Few questions.....

[SmoothLanderJ]

Hello to all of the CFI's and pilots who have their CFI's. I currently am taking a CFI course and should hopefully be done in a month or so. I'm also graduating from college this december. With the regional minimums being so low and through some of the networking that i've done, it's definitely a possibility that I could get an interview and possibly a job without instructing at all. My question is, would it be wise to do some instructing first? Or, should I try to get hired now when the minimum times are so low. I know that there is much knowledge to be gained from instructing, but I really want to start flying in the regionals or something else. Let me know what you think...ill appreciate any and all feedback.

[moxiepilot]

My opinion is, and thats all it is:

instruct for a while.

it is valuable. if the minimums go up for the regionals, what have you lost? your seniority number? heck if a regonal can last, then maybe that's something, but you're probably going to switch companys anyway, so who cares?

if youre not looking to instruct but do something else as you state, then time build some other way - pipeline, traffic and banner towing teach a lot of skills too.

[dc3flyer]

My .02

If you can go straight to the regionals, do it. You can skip a year of the peanut butter diet (don't get your hopes up, you will still be on it, just a little shorter time).

[bLizZuE]

Instruct. You'll learn much needed patience.

[bdhill1979]

I have learned more in the last 31 days/54.1 hours instructing than I did in the prior two years leading up to it.

You learn little things. Things that either came too easily to you and you never really appreciated as important or that you were just never taught and didn't even realize that you didn't know it.

I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far, even with the long hours and the scattering of hours you are getting paid for. There really is nothing quite like seeing your student start to get things right, start to figure it out. Today one of my PPL students finally started greasing his landings. Its clicking for him, and its a cool thing to see.

[SmoothLanderJ]

Ok guys,thanks for that feedback. I'm starting next week so hopefully I'll be done within this month. Hopefully I can do some instructing before i graduate from college.