How many hours did it take you to go from 0-CFII?

[rotoflightmaniac1]

Hi all, This is my second post.  I really appreciate this forum and all you guys who are willing to take the time to help each other out.  I see its true when they say the aviation industry is very "tight knit" one.  

 

Just a question, as we all know just about every school gives you a price based on the minimum amount of hours required by the FAA for your flight training.  What I want to know is how many hours It took you from 0-CFII.  I believe I'm very capable, but I don't want to be unrealistic in planning my future, any imput would be great! I tried to find another post with this info but couldnt. sorry if I'm "reposting" something I should have found on this forum....Thanks,

 

Jake

[Bart]

Its possible to get your CFI the day after you get your commercial liscence (150 hrs), that is if you're ready.  However, just figure on 200 hours if you end up training in a Robinson, it's required by regulation.

Assuming you got your instrument ticket at some point in your training, a CFII checkride shouldn't require that much extra time to complete.  By that time you're already comfortable in the left seat, and are still current on the instruments.

[Winnie]

155 0-CFII 1998-1999. (HAI in Calif.)

 

No problem!

[PhotoFlyer]

I am at 175, prolly fly 5-10 more hours before my CFI checkride.

[k9medic]

I had a private fixed wing rating when I started, and a total of 100 hours.  I did an initial commercial helicopter in 50 hours, and got my cfi at 65 hours total helicopter time.  I took my instrument rating in the morning, and my CFII in the afternoon.  I had a total of 40 hours of instrument time when I did it.  0-CFII in about 180 hours total: 100 fixed wing, and 80 helicopter.

 

It's been some time since then, and I have learned every day.

[yzchopper]

I went from PRT-CFI in about a year and a half at 215hrs tt with no previous experience.

 

Steve ::rotorhead::

[mentor]

I had a private fixed wing rating when I started, and a total of 100 hours.  I did an initial commercial helicopter in 50 hours, and got my cfi at 65 hours total helicopter time.  I took my instrument rating in the morning, and my CFII in the afternoon.  I had a total of 40 hours of instrument time when I did it.  0-CFII in about 180 hours total: 100 fixed wing, and 80 helicopter.

 

It's been some time since then, and I have learned every day.

 

That is something else, 50 hours to get a commercial. Lets see, 2 hours day cross country dual, 2 hours night cross country dual, 3 hours prep for the check ride, and 35 hours SOLO ( you can only log PIC time when you are solo if you are not rated in the aircraft, ie hold a helicopter rating) so you learned to fly a helicopter to commercial standards in 8 hours. WOW!!! and you are an instructor,,,Now, you know the reason for SFAR 73

[Cerian]

Well your math is a little off, he actually had 11 hours, the three hours in prep for the checkride were dual also. So he really had 11 hours to get to commercial standards. IF he had lots of time flying R/C helicopters, and could actually hover on day one like many people who have flown R/C's, it is not unreasonable to attain commercial standards in 11 hours.

[delorean]

Hovering on the first day in one thing, being proficient enough to do a full touch down autos in 11 hrs is another thing.

 

When I was an instructor I had three people who could hover the R22 on the first day. Some had fixed wing ratings, but none of which I would soloed in under 15 hrs (of course I couldn't because of the 20 hr SFAR 73 rule). Out of the hundreds of people we had go through our school in 10 years we had one guy do a private add-on in 34 hrs, and two do the initial private in 40. The guy that did his private add-on in 34 hrs was a fixed wing pilot, avid r/c'r, and had about 700 hrs of unlogged Apache sim time.