deltalima Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Thanks for all the useful info Go Costal, thank god I asked as that is really not how I though it would be. From what i've read you can go straight to instructing in America. So what do most newly qualified pilots do to build there hours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go coastal Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Sweep floors, buy coffee & donuts, wash helicopters, and beg for a bit of stick time. Also, constantly watch the other "line pilots" at your work place and see what decisions they make. When do they go flying? How do they talk to and treat their customers? When do they call it and say "No" the weather's too bad to fly, etc. etc. etc. If you are lucky you will have your 300 Hrs. PIC after about two seasons and as a bonus you will have picked up a bunch of good information by watching what goes on in the day-to-day operation. Some people reach 300 Hrs. PIC in far less time, some never get to that point. Once you do have 300 Hrs. PIC; finding another $15,000 to spend on your instructor rating or better yet an employer willing to foot the bill for you to become an instructor for them is the hard part. The truth is that once you have 300 Hrs. PIC you are basically "on your way" and don't really need to become an instructor to build time. It's a catch 22 here in Canada. As a result it seems that most of the people who get into instructing in Canada (regardless of their total time) are doing it as much for the fact that they want to be an instructor as for the opportunity to build time and experience. Becoming an instructor does certainly sharpen your flying ability. You are constantly on show and the student expects you to be able to explain and perform all of the flight maneuvers to perfection. After all, if you can't do it, how are they expected to? Hope this helps. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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