Hi Guys,
I recently graduated from a college diploma program and am trying to decide what I want to do next. I have always thought about instructing and think that I would be a good instructor. Now it is something that I would like to do but not something that I want to spend my career doing. I think that I would enjoy it much more than working the ramp somewhere. I was just wondering for those of you out there that went this route how did you find it? Did you have trouble finding work after a couple years of instructing? Anyways just wanted to get the opinions of some people that have done it already.
Thanks
Question For The Instructors
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, Right Seat Captain, lilfssister, North Shore
Instructing is an ok route to take, if it suits you. If you hate instructing, just think of what you're doing to your poor students.
Anyways, instructing is a great way to build PIC hours for your ATPL, which really pisses off the ramp guys who lived the Cinderella story and got into the right seat of a turbine with 250 hours ... after how many years on the ramp?
Try to get on with a flight school that has multi-engine aircraft for instruction and charter. Multi-time (or the lack of it) is crucial to more experienced flight instructors, to allow them to make the jump into a 'ho or similar twin after they hit the magic 1,000 hour mark.
You probably don't want to have 5,000 hours of single-engine time in your logbook. Everyone here would commit suicide before they allowed that to happen to them.
Anyways, instructing is a great way to build PIC hours for your ATPL, which really pisses off the ramp guys who lived the Cinderella story and got into the right seat of a turbine with 250 hours ... after how many years on the ramp?
Try to get on with a flight school that has multi-engine aircraft for instruction and charter. Multi-time (or the lack of it) is crucial to more experienced flight instructors, to allow them to make the jump into a 'ho or similar twin after they hit the magic 1,000 hour mark.
You probably don't want to have 5,000 hours of single-engine time in your logbook. Everyone here would commit suicide before they allowed that to happen to them.
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Switchfoot
- Rank 4
- Posts: 290
- Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 1:46 pm
- Location: Twenty-four oceans, twenty-four skies.
Flight instructing can be both a blessing and curse. When I first started as a IV, I didn't feel qualified to teach. And to be honest, I wouldn't attribute that to anything other than a lack of experience. Over time however, it became more of an opportunity for me to exercise my skills and taught me how to teach, even though that skill is expected to be there prior to starting.
Now I'm a II and I'm comfortable with my teaching ability, and the results of my students prove that I'm good at it. Heck, I'm even earning a decent living!
But it's time for me to move on; I could do it forever but I have aspirations to see other facets of aviation.
You may find that you enjoy it, or you may not. If you don't enjoy it, don't stay with it just to bulid time. You will suffer and so will the students. Instructing can be good for many things; it'll get you some time for the ATPL and you'll learn some things, but like the other post suggests, don't do it forever. And try to get some multi time somewhere!
Have fun!
Now I'm a II and I'm comfortable with my teaching ability, and the results of my students prove that I'm good at it. Heck, I'm even earning a decent living!
But it's time for me to move on; I could do it forever but I have aspirations to see other facets of aviation.
You may find that you enjoy it, or you may not. If you don't enjoy it, don't stay with it just to bulid time. You will suffer and so will the students. Instructing can be good for many things; it'll get you some time for the ATPL and you'll learn some things, but like the other post suggests, don't do it forever. And try to get some multi time somewhere!
Have fun!
