What you should be willing to do to find the right flight school...

[brussellsprouts]

Thanks Spike, I really appreciate your input, I was hoping you would respond.

Thank you too troll.detector, great advice!

[Flying Pig]

I agree with Troll......

 

However I think this is one issue built into the system. Ive talked to students who have had issues with their school or their instructor but decided to just let the issue go because they were focused on being considered for a CFI spot when they were done. The last thing they wanted was to upset anyone so they just choked it down.

They were paying $65K for an education but had the mindset that the school was doing them a favor by allowing them to be there. I was in a unique position going through my training because although I had to pay for it all myself, I had a turbine job waiting for me as soon as I brought home my Commercial. Two entirely different mindsets I can assure you. Only 1 time did I ever have a school tell me that I would have to do extra training to recieve an endoresment because their students were "the best". Yeah, OK....It took about 30 seconds to explain to the owner that all I was interested in was the PTS and that I wasnt paying for anything outside of what was required and that anything beyond that was going to be considered a donation to me.

I never had to work as a CFI in the traditional sense to build hours. Some of the stories Ive heard and friends of mine who are CFIs climbing the ladder, I dont envy you guys thats for sure! Thats why I try to be careful on what advice I offer to CFIs because I never lived that life. Just be aware of your mindset as you progress through training. I have worked as a FW CFI but again, it was more for fun and extra cash. It will be up to you obviously to decide if a particular issue is your hill to die on or just something to note in your mind and move on. But I cant think of a worse scenario than to have to pay a business $65K-$85K for a continuous interview.

 

Edited:

Ill add to what Spike said about DPE availability. Something nobody ever thinks about. My Commercial checkride cost me $2500. 2hr flight to the location, hotel stay, food, checkride fee and a 2hr flight back home. It was $1850 just for the ferry time and the checkride time!!!! The school tried to sell it as "valuable cross country time". Total BS..... I had more xctry time than my CFI did!! I was pissed!!!

 

It never occured to me that the DPE wasnt local because in the past I had used the local FAA FSDO or the flight schools onsite DPE for all of my airplane checkrides. Just make sure you dont have to heg borrow and steal just to scrounge up the money to complete your ride. And if you do, make sure that 3hr flight to meet your DPE isnt an additional UNEEDED cross country. Nothing says your long cross country cant be on the way to do your checkride! If it is the case I would even negotiate with the school on a discounted rate to ferry the helicopter back home and that the ride home isnt charged as "dual". But thats just me.

 

Geeeez...... now my blood pressure is surging just thinking about it again!

Edited October 16, 2013 by Flying Pig

[pilot#476398]

Ill add to what Spike said about DPE availability. Something nobody ever thinks about. My Commercial checkride cost me $2500. 2hr flight to the location, hotel stay, food, checkride fee and a 2hr flight back home. It was $1850 just for the ferry time and the checkride time!!!! The school tried to sell it as "valuable cross country time". Total BS..... I had more xctry time than my CFI did!! I was pissed!!!

 

 

 

Hah! I've got that beat!

 

The ferry flight to my first checkride was a 4hr flight there, hotel, food, 4hr flight back! I don't want to think ablout what that "valuable cross country time" cost me!

 

Its great being uninformed and gullible!

 

What should you be willing to do to find the right flight school?,...research!

[Flying Pig]

I guess if you are doing a Private and your goal is CFI or commercial, its still PIC time needed. In my case, I was done, not coming back and didnt need to build time. But either way that could be a blow to a budget. Even if you were going to continue training a school should definitely he explaining the deal to you to make sure you know its coming up. In my case I was borderline irrate!

[Mad Dog]

From someone who is making plans to jump off the cliff, thank you for your posts. They are very encouraging. I'm a year away from starting flight training, and I've asked myself innumerable times "have you lost your mind?!"

We have all lost our minds, we are helicopter pilots. Life is better this way.

 

Before helicopters entered my life:

Worked as a scientist on Kauai. Lived with awesome boyfriend. Both have good jobs. Take awesome international 1 month vacations every year, spend weekends adventuring in mountains or canyons or surfing. Have my own Cessna 170a to go island hopping with. Sounds like a pretty good life to me. Until...

 

December 7th 2011: Got to go up in Hughes 500D. First time in helicopter. Instantly obsessed.

This resulted in the following: withdrew all savings + retirement savings (not much in my 20s) so I had to take out loan as well. Total career change. Boyfriend very supportive.

