turbine time as a noob

[uberchris]

Can i get your opinions please?

 

If you had the opportunity to go to one of two schools for free, one which would graduate you with all your ratings and certificates and say 20-30 hours of turbine time in a bell 206 jet ranger, and roughly 200 +/- hours in R22 and R44's, or another school which does not offer any turbine time, which school would you choose?

 

i am wondering the importance in the short and the long term of graduating flight school with 20 - 30 hours of turbine time versus none.........

 

i really want to go straight to embry riddles program, but they only have R22, R44 and schweizer 300C helos. if i go to leading edge, here in oregon, i will get time in R22, R44, and bell jetranger 206's (and leading edge has a program to transfer out to the embry riddle prescott campus to finish my studies and get my B.S. there)

 

also another thing steering me towards leading edge is that i can complete almost half of the curriculum online without touching my GI bill, that way when i leave the USCG, i can use up about a year of GI bill money finishing up my ratings and stuff with leading edge, (which will give me 98 college credits total), then have two years left of money to not only finish my degree at embry riddle but hopefully take some fixed wing courses there and get dual rated.........something to ponder

 

thank you in advance for reading my mental spewage

chris

[arotrhd]

Chris-

 

What are your end goals/career aspirations?

 

Most (here) will relate that more hours in the 22/44/300 will get you in a better position for the civilian side, unless you have a wealthy uncle that wants you to fly him around. 1K -1.5K hours in the civie world is just starting to get some 'larger' opportunities to open up, and getting there will likely be through instruction/beg/borrow/steal route.

 

If it's the mil side, they will still have their way for flight training, but having turbine would likely help with familiarization, especially with the TH-57 & such.

 

I'm a big advocate of getting a Bachelors degree for all sorts of reasons and I would strongly encourage your direction (+, I'm an Eagle too/02'EC Master's).

 

-WATCH FOR THE PATTERNS, WATCH FOR THE WIRES-

[clay]

20-30 hours of turbine time isn't going to make a big difference when you come down here to the gulf. weather you walk in and get hired with 20-30 hrs turbine or 0 hours turbine, you will still go through that company's indoc, that company's training, and learn their methods of operating a turbine. Total time is going to be what you are after in the beggining. If they are offering that turbine at the same cost of the piston, jump on it. but if you are going to have to pay extra for that turbine time, put your money towards something thats going to benefit you sooner.. like flying a few extra hours. Is that the only way? no.. but it's what I'd do. there will be plenty of time to get turbine hours in your career.

[crashed_05]

I'm currently with Leading Edge and using my GI Bill. I was planning on transferring to ERAU online once I'm done here at COCC, but being that I can switch my degree to the airplane track here and get all my fixed wing ratings covered as well, that's what I'm going to do. I find it more beneficial to have the VA cover all my ratings, then go for the bachelor's out of pocket than the other way around. I'm still going to get the bachelors, just later on down the road. I'm not planning to be an airplane pilot, but the way I look at it it's free hours and more total time.

 

You probably know this already, but with LEA's turbine course, you can choose between NVG, long line, or mountain flying. I have about 3 hours left before my turbine time is exhausted. Like everyone has said, 20 hrs isn't that big a deal looking for a job, but it's better than 0 hrs.

Edited December 1, 2010 by crashed_05

[uberchris]

my career goals are to be a dual rated pilot with rotary and fixed wing certificates and ratings. i suppose i dont know enough yet about each type of discipline (corporate, EMS, oil industry, etc.) I am too old to fly for any of the military branches, as im 32 right now and i am enlisted in the coast guard, so flight will never happen in the military world. but i have wonderful opportunities with the GI bill, so civilian side it is.

 

from what ive read i would like to try my hand at the oil industry for a few years, but i think that ultimately i would like to be a pilot for a corporation flying private aircraft. agriculture is something that sounds interesting as well. i really would like to gain experience in several different areas over the course of the next few decades, providing i dont run up on any medical problems.

 

thank you for your input everyone. i will continue to plan my angle of attack towards my flight training. looks like leading edge is going to be where i fly, then i plan to transfer up to embry riddle prescott to try to pursue fixed wing training and my B.S. ...... but im still going to keep my options open. its all for free, so i think it certainly wouldnt hurt to have a little turbine time in a jetranger. cheers

Edited December 2, 2010 by uberchris

[klas]

... I am too old to fly for any of the military branches, as im 32 right now and i am enlisted in the coast guard, so flight will never happen in the military world. ...

 

Have you looked into an age waiver?

[gary-mike]

I'm currently with Leading Edge and using my GI Bill. I was planning on transferring to ERAU online once I'm done here at COCC, but being that I can switch my degree to the airplane track here and get all my fixed wing ratings covered as well, that's what I'm going to do. I find it more beneficial to have the VA cover all my ratings, then go for the bachelor's out of pocket than the other way around. I'm still going to get the bachelors, just later on down the road. I'm not planning to be an airplane pilot, but the way I look at it it's free hours and more total time.

