Turbine job or Instruct?

[omega]

Low time guy with an opportunity to do about an 150 hours a year on a single engine turbine while working in a different full time position for the same operator. However I need to build as many hours as possible and considering leaving to become a full time instructor.

Not sure what the better road is, stick around and do 150 turbine hours a year or leave and go instruct and get about 600-800 a year. Unfortunately I cannot do both...one or the other

What would you do?? Walk away from the turbine gig or go instruct and get ATPL's???

[180]

If your goal is to log as many hours as quickly as possible, well, you've already answered your own question. Good luck...

[rapid602]

I used to be an Operations Manager,

A guy with 300 Hours Turbine Time. Left Seat ? or Right Seat?

A Guy with 1500 PIC hours as an instructor ... ( HIRED TO BE A CO PILOT )

Perimeter is looking for 1000 total time and a class 3 instructor rating and you will get all of the Multi PIC you want., teaching Multi IFR .... not a bad gig.

Why does no one want to fly anything with Pistons on it????

[trey kule]

Why does no one want to fly anything with Pistons on it????

Allow me to offer a suggestion. Read the OP here. Instructing is all about building hours for the old career path. And that unfortunately is the mindset of far to many instructors out there. They want the turbine time to progress to the big show (as they call it). And that attitude gets passed off to their students. Oh yes, they will tell you, but I will be a super instructer. And then listen to them talk in front of their students.

I am quite surprised a company would expend the time and money for training on a pilot only to have them fly 150 hours a year.. Or is this read the book, jump in the right seat,,dont touch anything, ,and yeah, you can log it right seat time in the turbine.

When it comes to pistons, most new CPLs simply do not believe they have to much to really learn about basic flying..they say they do, but it does not show up in their attitude towards their job.
And, as I already stated, they think turbine time is pretty much a requirement for the next step on the career ladder. And it seems nowadays, climbing the career ladder is what it is all about. I dont read many posts about pilots just wanting to fly. The questions are always what is best for my career.

to bad really. If the original poster takes the instructor route just to build time, it is his student s who will suffer, and the merry go around will continue.

[SuperchargedRS]

Why do folks have such a thing for turbine, I mean it is not rocket science and in many ways easier then piston.

If you just are looking for what "looks" best, flying for 800hrs PIC or 150hrs right seat turbine padding your log, doesnt seem like much of a question to me.

I let my girlfriend ride along in the right seat too (heck I bet she gets almost 100hrs a year lol), however I wouldn't hire her over someone that actually is a real PIC pilot now would I?

If you want something that will look real good, find a traffic watch or maybe a pipeline patrol (that one might be hard with low time), or if you really want to impress folks go to Africa and learn to really fly a airplane for a season or two, come back with some good hours, really good experience I blow the kiddies with token turbine time out of the water.

[omega]

It's not so much a choice over turbine or piston...it's the equipment they have, that's all.

I work full time ramp and joined in the early stages of training. Now that I my Cpl and IFR I got my pcc on their plane and fly when my ramp schedule allows me to go fly. The plane doesn't fly that much to begin with and if I only get on once in a while I figure it would be about 150 hours a year.

As for instructing, I would love it. Yes it would be a time builder but I would care enough to see they understand and learn as much as they can.

Just trying to figure what to do and looking for opinions.

[Big Pistons Forever]

It's not so much a choice over turbine or piston...it's the equipment they have, that's all.

I work full time ramp and joined in the early stages of training. Now that I my Cpl and IFR I got my pcc on their plane and fly when my ramp schedule allows me to go fly. The plane doesn't fly that much to begin with and if I only get on once in a while I figure it would be about 150 hours a year.

As for instructing, I would love it. Yes it would be a time builder but I would care enough to see they understand and learn as much as they can.

Just trying to figure what to do and looking for opinions.

A lot of coporate aircraft only fly about 300 hrs a year. Getting a 150 hours means you are going to have to fly every other flight. Is that realistic ? Single turbines are usually used on shorter trips. If the average leg is 1.5 hours then 150 hours is 100 legs a year or you flying 2 times a week. Is that realistic ? I am not being critical just suggesting some things to think about. As for the instructing route, I have no problems with new pilots that use an instructor job to get their first 1000 hours or so before moving on to the MEIFR job or some other segment of industry, that is what I did.

The important thing is that while you are an instructor you be the best instructor you possibly can be. Good instructing is hard work and unfortunately not very valued in this industry. Good instructors take pride in their students progress and use their time as an instructor to increase their own skills and knowledge. They evaluate how they are doing and work to fix those areas where they are not as effective an instructor as they should be. They read widely and listen to what other more experienced pilots have to say. If you truly want to make a commitment to being a good instructor then by all means consider this route. If you are looking at an instructor job as a fast way to get 800 hours so you can move on to a better job then please don't do it. We have more then enough guy/gals warming the right seat of a Cessna until they can get a "real" job, with no interest in providing good instruction already.......

[Diadem]

It's not so much a choice over turbine or piston...it's the equipment they have, that's all.

I work full time ramp and joined in the early stages of training. Now that I my Cpl and IFR I got my pcc on their plane and fly when my ramp schedule allows me to go fly. The plane doesn't fly that much to begin with and if I only get on once in a while I figure it would be about 150 hours a year.