 

Feb 1st 2012: Started helicopter school.

 

Dec 7th 2012: (just under 1 year from Hughes 500D experience) Graduated from Mauna Loa Helicopters with CFI and CFI-I

 

January 2013: Saw job posting for CFI job in Korea. The application process and Visa took some time but...

 

July 2013: Moved to Korea to work as a CFI at a University

 

Now I am far from home but I love love love it here. My boyfriend is still on Kauai and we have dates on google+ (similar to skype) and travel to see each other and have various Asia adventures coming up such as going to Malaysia together this December... or maybe Cambodia.... who knows.

 

Anyhow, this is the coolest job ever and I miss Hawaii but love Korea. One day I will come back to Hawaii (long term goal of doing utility work on Kauai) but for now, life does not suck.

 

Margot

[brussellsprouts]

Thanks Pilot# Flying Pig Mad Dog,

 

You all make great points.

 

I love your post Mad Dog/Margot, it seems like you are living the dream, congratulations; I hope to one day be in your shoes (Especially if I could live in Hawaii and South Korea).

 

Right now I have about 170 hours. 95 hours helicopter, the rest airplanes. PPL: airplane and rotorcraft.

 

What do all think about getting CFI-II ratings in both planes and helicopters? I have heard some say that the CFI-II rating in both is pointless (because you only get hired to fly one or the other). I have heard others say that it will make you more marketable.

 

What do you think?

[Goldy]

 

What do all think about getting CFI-II ratings in both planes and helicopters? I have heard some say that the CFI-II rating in both is pointless (because you only get hired to fly one or the other). I have heard others say that it will make you more marketable.

 

What do you think?

Why not if you can do it? To the right operator, if they operate both aircraft, it would be priceless. To a helicopter or airplane only operator not nearly as valuable.

[Flying Pig]

If you do both, there is an order you should do it in.... based on my personal experience in doing it.

 

Private Airplane
Private Helo add-on

Instrument/Commercial/CFI Airplane

Inst Comm CFI Helo add on

 

While you are working on your Inst Comm and CFI airplane and AFTER you have your private helicopter continue chipping away at the helicopter specific requirements on the side. Youll need to get into the regs with an instructor and work out a detailed plan and make sure every hour you fly is going towards one of the requirements for the rating. Much of what you will do in the airplane will make the RW add ons cheaper.

 

As an example.... don't do your full IFR rating in a helo and then do your airplane instrument. You will spend a whole lot more. Instead, do your airplane IFR and then your 15hr helicopter add on.

[iChris]

 

Feb 1st 2012: Started helicopter school.

 

Dec 7th 2012: (just under 1 year from Hughes 500D experience) Graduated from Mauna Loa Helicopters with CFI and CFI-I

 

January 2013: Saw job posting for CFI job in Korea. The application process and Visa took some time but...

 

July 2013: Moved to Korea to work as a CFI at a University

 

Anyhow, this is the coolest job ever and I miss Hawaii but love Korea. One day I will come back to Hawaii (long term goal of doing utility work on Kauai) but for now, life does not suck.

 

 

So you’re instructing out of Hanseo University. They were running 1-year employment contracts back in 2008 for R22 instructors. They offered an excellent opportunity coming out of flight school, based on experience requirements. However, they did require a bachelor degree in order to obtain a teacher’s visa in Korea.

 

Marvelous career start and first job.

 

Helicopter Flight Instructor – South Korea

Edited October 26, 2013 by iChris

[Mad Dog]

Brussellsprouts,

 

Thanks, I am glad you enjoyed the post.

 

As for going for both ratings in both, I have also heard it makes one more marketable but I have no first hand experience. It sounds like Flying Pig has that experience though.

One thing I would say, though being marketable is of course important, always remember to also do what you love. I have also thought about getting my CFI for airplanes but, for me, airplanes are a hobby, helicopters are my career. So I guess it just depends on what you want.

 

Good luck with ever path you choose.

 

Margot

[Mad Dog]

iChris,

 

Thanks!

Yep, I am working at Hanseo. It is a pretty cool job. It has its quarks but I am really enjoying Korea and teaching the students here. The flight school has been here a while but the helicopter department started about 5 years ago. Right now there is just one other helicopter CFI here and we have 24 students. The airplane department however is significantly larger and there are more airplane CFIs than I can count.

 

The Bachelors degree is indeed required for the visa but I doubt the school cares what it is in.

 

Thanks again,

Margot