How many hours did it take you to finish your Comm training?

[Center_Mid]

I ask because I've got about 170 hours and am within striking distance of starting my commercial training. I figure I need another 50 hours or so of timebuilding before I should start training with an instructor. That way, I'll start training with about 220 hours. Does that sound about right to you? Or, should I keep timebuilding solo up until around 235-240 hours?

Flying dual is more expensive, obviously, so I'm trying to optimize my time usage here. I'm taking the slower, pay-as-you-go FBO route at Boeing Field in Seattle (KBFI). My goal is to instruct part-time, not 121. I've already got a decent day job.

Thanks for any advice.

[Maurus]

I finished mine around 270. Only because of school problems causing me to go part 61 and a couple other events.

[High_Alpha]

I think you're in the ballpark. 20-30 hours should be plenty for your Comm. maneuvers training. Another thing you could do is get some dual on the maneuvers now--enough that you can critique yourself--and then go practice them on your own. Then get enough dual at the end to polish up for the checkride.

[sdfcvoh]

If you have a chance - find a CFI in training willing to go up with you a couple times. It would be a good chance for you to start practicing the maneuvers, and a great chance for the CFI candidate to practicing teaching on you.

The maneuvers aren't a big deal, but you could sure get a good head-start and be prepared to ride with a real CFI pre-checkride and save yourself some serious buck$. Just my $.02..... and have fun

[nosehair]

Start training for your CFI now. Forget the commercial - well, you'll pickit up on the way.

What I mean is to get in the right seat now. As you build time towards 250, you can become proficient at commercial maneuvers in the right seat as you talk through them and be ready to take the CFI almost immediately after your commercial.

Ditto on the double-eye.

You could work on that also. Depends on your level of proficiency, but with 80 hours to go - it is certainly doable.

You shouldn't be just "Building Hours", you should be accomplishing training with those hours.

[MusketeerMan]

Took my checkride at 250.1...you really don't need more than 20 hours or so to complete the training for it. If you have to do it 141, then you're required to do a crapload of xc training, so I recommend doing the commercial part 61. I agree though...get in the right seat and get comfortable doing it there. If you choose, you can also do your commercial ride from the right seat.

[bdhill1979]

Originally Posted by nosehair

Start training for your CFI now. Forget the commercial - well, you'll pickit up on the way.

What I mean is to get in the right seat now. As you build time towards 250, you can become proficient at commercial maneuvers in the right seat as you talk through them and be ready to take the CFI almost immediately after your commercial.

Ditto on the double-eye.

You could work on that also. Depends on your level of proficiency, but with 80 hours to go - it is certainly doable.

You shouldn't be just "Building Hours", you should be accomplishing training with those hours.

I took the Commercial ride in the right seat at 254 hours. CFI was ten days later at 262 Hours. It was supposed to be the very next day, but we had some Mx and Wx issues.

[Maurus]

Originally Posted by MusketeerMan

Took my checkride at 250.1...you really don't need more than 20 hours or so to complete the training for it. If you have to do it 141, then you're required to do a crapload of xc training, so I recommend doing the commercial part 61. I agree though...get in the right seat and get comfortable doing it there. If you choose, you can also do your commercial ride from the right seat.

Huh. Part 141 lets you get it with a minimum of 190 hours depending on your syllabus. Part 61 is always 250 hours. Both need 50 hours of cross country, if you don't have that you will have a lot of cross country training anyway.

[Center_Mid]

Originally Posted by nosehair

Start training for your CFI now. Forget the commercial - well, you'll pickit up on the way.

What I mean is to get in the right seat now. As you build time towards 250, you can become proficient at commercial maneuvers in the right seat as you talk through them and be ready to take the CFI almost immediately after your commercial.

Ditto on the double-eye.

You could work on that also. Depends on your level of proficiency, but with 80 hours to go - it is certainly doable.

You shouldn't be just "Building Hours", you should be accomplishing training with those hours.

I like this. Very, very helpful, thanks. My understanding is that CFI training involves fewer flight hours than the commercial but more studying. Was that true for you?

Also, do any of you combine working as a CFI with a second job, or a full-time job? I know it depends on each employer, but what are the challenges trying to CFI part-time, say, 2 or 3 days a week?

[JulietBravo]

Originally Posted by Maurus

Huh. Part 141 lets you get it with a minimum of 190 hours depending on your syllabus. Part 61 is always 250 hours. Both need 50 hours of cross country, if you don't have that you will have a lot of cross country training anyway.

... I did my Commercial 141. Only needed 120hours towards your commercial (the usual for 141). I ended up at the end of my commercial with like 195 or so.

Originally Posted by Center_Mid

My understanding is that CFI training involves fewer flight hours than the commercial but more studying.

