After graduating ATP would you recommend flying for a part 135 charter airline, or should I work for a flight school as a flight instructor? I know that there is a benefit in using both types for gaining flight hours, but with the 135 route would I get more flight time than a flight instructor, and would it be quality time (PIC, turbine, twin-engine, etc…) that the airlines are looking for? Then again instructing at a flight school, really helps with getting everything you learned in flight school “stick” with you. So I’m not sure which route to take after flight school, just trying to find out where I’ll be after flight school.
Thanks,
Gabe
Also how many hours do most 135 charters require to work for them? And is there one for Flight instructing?
As you said there are advantages to both. My advice is as you get close to graduation you start looking at opportunities. If there are good instructor gigs take one, if there are good 135, go that way. The market is always changing and you need to make a decision based on the environment when you’re ready, not what you think might be a year from now.
Thanks Adam for your quick response. I guess that I’m a little long-sighted, and like to prepare for stuff, I think that I would like to work for a flight school as an instructor, but as we have seen in the last year with the corona virus things change rapidly. Thanks for the advice you and all the mentors have given me, without you all I would probably still think that all I had to do was get a PPL to fly at the airlines, lol.
Thanks,
Gabe
Really just depends on the company. Some 135 ops want to see 500. Others want more. Others want more plus TPIC. As Adam said, do some research when you get closer. I also recommend networking now.
I think instructing is the way to go, but in this environment take whatever you can get.
My flight instructor during my last 2 lessons last month was new to the school. Prior to COVID, he left his CFI job and had a job offer with SkyWest at age 22. COVID happened and left him without a job, and a friend of his heard about this school. He left Tennessee and came all the way to New York to start instructing again. That’s the reality of the current environment.
Btw, according to him, the school has been booming, and I can attest that it certainly doesn’t appear to be any less busy then it did 6 months ago
As an instructor for a company that has a Part 135 sister company I would suggest instructing first.
Most 135 operators want 500-750 hours for just SIC. For example our sister company I need 500 to be SIC for Part 135 turbine, 750(i believe) for Part 135 Instrument PIC in our single pilot planes, or 500 for Part 91 ops; some other job postings I’ve seen they want 1,000 or more and they can be more selective with Post-Covid world. The 2nd reason being as you said it really hones in your skills and most will bring on brand new instructors without any dual given.
A few short months ago I would have said to stick purely with flight instructing (if the airlines were your eventual goal). Nw I would recommend gaining some 135 experience as that might very well be the way of the future for some time here. As others have said, you might have to instruct for awhile to get to 500 hours (or more), but then if you can get a good 135 job, where you actually get to fly the airplane, then I would really consider that route.
Keep in mind there is a bottle neck building for those finishing training looking to move into either instructing or going 135. This bottleneck is deepening day by day making it a challenge to find any job…much less the one you think you want after training. The environment will likely change over the next year or two but how it will change is anybody’s guess. I’d imagine, however, that being competitive is going to matter…a lot.
It never hurts to look ahead and plan. But plan on being flexible, patient and positive. Control what you can in the moment right NOW (flight training and passing checkrides). You will want to be competitive for the few jobs that exist and that means having a stellar resume…little or no checkrides failures and a good reputation. Focus on doing THOSE things the best you can now (because they are in your control) and good karma will follow.
Thank you, gentlemen, for your response I really appreciate it. I will continue to research what path to take to the airlines, and as much as I would like to flight instruct, things can change rapidly and a 135 job doesn’t sound too bad at all and if I could get some PIC and turbine time it might be a viable alternative.
Another question I have is, do the regionals/majors have a preference for how I gain time?
Thanks again
Gabe
Yes and no. The Regionals don’t particularly care in the hiring phase. BUT if you’ve been simply sitting right seat slinging gear and can’t fly an approach you’re going struggle in training. That’s really why it’s not just a matter of quantity but quality of fight time.
Everyone seems to focus on building time quickly to get hired, but again if you wash out of training then all you’ll have is a story to tell your grandkids how you were almost an airline pilot.
Whether your job is part 91 or 135, make it count. No two jobs are the same. And 135 isn’t better than 91 and vice versa. The QUALITY of the flying is what counts.
Also, I think what you put into the job matters equally. You could work for a reputable company and hold a respectable position, but if you slack off and don’t take it seriously it will show when it comes time to perform.
You can get through an interview if you meet the minimum requirements and have a likable personality and the airline is desperate enough. You could have built the majority of your time 20 years ago and decided to get current and make it through the interview. Getting through training, however, is on you. Beyond that, handling yourself after training is the true test.
So, focus more on gaining quality flight experience and less on part 91/135. I’ve flown with a handful of pilots that built their time flying aerial photography (part 91) and I was surprised to learn how much actual IMC time they had because the job incorporated repo flights to get to their next job site. That just goes to show part 91 isn’t less than part 135. As Adam said, many jobs, 91 and 135, only need the pilot monitoring (PM) to perform PM duties. That won’t get you anywhere. Avoid those jobs unless you don’t have any other option. It’s better to be flying than not at all.
Yes, the airlines will absolutely look at how you gain the time. They want to see quality time building and are well aware of the types of jobs that do not really involve flying. Case in point, some corporate jobs involve a lot of flight planning, aircraft cleaning and radio talking, but not much flying at all. Now this is in no way to say that all corporate jobs are like this, but when interviewing for a corporate job it is important to ask how much actual flying you will do.