What next after CPL/ME/IR ?

[CaptainR]

Hi guys. I want your opinion in this matter.
I completed my CPL/ME/IR and have 201 flying hours. I am now searching for a job and also looking for a way to build my flying hours. At present i consider two options i.e.
a) do instructor rating and search for a job as an instructor
b) do the boeing type rating and look for a job in an airline.
Can somebody give me a sincere suggestion ? Which is the better option. Or is there any other option ?
Thanks in advance.

[Krimson]

option b) will not be an option in Canada. If you are going overseas it would be better if you have the money to relocate, get started, get a type rating, and only a potential for employment. Set something up before you go.

There are other options than instructing if you are looking to stay in Canada.

[esp803]

completed my CPL/ME/IR and have 201 flying hours. I am now searching for a job and also looking for a way to build my flying hours. At present i consider two options i.e.
a) do instructor rating and search for a job as an instructor
b) do the boeing type rating and look for a job in an airline.
Can somebody give me a sincere suggestion ? Which is the better option. Or is there any other option ?
Thanks in advance.

ohhhhh goody!!!!!

Where to begin, where to begin....

A) Do you enjoy instructing? If you want to become an instructor just to build time.... DON'T. This industry has enough low time instructors with zero experience. The blind leading the blind... If you genuinely enjoy instructing and are there because you LOVE what you are doing, then by all means get a rating, if not, go get a ramp job somewhere.

B) Boeing type rating and look for an airline job? I'm just going to sit back and watch this one. I'll let you know though, if ever I saw a resume from a 201 hour pilot with a boeing type rating I would throw straight into the garbage.

Before you get flamed to crisp for suggestion buying a type rating on a large jet to get a job, might I suggest applying at perimeter, Keewatin, SLSS, Transwest, Summit, Tindi... and many others that will get you your start eventually.

E

[SM16]

Do not go get a type rating. That is the worst thing you could do right now

[Colonel Sanders]

You need more hours.

You need to develop more skill and knowledge.

You need to get to know more people.

The three above have almost absolutely nothing
to do with each other. Figure out how to do all
of them.

[Shiny Side Up]

The three above have almost absolutely nothing
to do with each other. Figure out how to do all
of them.

Fortunately though, they can all be done simultaneously. If you're clever. It will require a lot of hanging out at airports.

[cbty]

Basically, if you don't know anybody or you are not an Einsten, you need money.

Get a F.I. rating asap, then make some hours to reach at least 500hrs. After that if you still have money left and you are graduate try to apply to any airliners or company looking for pilots (if there are) .

Otherwise if you are not graduate or the previous step didn't work ,and you have still money, buy a type with 500 hrs experience program (IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE 500HRS INCLUDED FORGET ABOUT IT. You have been warned!) and then good luck after that!

[Big Pistons Forever]

Get a F.I. rating asap, then make some hours to reach at least 500hrs.

If you chose the instructor route you should only do it if you genuinely want to teach. Instructing can be a very good start to a flying career, it certainly was for me, but it is essential that you are motivated to be the best instructor you can be.

This industry already has more than enough right seat warmers, only interested in their own advancement, not good flight instruction........

[SM16]

Basically, if you don't know anybody or you are not an Einsten, you need money.

Get a F.I. rating asap, then make some hours to reach at least 500hrs. After that if you still have money left and you are graduate try to apply to any airliners or company looking for pilots (if there are) .

Otherwise if you are not graduate or the previous step didn't work ,and you have still money, buy a type with 500 hrs experience program (IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE 500HRS INCLUDED FORGET ABOUT IT. You have been warned!) and then good luck after that!

I'm going to have to disagree with you on that. Not the f.i route, but the type rating. Company's have training bonds in place so they will pay for you and you pay back by signing a year contract or you pay half though 2 years or what ever it be. But I can promise you that it will not get you a job any faster. Go spend that money renting a plane and getting the hours or buy a car or a house or invest. Please don't get a type rating.

And let's say you get a type rating. What plane are you going to get it on. B1900 c208 pc12? You're gambling your money.

Maybe there was a success story or two where they did get a type rating. And got a job. But it's not worth the risk.

So readers digest. DON'T GET A TYPE RATING!!

[CaptainR]

Yeah I checked before in other topics posted in this forum that if you are not genuinely interested in Instructing then do not do the instructor rating. Also one of my instructors told me the same thing.

Anyways Thanks guys for the amazing replies. I'll take them into my consideration

[Colonel Sanders]

A perfectly valid alternative (some might even say better)
than instructing, is to buy (or get a partership in) a cheap
time-building aircraft and put 500 PIC hours on it, flying all
over North America, then sell it.

