Career Adviser: Stuck in the gap
Go out and make it happen
» Q: I am guessing that I am not alone. I completed my training through all my FAA certificates and ratings at a big school and I have almost 300 hours. As I am quickly finding out, that amount of time and a new flight instructor certificate won’t get me a job that will take me to the 1,500 hours that I need for the airline transport pilot certificate and a job at a regional. How do I get there from here? —Michael P., Lima, Ohio
» A: Like so many veteran aviators in their 50s or older, I remember the days when companies such as Air Wisconsin and Eagle would hardly look at your résumé and application unless you had close to 2,000 hours and 500 hours of multiengine time. We managed to cross that gap between 300 and 2,000 hours or so by slogging it out as CFIs, flying checks in the middle of the night in beat-up old Cessna 210s, or going around and around with a banner tied to the tail. It’s a different time today and so much easier to make it into the world of airline flight.
The easiest way to build that time is to hook up with an aviation college or academy. Back in the day, it was rare for a school to hire CFIs from the outside. It only made sense to take graduates and put them to work. Nowadays, many schools and colleges are begging for flight instructors. I paid a visit to Western Michigan University last summer, and—no kidding—the chief instructor was willing to put me to work right away. (Tom Grossman, it’s only a matter of time!)
The beauty about working for a name-brand college or academy is that you are busy just about every day.The beauty about working for a name-brand college or academy is that you are busy just about every day: no waiting around the lobby for the next student to walk through the door looking for flight instruction. But, there are other ways to get to that 1,500-hour threshold, such as starting your own company.
I put a lot of time on an antique Cessna 172 I bought for $10,000 in 1980, towing banners around Chicago for the Wisconsin Dells Chamber of Commerce. I hooked up with ol’ Will at Gasser Banners down in Tennessee, hitched up signs to the back end, and flew well more than 1,000 hours going in circles. I parlayed that beat-up Skyhawk into a 182 and started an air tour company and single-engine FAR Part 135 taxi operation at Winter Park, Colorado: more time in the logbook.
In “Career Pilot: Chasing the Dream” (May 2016 Flight Training) and “Career Pilot: Hired by a Regional” (June 2016 Flight Training), you can see what Sarah Rovner, now flying for SkyWest, did to build time. She started an airplane ferry operation that she still runs today for extra cash, transporting unique airplanes as far north as Alaska and south to Belize.
You also may join a flying club and pal up with a bunch of like-minded aviators. Look up one of the AOPA You Can Fly Ambassadors to get the scoop. These folks can help you get connected to fliers who, like you, are looking for economical flying.
Another great option is to fly for the Civil Air Patrol. Check around your local airports and see where this group meets and get on board. The CAP does good work and flies great equipment.
Legions of pilots have traversed that great divide to the 1,500-hour mark through perseverance and a little bit of luck. Go out and make it happen.
Send your career questions to [email protected] and we’ll publish the best ones here.
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