 

You probably know this already, but with LEA's turbine course, you can choose between NVG, long line, or mountain flying. I have about 3 hours left before my turbine time is exhausted. Like everyone has said, 20 hrs isn't that big a deal looking for a job, but it's better than 0 hrs.

 

How are you doing this? What GI Bill are you using Ch30 or Ch33? I have been told you have to go through a degree program to recieve benefits under ch33. The local"expert" at my base education center doesn't have a clue about this program. I walked away from with no help whatsoever after I made him a little more knowledgeable in his job. I would much rather learn to fly right now than sit in math and english.

 

Thanks

 

maybe you could post a thread with details and ins and outs of using the GI Bill, seems I am not the only one that has questions about this. I am sure it is more simple than it seems when you get mixed and contradictory info at the most.

Edited December 2, 2010 by gary-mike

[crashed_05]

How are you doing this? What GI Bill are you using Ch30 or Ch33? I have been told you have to go through a degree program to recieve benefits under ch33. The local"expert" at my base education center doesn't have a clue about this program. I walked away from with no help whatsoever after I made him a little more knowledgeable in his job. I would much rather learn to fly right now than sit in math and english.

 

Thanks

 

maybe you could post a thread with details and ins and outs of using the GI Bill, seems I am not the only one that has questions about this. I am sure it is more simple than it seems when you get mixed and contradictory info at the most.

It is part of a degree program at central oregon community college using Ch33 benefits. Leading Edge Aviation is the flight provider. I had a thread going a while back that went a bit into the details about it before I got started with my training.

As far as I'm concerned, sitting in math and english courses is well worth the free training. Nothing bad is going to come out of having to get a degree.

As far as base education goes...good luck. No one could tell me anything either while I was in. I had to research, make phone calls and find stuff out on my own.

 

If you have any specific questions, feel free to send me a PM.

[gary-mike]

It is part of a degree program at central oregon community college using Ch33 benefits. Leading Edge Aviation is the flight provider. I had a thread going a while back that went a bit into the details about it before I got started with my training.

As far as I'm concerned, sitting in math and english courses is well worth the free training. Nothing bad is going to come out of having to get a degree.

As far as base education goes...good luck. No one could tell me anything either while I was in. I had to research, make phone calls and find stuff out on my own.

 

If you have any specific questions, feel free to send me a PM.

 

Oh I plan on getting a degree (eventually) even if it is only an AS, which got me thinking that was probably what you were doing right now. I will deffinately compile some questions and shoot em your way.

 

Thanks

 

Mike

[helonorth]

Sure you can get time in a 206 there. You can get time in 206 at many places. How much is this going to cost you? Probably 3 times what your piston trainer is going for. A little bit of turbine time is really not better than no turbine time. This has been discussed a 1000 times in slightly different forms. My advice: skip the "turbine transition" or whatever they want to call it (they make it sound like it's some kind of endorsement, which it's not). The enormous extra cost of 206 time is pretty much a waste of money. It may be a very good school, though. I didn't really see it on their site, but any school trying to tell you time in a turbine for $800- 900 will help your career, in any real way, is misleading you.

Edited December 3, 2010 by helonorth

[crashed_05]

Sure you can get time in a 206 there. You can get time in 206 at many places. How much is this going to cost you? Probably 3 times what your piston trainer is going for. A little bit of turbine time is really not better than no turbine time. This has been discussed a 1000 times in slightly different forms. My advice: skip the "turbine transition" or whatever they want to call it (they make it sound like it's some kind of endorsement, which it's not). The enormous extra cost of 206 time is pretty much a waste of money. It may be a very good school, though. I didn't really see it on their site, but any school trying to tell you time in a turbine for $800- 900 will help your career, in any real way, is misleading you.

It is at no extra cost to us. The new GI Bill has a time limit, not a monetary limit. I take that back...it does have a monetary limit per term, but the turbine course does not put us over that limit. So, the turbine time doesn't hurt. And they never told us it was any kind of endorsement...everyone going through this course here knows that.

I can understand your argument for someone not receiving CH33 benefits, but uberchris and gary-mike were refering to using these benefits.

[Inferno]

I don't see how it would hurt...

 

Whenever I get a chance to grab a coupe hours in a turbine i jump on it. Its more useful to me to spend less money than I would on fun flights in a 22 to get some time in a new unfamiliar ship.

 

In your case where you would in essence get the 206 time for free, why not do it?

[clay]

If its not coming out of your pocket, jump on it! but if you can utilize those funds to make yourself more marketable, in a quicker amount of time... do that. your goal right now is to become employable...