How quickly do hours build? (full time pilot)

[mnztr]

How many hours does a full time pilot typically spend flying? I am just looking at job ads and considering how quickly I could fly commercial if I started today. (not mainline but air ambulance or some lower tier regional turboprop). I am assuming I will come out of flight school with about 300 hours. So assuming I can get a some sort of starvation pay full time gig, how many hours a year can I accumulate?

TIA

[iflyforpie]

IF.... you get all of your ducks in a row and your ship comes in and you find the gold at the end of the rainbow during a solar eclipse and a transition of Venus.... around 500-1000 hours a year... with flight instruction on singles closer to 500/yr and F/O on a turboprop for a regional closer to 1000. It is very important that if you want an ATPL, to get PIC early on (preferably instructing, the only place you can gain night x-cntry PIC in a commercial environment easily) and make the jump at the appropriate time to twin IFR.

However, it sounds like you are counting your chickens before they hatch. I know lots of commercial pilots who never broke 400 hours. I am approaching ten years with a CPL--employed eight of those years--and I have 1700 hours.

Many choose, few are chosen.

[cdnpilot77]

IF.... you get all of your ducks in a row and your ship comes in and you find the gold at the end of the rainbow during a solar eclipse and a transition of Venus.... around 500-1000 hours a year... with flight instruction on singles closer to 500/yr and F/O on a turboprop for a regional closer to 1000. It is very important that if you want an ATPL, to get PIC early on (preferably instructing, the only place you can gain night x-cntry PIC in a commercial environment easily) and make the jump at the appropriate time to twin IFR.

However, it sounds like you are counting your chickens before they hatch. I know lots of commercial pilots who never broke 400 hours. I am approaching ten years with a CPL--employed eight of those years--and I have 1700 hours.

Many choose, few are chosen.

Agreed...I am 4years into the CPL and sitting comfortably in a King Air 200 with just under 1100hrs. Since arrival at the current company I have done about 250hrs 6 months.

[ahramin]

I'm pretty good at avoiding going to work. My biggest year was 400 hours, I've usually averaged 350, best year was 200.

[iflyforpie]

185hrs my last 365!

[niwre]

why the heck am I slaving away then.... 700 this year already
Just pick a job and career path you will enjoy and those hours will seem to go by quicker than you realize.

[Colonel Sanders]

I'm sort of a half full-time pilot. My logbook says I flew 300 flights last year. Hours are kind of irrelevant to me - for example, I might do this for 0.4 in my logbook, and that's enough for me for one day. Or a flight might be 4.0 in one of the twins, with me struggling to stay awake, watching the autopilot.

I guess if I was a full-time pilot, I'd average 600 flights a year, according to the arithmetic. Hard to get many flights in during the winter, this far north (eastern ontario) compared to say Florida. We spend a lot of time moving snow, pre-heating airplanes, etc.

It all depends upon what you're doing. You may log a lot of hours but not many flights. You might not log many hours but do a lot of cycles. I'm not sure it really makes any difference in the long run, because the airplane can't read. The airplane really doesn't care if you have 5k or 10k or 20k TT. Neither does that line of Cbs, or that layer of icing.

PS Flew twice today before 10am, and two more bookings today. Probably do another flight sometime today as well.

[rob-air]

Well a wise man once told me

''Dont worry about the hours, if you enjoy your job they will ad up quite fast''

[altiplano]

It is very important that if you want an ATPL, to get PIC early on (preferably instructing, the only place you can gain night x-cntry PIC in a commercial environment easily.

Why preferably instructing? I got an ATPL and never even considered instructing... and I know a ton of guys who will tell you the same.

[iflyforpie]

Why preferably instructing? I got an ATPL and never even considered instructing... and I know a ton of guys who will tell you the same.

I said why right after that statement. Unless you manage to get on a Navajo or some other twin piston jobbie that lets you get paid for flying at night, you are stuck at right seat in a turboprop unable to gain the hours that you need.

I know lots of guys who flew lots of big and small circles in the middle of the night in a 150 on their own dime to get their night requirements. Just trying to save somebody the hassle.

[Duncan Idaho]

I've been 600 - 1100 hours a year. Graduated with 207 hrs in 2007 and now at 4000 hrs, got my night pic flying singles charters coming back empty lol. Still wound up waiting til around 2600 to get my ATPL though cause I needed instrument and night. Six of one half a dozen kind of thing. I guess a guy could get his 50 night XC PIC as a copilot flying PIC under supervision though couldn't he? Not sure if you can log XC if you're IFR though so that may be tricky.

