So I was watching a cargo pilot the other day on his YouTube channel talking about how his FO was a 56 or so year old man who had bought a plane and gotten all his ratings to get to where he currently was In his career. I’m just wondering if you don’t become a CFI, would a regional or eventually a major take look down on this? I think I read somewhere or maybe on here (heck I might have even asked before) and it was mentioned that not everyone is good at teaching and that would be the last thing you wanted was an instructor he didn’t enjoy teaching. Obviously it didn’t hurt the pilot the man was talking about, just curious if most everyone in the airline world has been a CFI in their career or have you mentors met people that weren’t.
Anthony,
Being a CFI is not a requirement for the airlines, never was never will be. That said while there are other routes being a CFI is by far the most common. Why? Because when you complete you training with your Commercial Pilot license you’ll have approx. 250hrs of flight time. If you don’t want to instruct the question becomes how are you going to build the required 1500hrs you need to fly for an airline? The reality is there are very few jobs out there (other than instructing) that will hire a pilot with 250hrs. Many companies have insurance requirements that prohibit it and others frankly can do better. Many pilots don’t enjoy instructing which is why many look to jump ship as soon as they can. For many that means 500hrs, 750hrs whatever but regardless those pilots have 2-3 times the flight time and experience that you will with your 250hrs. So the question isn’t whether the airlines care if you have your CFI, it’s how are you going to build the required time to get an interview?
The next issue becomes ok, you lucked out, you found some flying gig slinging gear and loading bags on a King Air and the Capt even let’s you fly and land every now and then. While you’ll building time to get that interview you’re doing ZERO to improve, sharpen or even maintain you’re flying skills. Flight instructing does. While the good news is EVERYBODY with 1500hrs and pulse is getting hired and that’s great. The bad news is the Regionals are experiencing the highest fail rates in history! Getting hired doesn’t mean a thing if you can’t pass training and if those 1500hrs are just a number and don’t reflect any actual skill you just wasted a year or 2 of your life just to be told you have no skills.
Adam
Adam, thanks for the insight. It’s always a pleasure to read your post as I always find some humor in them. On a side note, spent 15 hours today between airports/planes today with a 9 hour layover. The whole time I was monitoring the pilots. I’m pretty sure on my flight in from SPS there were to CAs as both had the same amount of bars which I found odd. During the 9 hour layover in DFW, I was observing what the pilots do during the pre-flight walk around. I’m assuming the same thing military pilots do while I’m deployed and get to assist them playing crew chief, which is a visual inspection of the plane, checking the ports, tires, etc…
If there were two pilots in the cockpit with 4 bars, it was likely that one was a jumpseater or they were going through upgrade IOE, or UOE.
Not sure Jordan. Envoy flight crew from SPS to DFW. Did fly SkyWest from DFW to MEI and concluded I prefer the CRJ200 over the 900 or whatever based on the fact I can prop my foot on the ledge by the window on the 200 with it being flat compared to the 700 or 900 or 175 or whatever Envoy used swing as how their ledge isrolled somewhat making my foot slide off…haha
Anthony,
Plenty of pilots build their flight hours in ways other than being a CFI. People fly cargo, traffic watch, parachute jumpers, etc. the airlines do prefer to see CFI time as it is very high quality time, but plenty of people go other routes and get to the airlines just fine.
Anthony,
Sometimes you will see two captains flying together. Usually this is because one of them is going through training and a special captain, called a “check airmen” it flying in the first officer’s seat providing instruction.
As for the walk around, yep, same stuff.
Chris
Anthony,
You would be the only person out there that prefers the CRJ 200 to anything…
Chris
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