go way back to commercial training knowledge. The CFI's teach that stuff every day, so they can answer the questions. A non-CFI will need to hit the books first.

Great thanks. So however I get the hours and licenses it doesn't matter, just that I have them?

Thanks. I have over 4,900 hours as a Flight Engineer in the Navy in a Boeing 707 variant with CFM engines. I imagine that would help?

In my experience the interview questions will be tailors to environment you're flying in prior to the interview in most cases, not going all the way back to the basics. So if you're flying 135 or 91K, etc expect aircraft systems questions and FAR along those lines.

In any interview of mine, it never went back to commercial or wherever you left off, it start at your experience level.

Your FE exposure to piloting can't hurt, just make sure you have part 61 and part 91 down cold and an excellent familiarity with part 121. It sounds like the CFI ticket would be easy for you given your experience, why not just dive in and get it?

Thanks. To be honest I don't really want to instruct, though I would do it and I feel that I would be good at it as I did it in the Navy. I just want to hurry up and get a job flying. I might consider just buying a block of multi time when I get to that point and knock it out in a week or two. Would that be frowned upon?

Not at all, the more recent experience the better especially ME time. Even if that means poking holes in the sky with a block of hours.

Its not required, but having a CFI will help in the interview and is a good way to build time if you need it to get to the ATP mins. Also helps in training as well, particularly the CFII. The Indoc test at my airline is a lot of AIM stuff that is easy if you have a CFII background because you teach it so much. Also a good thing to have a current CFI in case of furlough or if you have trouble finding a job. Lots of opportunities for CFIs right now.