The guy above is correct though, if you enjoy what you do you don't have to worry about hours they will pile in. And if they aren't -- who cares -- you obviously have a good enough job already if you only work 100 days a year.

What I sincerely think is true though is that trying to B-line it to the airlines isn't a smart plan. For one thing, you don't know what job you want, you are in flight school and don't really know very much about aviation lol sorry, let alone what the best job for you is. And for another, sure, senior guys at FEDEX or AC and Cathay make huge coin, but they didn't always, when they started out there it was probably far less than a lot of turboprop captains make, so I don't think you can say that's the best way to make money either. What's fun about flying for me is doing new things, going to new places and learning about a new section of this vast and variegated business. Enjoy where you are now and how you're getting to where you want to wind up or I think you may have regrets.

[Krimson]

What I sincerely think is true though is that trying to B-line it to the airlines isn't a smart plan. For one thing, you don't know what job you want, you are in flight school and don't really know very much about aviation lol sorry, let alone what the best job for you is. And for another, sure, senior guys at FEDEX or AC and Cathay make huge coin, but they didn't always, when they started out there it was probably far less than a lot of turboprop captains make, so I don't think you can say that's the best way to make money either. What's fun about flying for me is doing new things, going to new places and learning about a new section of this vast and variegated business. Enjoy where you are now and how you're getting to where you want to wind up or I think you may have regrets.

Very well said.

Take the job you can enjoy. The hours will be there when you're ready to move on. The only exception I would say to this is the first job. I know I would have taken anything safe to make a break in the industry, if I didn't like the job I got, I would keep applying until I found somewhere I could sit for a few years. Luckily my first job was enjoyable, didn't have to instruct, and got the night PIC hours. It's wise to focus on all the command requirements while you can, but instructing is not the only way to go about it.

FYI, I do about 500/4 months (+/-50), followed by 8 months off

[CYCG]

Charters in the prairies, i get as low as 15 hours a month. Peak months about 65. Average over last 12 months has been 45 hrs. Salary, or else id starve!

[Colonel Sanders]

That's a good gig for an older guy with lots of hours if the pay is ok
(kind of a retirement job) but if you have less than say 3k TT I might
suggest that you move someplace else and build some TT, PIC,
multi PIC, multi turbine PIC, multi jet PIC, etc.

Times are good right now - gotta make hay while the sun shines.

[Doc]

I rather doubt I do more than 300 hours a year. I spend a lot more time sipping Coronas on my dock than I do flying. If you can pay the rent, keep the beer fridge full, get the odd date with hot chicks (the beer comes in handy here,,,,some need a few to appear "hot") keep gas in the Lada and find time to play the odd round of golf, who cares about the hours in your book.
I've done upwards of 1500 hours in a year.....it got me nowhere.
Work where you want to be. Don't "chase the tin", chase the lifestyle. You'll be happier, live longer, have less divorces....
You'll look back on this advice when you're 45-50, and realize I've been right all along. By then, your alimony payments will prevent you from having enough money to keep the beer fridge full.....

[Sulako]

I'll likely do 250 hours this year, over about 50-60 flights. I'm pretty happy with that arrangement - I'm on salary, and home almost every night to see my wife and little boy. Like Doc said, lifestyle is king.

[altiplano]

Why preferably instructing? I got an ATPL and never even considered instructing... and I know a ton of guys who will tell you the same.

I said why right after that statement. Unless you manage to get on a Navajo or some other twin piston jobbie that lets you get paid for flying at night, you are stuck at right seat in a turboprop unable to gain the hours that you need.

I know lots of guys who flew lots of big and small circles in the middle of the night in a 150 on their own dime to get their night requirements. Just trying to save somebody the hassle.

I think that to say "preferably instructing... the only place you can gain night pic easily" is an overstatement. There are tons of jobs that get you flying PIC at night, I suppose there are lots of flight schools that night ratings are few and far aswell... There are too many instructors sitting there to just get the time easily...

[iflyforpie]

There are too many instructors sitting there to just get the time easily...

Wasn't that the point I was trying to make? Isn't doing things the easy way generally the best way?

How is a flight instructor who wants to get hours and jump ship any different than some Ho driver flying into a reserve in BFN wanting to do the same thing? You are both inexperienced and responsible for paying customers' safety. You are both in a position to affect impressionable junior pilots.

You both would greatly increase the safety of your job and the quality of your work if you stayed longer, but it seems only flight instructors are encouraged to take a vow of poverty and selflessly dedicate their lives to their job.

[ant_321]

Only flew about 350 last year as an instructor due to the lack of students. Now I'm flying a 1900 working 3 days on 3 days off, home almost every night and putting somewhere around 900 a year in the book. Life is good.