Many years ago, as a private pilot with multiengine and instrument ratings, I was looking for a way to move on. I was in college and still wasn't sure whether I wanted to be a professional pilot. In the meantime, flying was expensive and building hours in twin-engine aircraft was costing me. My two brothers were moonlighting as professional pilots for a company, and I utilized connections to fly along on charter trips. I would be an unpaid pilot, which was a bummer. However, I was racking up hours on all the deadhead (non-revenue) legs at no cost to me. I was gaining valuable experience flying in all types of weather in a crew environment.
The pilots with whom I flew reported back to the chief pilot on my performance behind the yoke. That led to a conditional job offer when I reached 500 hours total time, the minimum number of hours to be pilot in command of a VFR Part 135 flight. Since I was a full-time student, building the hours meant working for free, but the experience as a charter pilot proved crucial to my landing freelance flying jobs and eventually a job at an airline. I also established relationships with pilots who went on to other jobs, securing contacts for the future in the event of an airline downturn.
If you don't have a foot in the door, you could offer to help out a corporate or charter flight department by cleaning airplanes, updating Jeppesen charts, or--provided you have the necessary certificates and ratings--offering your services as a safety pilot on repositioning flights. Good social skills are a must since you have to balance your ambition to work there, yet not be a nuisance.
Befriend the pilots, the dispatcher, or the guy who mops the hangar floor. It doesn't matter. A good recommendation from somebody within the company can be better than a logbook full of hours when it comes to an interview. Behavior anywhere near the airport should be your best. Airport rumor mills are always working full time, and your bad mood one day could send negative comments flying before you even have a chance to make a connection. Also mind your manners in the traffic pattern and on the radio. No hot-dogging in airplanes, either.
Another option for time building is the purchase of an airplane, either by yourself or in partnership with others. The ownership experience is extremely valuable in teaching pilots the care and feeding of an airplane--something you would be doing as part of a corporate flight department. If the thought of purchasing an airplane seems daunting, don't forget that you often can recoup the cost of the airplane when you sell it. Operating costs will likely be much lower than that of renting airplanes from an FBO provided you take care to not purchase a lemon.
A colleague of mine had a unique way of time building. He bought a Piper Cherokee and flew it all over the country participating in air races. He never made money, but he was able to recover some of his costs in prize money. His travels were almost always with his wife, and together they formed long-lasting memories, to say nothing of the invaluable experience flying all around the United States in a light airplane. He eventually landed a job as a corporate pilot flying a Learjet from his home airport.
There are many more ways to build flight time, of course. These are just some of the options available to you. One way or another, keep your nose clean at the airport and don't hesitate to become chummy with the folks with the nice airplanes.
Pete Bedell is a Boeing 737 first officer for a major airline and contributor to AOPA Flight Training and AOPA Pilot magazines.
Related Articles