Or, you can move to some horrible place that no one else
wants to live, and work the ramp for a company that no
one else wants to work for (except for 80 other 200 hr
wonders) and hope for a right-seat turbine Cinderella story,
in which case you will be back here in a few years complaining
that right seat time doesn't count 1:1 towards your ATPL,
and why the hell is that?!

[Nwtflier]

I cringed so hard when I read option B.

Thought he was going to get destroyed by you guys!

Anyways go work the ramp/dock, preferably somewhere that you can get some pic without jumping ship.

Cheers

[Aviatard]

if ever I saw a resume from a 201 hour pilot with a boeing type rating I would throw straight into the garbage.

Pay for your PPL? Check.
Pay for your CPL? Check.
Multi? Check.
IFR? Check.

Pay for a Type Rating? You're an evil, job stealing rich boy who doesn't deserve a second look. You're not fair to the other guys who earned their spot. You probably do other bad things when no one is looking.

This makes sense in some universe.

[SM16]

if ever I saw a resume from a 201 hour pilot with a boeing type rating I would throw straight into the garbage.

Pay for your PPL? Check.
Pay for your CPL? Check.
Multi? Check.
IFR? Check.

Pay for a Type Rating? You're an evil, job stealing rich boy who doesn't deserve a second look. You're not fair to the other guys who earned their spot. You probably do other bad things when no one is looking.

This makes sense in some universe.

Define "earned their spot"?

[Nwtflier]

Having 250 hours and sitting right seat in a 705 machine is dangerous and completely unfair to the skipper you're flying with. Not to mention the people sitting behind you who expect at least some competence from the flight crew. I don't agree with paying for type ratings whether its a king air or a 737, but I definitely don't agree with 250 hour guys up front either.

[SMELS]

If I had a type rating at first I would feel like I left everyone in the dust... but that would soon wear off and I would realize how bland my chosen career path became and would wish I had the chance to explore other aviation jobs.

Unless all you EVER wanted to do was be an airline pilot go work a few small time gigs and see what real flying is about

[esp803]

Pay for a Type Rating? You're an evil, job stealing rich boy who doesn't deserve a second look. You're not fair to the other guys who earned their spot. You probably do other bad things when no one is looking

I just don't want people to start expecting me to fork out 40k for my next job... It already cost me as much as a degree to get into, doesn't need to cost anymore. As others have said to, you should learn how to really fly before jumping behind something that goes 10 miles a minute with 400 unsuspecting victims on board. A little hard work never hurt anyone.

E

[Cat Driver]

Having 250 hours and sitting right seat in a 705 machine is dangerous and completely unfair to the skipper you're flying with. Not to mention the people sitting behind you who expect at least some competence from the flight crew.

I guess the big airlines in Europe have not figured that out yet.

Oh well at least the European ATPL requires a bit more knowledge and training than the Canadian ATPL which is just a slightly upgraded CPL.

[esp803]

I guess the big airlines in Europe have not figured that out yet.

If you use Air France as an example, then no, no they have not.

E

[Cat Driver]

Help me out with this.

Did Air France have a problem with 250 hour new pilots?

[SMELS]

Air France could kill two birds with one stone... Make their new pilot wonders wash the planes for a couple years before you give them the key's, then they would be just like a pilot in Canada, and their planes might actually look white. Now thats Experience!

[esp803]

Did Air France have a problem with 250 hour new pilots?

Nope, they had a problem with very experienced Airbus crews who have never flown an airplane (barring sim) without an autopilot, FMS, EFIS, INS and countless other acronyms that have little to no meaning to me. I'm not saying a 250 hours pilot can't handle a fully loaded A330, but as I've said before, when shit hits the fan I'd like to think the guys/gals up front can fly the airplane and save my ass a-la Air Canada 143, Air Transat 236, US Airways 1549, United 232... In some of those cases mistakes were made by the pilots, but they managed to not kill everybody on board from what should have been a recoverable incident.

I don't care if you think they are competent, but it will be a while before you see me on Air France, ANY Chinese Airline (based on what I saw for training at the cookie cutter institutes in Canada doing their commercial training), Keystone, and several others...

E

[Cat Driver]

For sure there are some really scarey airplane handling accidents and near accidents and some airlines seem to have more than others.

I see there was another real serious below the approach profile in SFO during a visual approach again, this time the tower initiated the go around.

The problem is far more systemic than just low time new hires.

[esp803]

I concur, I just like to think that experience helps mitigate the problem... Glass half full?

[Cat Driver]

Nothing trumps experience especially in flying.

The problem is we are in the inbetween stage in the airline business where technology has advanced faster than experiience in using said technology is showing up as the training for these jobs evolves.

Having worked in Europe for many years and compared their level of flying experience with North American pilots I like you feel more comfortable if I know the crew have a background of manual flying in their experience as pilots.

We are seeing more examples of this when visual approaches are going wrong.