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Interment before commercial ?


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Is there a benefit to doing one or the other first? How important is a instrument license these days in the job market? The reason I'm asking is because I have heard lots of opinions and they seem to be split down the middle with the answers. I just got my private and ready to move on to one or the other..

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I am sure this has been asked before, but here is my quick down and dirty two cents.

 

The advice I would give a person in your position (from what you have said) and that is assuming no fixed wing time.

 

1. This depends on where you go. Again, in someone like your situation, I have never seen a reason to do the commercial first, and then the instrument. I guess I like to encourage my pilots to have fun, and it seems that there has never been a problem with doing the instrument first, and then the commercial and still be close (if not right on) the 150 hour mark. This leaves 50 hours left for a pretty amazing victory flight, plus plenty of time for the CFI/CFII and still hit the 200 mark.

 

I have heard some schools do it different. Some even do the commercial, CFI, instrument, CFII. The theory behind this, I believe, is so the student does not have to switch from commercial theory to instrument theory. In my opinion, this isn't rocket science, and I have never had an issue with the instrument, commercial, CFI, CFII route. It really doesn't matter a whole lot, no use rocking the boat too much at your school though. I would go with whatever your instructor does unless for some reason or another you feel really passionate about one way.

 

2. Instrument is important because pretty every much has one, and if you don't they might ask for a good reason why not. Furthermore, getting the rating makes you a better pilot and greatly increases the odds of keeping you from planting the helicopter on the side of a hill if weather gets poopy.

 

Secondly, if you do not get your instrument during your training, you will have to pay a lot more money down the road if you need it. What I mean is that you are basically paying for 200 hours. If you only do the private, commercial, and CFI thats fine. If you then want to do the instrument and CFII later, or even just the instrument, you are going to have to pay for another about 40-50 hours. At $200 per hour, this comes out to $8,000 to $10,000 extra.

 

If you did it during your initial training, the only increase in cost will be two checkrides at 600 a pop or so comes out to $1200 ish.

 

So, if I had the choice to pay for lets say $60,000 for training and to have instrument and CFII also come out at $61,200 I would rather that then cough up another $10,000 down the line.

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Is there a benefit to doing one or the other first? How important is a instrument license these days in the job market? The reason I'm asking is because I have heard lots of opinions and they seem to be split down the middle with the answers. I just got my private and ready to move on to one or the other..

 

You can not get a job in the GOM without an instrument rating!!!

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I've mentioned this before, and I will probably again; I was passed over for a job flying Photos in an R22 because I didn't have the Instrument Rating.

 

Get it!

 

(and doing it before the Commercial can help you save money)

:)

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How important is a instrument license these days in the job market?

 

How important is a job? I know plenty of people sit around the flight school and complain about IFR training because it's such a foreign world. It's not easy, and on a clear blue day wearing foggles goes against everything we've just learned during PPL. Well, whether you like it or not, learning IFR is going to make you a better pilot. Getting used to thinking five, ten minutes ahead of your aircraft and dealing with high volume radio traffic WILL help you in the long run.

 

Also, the simple fact is most jobs (not all, but quite a few) won't touch you without it. It's also getting to where flight schools probably won't touch you without a CFII under your belt.

 

Whether you end up enjoying instrument or you hate every moment of it, the important thing at the end of the day will be that you can check that box.

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Very important. You will be severly limited in what you can do without it. Do it while building time for your commercial. Essentially a free rating. There is really no reason not to get it. Ten years ago it was a little different story. There is a good chance you will never fly instruments in a helicopter, though. Anyone that tells you to skip the instrument (and are not getting it themselves) is going to be in for a rude awakening.

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When utility companies require the instrument rating even though their machines are nowhere near being instrument equipped, you need to get it. And like previous posters have said, it is almost a free rating. All the flight time for it counts toward your commercial PIC time.

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Just get the instrument ticket. People that tell you that you do not need it are idiots. I have it. As a matter of fact I have a CFII. I've given a total of 15 hours of Instrument Instruction. Here is the kicker... I fly a 407 now. But in about 5 weeks I will be flying a 429 (SPIFR Capable) We are not planning on using the 429 in IFR conditions but I can guarantee we will be doing lots of practice in the clouds!

 

Moral to the story is spend the money, get your IFR ticket... You never know where it may take you.

 

The other moral to the story is that I had an IIMC incident and would not be here typing this if it wasn't for that 10K I spent on the rating....

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The benefit of doing it while building towards your commercial requirements is financial. It really shouldn't take 100 hours to get from private to commercial standards so spending that time learning new skills would be money well spent. However, it is a but of a curve to fly under instruments immediately after just learning to control a helicopter to PPL standards.

 

Realistically, the more time you have in a helicopter, the easier it is to transition to instrument training, in my experience. But... you are no more ready for in instrument job after initial training than you are for a commercial job. So, work it in to your commercial requirements and save some money. Keeping in mind there are some hefty 61 requirements to do that. Part 141 may have a way around it. At least, that was the case where I got my training...

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