As for instructing, I would love it. Yes it would be a time builder but I would care enough to see they understand and learn as much as they can.

Just trying to figure what to do and looking for opinions.

Does the company have other aircraft onto which you could progress after building some experience? Do they have any multi-engine aircraft? If so, then in the long run it might be more advantageous to stick it out rather than take three to six months to get an instructor rating with no guarantee of a job. Conversely, would the company hire you back in a better position if you had 1000 hours with 900 PIC? If there's no career progression with the company for which you currently work, it certainly isn't to your benefit to remain there; whether to get your instructor rating is another issue entirely.

[flying4dollars]

Allow me to offer a suggestion. Read the OP here. Instructing is all about building hours for the old career path. And that unfortunately is the mindset of far to many instructors out there. They want the turbine time to progress to the big show (as they call it). And that attitude gets passed off to their students. Oh yes, they will tell you, but I will be a super instructer. And then listen to them talk in front of their students.

If the original poster takes the instructor route just to build time, it is his student s who will suffer, and the merry go around will continue.

I whole heartedly agree. Instruct because you want to teach people who are wanting to learn to fly. Instruct them on the things you learned yourself. Instruct them on whatever you feel might be important to ones flying career or hobby.

I don't believe you should instruct solely as a way to build PIC time and leave. The PIC time you build doesn't equate to the operational PIC time you'll gain in the real world. Sadly, these days, time is time and not many companies care about what kind of time it is anymore.

[omega]

Ok, I promise I will be the best instructor possible!!

Now, what is valued more...lots of TT or low TT with turbine, Class A Airspace, USA experience??

[rapid602]

I responded to this a few days ago, and maybe you read my comment and then maybe you may have missed it. I will try and make my point again.

I used to be an Operations Manager and had to hire Co Pilots and Captains to fly
Cessna 401's, MU-2's, and Cessna Citations.

When we were looking for pilots if you were a 500 pilot with some time in the right seat of a turbine single or twin it really didn't matter. However if you had 1000 or 1500 hours as an instructor, with a Multi IFR, my take is you know your stuff. Getting an instructor rating isn't very easy to get, and I wish I had one. ( Never, ever had one) An instructor Rating is probably the most valuable rating you can ever have, and it can always make you money.

So unless that 150 hours of Turbine time was in an F18, it really doesn't mean much. I would hire the 1000 hour or 1500 hour instructor over 150 hours of turbine time. If in a year or so, this new pilot had 500 of turbine time and his desicion making skills were good he would be close to a left seat.

Being an instructor not only lets you teach, it teaches you how to teach and interact with all kinds of different people. You may not like them, they may not like you. It does teach you how to work around such things, and these skills will follow you through your career.

I have a Multi IFR, and 1600 hours of Turbine Time and lots of it is left seat, and I am thinking of getting an instructor rating. I wish I had gotten it years ago. It teaches you so much.

However if I was looking at resumes and you have less then 1000 hours, the instructor gets the job (Usually). Somedays you are the CoPilot and some days you are the Captain. It is all building blocks in your bag of tricks to become the best pilot you can be. If you are a good enough pilot with good knowledge some guy some where will give you the turbine job. But in MY OPINION ... 150 hours of right seat turbine time doesn't give you a resume.... it's just one more line of the resume.

[SuperchargedRS]

I responded to this a few days ago, and maybe you read my comment and then maybe you may have missed it. I will try and make my point again.

I used to be an Operations Manager and had to hire Co Pilots and Captains to fly
Cessna 401's, MU-2's, and Cessna Citations.

When we were looking for pilots if you were a 500 pilot with some time in the right seat of a turbine single or twin it really didn't matter. However if you had 1000 or 1500 hours as an instructor, with a Multi IFR, my take is you know your stuff. Getting an instructor rating isn't very easy to get, and I wish I had one. ( Never, ever had one) An instructor Rating is probably the most valuable rating you can ever have, and it can always make you money.

So unless that 150 hours of Turbine time was in an F18, it really doesn't mean much. I would hire the 1000 hour or 1500 hour instructor over 150 hours of turbine time. If in a year or so, this new pilot had 500 of turbine time and his desicion making skills were good he would be close to a left seat.

Being an instructor not only lets you teach, it teaches you how to teach and interact with all kinds of different people. You may not like them, they may not like you. It does teach you how to work around such things, and these skills will follow you through your career.

I have a Multi IFR, and 1600 hours of Turbine Time and lots of it is left seat, and I am thinking of getting an instructor rating. I wish I had gotten it years ago. It teaches you so much.

However if I was looking at resumes and you have less then 1000 hours, the instructor gets the job (Usually). Somedays you are the CoPilot and some days you are the Captain. It is all building blocks in your bag of tricks to become the best pilot you can be. If you are a good enough pilot with good knowledge some guy some where will give you the turbine job. But in MY OPINION ... 150 hours of right seat turbine time doesn't give you a resume.... it's just one more line of the resume.

That's sums it just about all up right there

[omega]

Rapid602...well taken and understood. Thanks for the excellent insight.