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Originally Posted by renaissance2008  Hello Rudy, congratulation on your achievement !
I'm very new to this forum. I'm 36 years old, I got my commercial licence and IFR rating 10 years ago but couldn't go any further. Today I'm in a much better position and I want to give a second try, just don't know which way is best. Your achievement is inspiring and any advice will be greatly appreciated. |
Well I suppose the first issue I would need to resolve would be the financial one. When I made the decision to change careers, I was very fortunate to have a military pension, equity, and a wonderfully supportive wife. It was lean times and really we still are'nt out of the woods yet having to relocate and living on first yr FO pay. I originally planned for 2 yrs of low to no income personally. Once your ok with this side of things, then I'd say the next issue is currency.
I get the impression that it's been awhile since you've flown. Seventeen years had passed since I earned my PPL before I actually began working towards my commercial ratings, so needless to say I had some catching up to do, but it can be done.
If you can find a good flight instructor in your area or even a flight school (even better), I'd say they would be best suited to giving you a thorough proficiency check. A CFI/II can do both your PC and your Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC).
The hardest decision I think I had (after the finances) was choosing a flight school. What additional ratings do you need? How much multi engine experience do you have? Multi Engine PIC experience is GOLDEN!
Instrument experience is also important but Multi time will be the deciding factor as many airlines have at least a 100 hr requirement although there are some who will take far less ie: 25 hrs. I chose a flight school that had a multi engine training program. Meaning I came in with a PPL and when I was done , I had 175 multi, and a CMEL, CFI/II/MEI. I see alot of people struggle to get multi time, I know it's expensive, but if you can swing it and do some research, you might be able to find a light twin where you can pick up 25 to 50 hrs. It's money well invested. Or some folks who already have their Commercial Single Engine (CSEL) rating get jobs flying frieght, with operators who have both single and multi engine aircraft and it may be something that can be worked up to.
If you ask around here, you'll find a wealth of good advice regarding multi engine time and how to get it.
Once you have your currency and necessary ratings, then putting them to work and experiance building. There are MANY paths. I chose to instruct at the flight school I went to. It allowed me to build multi time quickly and gain valuable experience. It worked well for me, because I know how "I" learn. By teaching, I was able to solidify alot of what I had been taught as well as develop some PIC experience. If you ask the other folks here, you'll find many ways to experience build. Everyone is great here and will be happy to offer advice. Well I hope this helped some, let me know if you have any other questions. Take care and best of luck!