Exactly. For your CFI, you just need 5 hours PIC in the airplane you will take you checkride in. So, like some people said here, you can take your CFI the day after your commercial. The flying part for the CFI is easy. The oral is a pain in the a**. I did my oral in about 3 and a half hours, and apparently, I got it easy.

Which ever you go for your commercial, 61 or 141, just make it a habit of towards the end flying from the right seat. That way, your CFI will go a lot smoother.

[AngelFuree]

Hmmm, yeah, part 141 allows you to do it w/ fewer hours. I just pulled up my logs and seems like I got my Commercial Single/Multi Instrument at the completion of 175 hrs. Of course, that involved some sim time as well as part of the syllabus. I'm just including aircraft hours.

[ILS37R]

Your timeline sounds about right. I got my commercial at around 200 hours (part 141) and my CFI-A at 220ish.

20 to 30-odd hours training for your commercial should be fine. Aside from the fickle lady that is the power-off 180, the maneuvers are fun and not too tough at what should be your level of proficiency.

While you're working on your time-building and commercial, learning to fly from either seat is a great idea and will help you a lot down the line.

But, just to throw this out there, if you have the money, now might be a great time to get some "just for fun" experience and endorsements that will improve your knowledge, as well as making you that much better a pilot. Tailwheel is a great endorsement to get and can be done in about six flight hours and also opens up aerobatic flying to you. How about high-performance? If you have flown one yet, maybe get some glass cockpit experience. Or, if you've always landed on pavement, get an instructor to take you to a dirt or grass field. The one thing I'd hold off on would be a seaplane rating, so you don't have to do *another* checkride later to upgrade from a private to a commercial rating.

You've got some time to kill, so use it constructively instead of just burning holes in the sky. Whatever you do, take this time to broaden your experience. Don't just putt out to the practice field, do some fun cross-countries to places you want to go and in unfamiliar airspace where you really *need* to pull out a sectional. Nothing greases the wheels of a checkride--especially the CFI oral--like having real-life stories to tell when trudging through the seemingly endless oral PTS.

[ozziecat35]

Originally Posted by MusketeerMan

Took my checkride at 250.1...you really don't need more than 20 hours or so to complete the training for it. If you have to do it 141, then you're required to do a crapload of xc training, so I recommend doing the commercial part 61. I agree though...get in the right seat and get comfortable doing it there. If you choose, you can also do your commercial ride from the right seat.

Unless you have Uncle Sam reimbursing you with those VA benefits..then it's not a shabby route to go....

[djsCFI]

The challenge of having a part-time job along with teaching students is your time management. Your part-time job, I am assuming, is a fixed time, such as monday to friday 1-6. Being a CFI requires a more flexible schedule, since your student may be available at one time one day, then another time the next day. It really depends on your student's schedule; figure that out and then plan your other job around that the best you can. I am going to school, have a part time job, and still find time to have a couple students, so it can be done!

[flyguy]

No need to do all your dual instruction all at once. Why not go up with an instructor now, and learn the maneuvers? Then between now and your checkride you can practice them solo, maybe go up with an instructor once every 10-20 hours or so to make sure you aren't teaching yourself any bad habits, and then after you get close to 250 you can just spend a few hours with your instructor preparing for your checkride. You'll be more than ready for the checkride if you start practicing now.

[tpaRob]

Probably a stupid question.. but, can you fly from the right seat at anytime?

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by tpaRob

Probably a stupid question.. but, can you fly from the right seat at anytime?

Yeah, but you'll definately want to be with a CFI the first few hours you try it.

[AngelFuree]

Originally Posted by tpaRob

Probably a stupid question.. but, can you fly from the right seat at anytime?

Yes you may. However, for convenience of switching fuel tanks (Piper Warrior) I like sitting in the left seat if flying solo.

...and as said above, you might wanna have another pilot with you in the left seat if it's your first time flying from the right side (i.e. the airplane lands different). I have a CFII student who still has trouble landing from the right seat. He tends to use a lot of right rudder to make the approach sight look as it does from the left seat. You'll also notice the instrument scan feels different the first time you switch seats.

[ftyflyboy]

You can count up to 50 hours in a sim or FTD toward obtaining your commercial. If you would like to save some money, find a local FBO with a Frasca and go shoot approaches for a week.

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by ftyflyboy

You can count up to 50 hours in a sim or FTD toward obtaining your commercial. If you would like to save some money, find a local FBO with a Frasca and go shoot approaches for a week.

For that to count it must be with a CFII. Depending on what kind of rate you can get for the FTD and instructor, it may actually be cheaper to rent a 152 solo. Maybe a block rate on either the airplane, or the FTD may be a deciding factor. See what kind of deals you can get.

[exleardriver]

i don't have my logbooks handy, but i'm going to say around 300 tt. i owned an airplane by then and did a fair bit of x-country flying as i recall before starting this training.