If you plan on flying for the airlines someday, you probably will want to be a Captain eventually. While you won't be instructing your first officers on basic airmanship, you will undoubtedly be teaching them techniques and share your experiences with them to prepare them to be Captains eventually. It certainly couldn't hurt to get that CFI, because of some of the fundamentals of instruction you would practice and learn. Whether you instruct that much or not, I think that the CFI rating would still help you as a mentor down the road. Also, you never know until you try whether you will be good at something or not. Good luck
Dude,
No offense man but 340TT isn't going to get you an FO seat in anything bigger than a Bonanza. I'd reconsider your attitude towards instructing as it has been the path for the majority of us. Let your enthusiasm for aviation show through, put your students first, and treat the profession with respect and you'll do fine. Whatever you decide, you're going to be there for a while. In my opinion this isn't going to get better any time soon.
Perhaps my .02 viewpoint is colored because instructing is all I ever did in professional aviation. But I expended countless hours trying for commuter and other jobs, interviewed for a few, and have met plenty of folks who started off as instructors and moved on to the commuters. Having said that, you need to get your CFI for at least a couple of reasons.
I'll start with the practical, pragmatic reason. Despite what you've seen or heard, virtually NO ONE hires 300 tt, 40 multi pilots to be pilots. It just doesn't happen, my friend. That is reality. If you have your CFI, you'll have a trade which you can use to find work and continue working. Take it from someone who knows and has been there.
The second practical reason is commuters seem to like applicants who have their CFI. It's another good credential to put on your resume. Even if it isn't used, getting a CFI exhibits one's ability to pass a tough and involved practical test and to translate aviation ability into a learning experience for others. I.e., it demonstrates that you're trainable.
Finally, and perhaps more cerebral, is you just might surprise yourself about instructing. What makes you think you're not the best teacher? You might find that you're good at it. The CFI course includes the Fundamentals of Instructing, which teaches you how to teach. Moreover, you will learn more about aviation than you can imagine by having to prepare to teach your students and taking them on flights. After you've instructed for even a short time, you'll be amazed at how little you knew about aviation before you became an instructor.
Just some food for thought. Good luck with your plans.
Have to agree with you there Backer. While the benefits are not great, CFI'ing beats flying an RJ there and back with regards to personal satisfaction. Of course, the first time greasing it on in the RJ was nice, too.
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