which FBO in Austin TX? And total cost from zero to CFI/II?

[David0526]

Hi guys,
I will be moving to Austin TX soon and would like to make a silly plunge into the aviation field as many of u guys did here. Let me first briefly introduce myself. I am 28, got a master in electrical engineering. Now I feel that my heart is not in this field, and want to become a commercial pilot as I always remembered my old days wandering around the old Kai Tak in Hong Kong (I grew in HK so pls forgive my poor english). I am debt free and single right now, but also no big savings .

I am current seeking non-aviation jobs available in the austin area. I have zero TT now. My plan is

1. Do the FBO route in part time to get the CFI/II along side my full time job(whatever job I can get in austin), then work as a CFI part/full time to build hrs, jump to part 135 charter/cargo or regionals whenever possible.

2. If I can't secure a decent full time job, I may borrow a loan for full time training to get CFI/II at FBO, meanwhile get a part time job to ease the financial burden. Then again work as CFI and following the same usual route as above.

I want to get the CFI/II asap, meanwhile keep no or a low debt. I probably won't go to those big brand academy since I don't want to spend that extra money, and seems they can get me not much faster. And I have went through this forum extensively and seems most people here bias towards FBO.


So I have the following questions:
1. Can anyone recommend some good FBO and instructors in austin area? Of course the price is important, but also I think to get CFI/II asap the most important thing is to find a good instructor.

2. I think multi time is not an important concern for me at this very early stage, am I right?

3. If I go ahead training full time at FBO, how long should I expect to get the CFI/II, and how much I need to spend?


Welcome any comment!
David

[BrettInLJ]

I'm in the same situation as you, switching from the tech field into an aviation career. I am taking lessons on weekends and long lunch hours and almost done with my commercial. It is smart to get the ratings done while you have an income. Just don't get distracted... treat it like going back to college while working full time.

As far as Austin FBO's, you may want to ask this in the General or FBO forum's. Go to the airport closest to your job and look around at the FBO's there. There is plenty of good info and advice on this site if you search old posts. Maybe do a search for "Austin."

[project7]

[ QUOTE ]
I have zero TT now.

[/ QUOTE ]

You've got a good plan there, but I wouldn't get too concerned about it just yet. Go find a decent FBO and do some flights. I wouldn't recommend the "discovery" flights for you since you're thinking about taking it all the way through to instructing. Do some flights and figure out if you really like this (actually, you've got to love it), ask the instructor to at least show you all the private pilot maneuvers right away so that you know exactly what it will be all about.

The FBO route is the best way to go. It's the cheapest and allows you to have the most freedom. If things aren't going the way you want, just take your business elsewhere. Despite what many people believe, it is entirely possible to do your ratings very quickly at an FBO if you have the right instructor.

0 time through CFI-A/II?
Depends on you. I think 6-12 months would be a good general time frame if you go at it full-time.

Multi-time?
Yeah, it's important, but only to an extent. A lot of people around here treat multi-time like it's the golden ticket that'll get you into whatever flying job you're after. As a result, there are some places that have popped up which specialize in building tons of multi-time. Some of the ways that this time is built is questionable (i.e., safety pilot time, 3 pilots in one plane all logging PIC, etc.). Personally, I think that it's better to get your multi-ratings with a good, experienced instructor and let things fall into place later. I did just that, and this week alone I've flown 6 hours of free multi-time, all PIC, and I'm not an MEI.

good luck

[TexasFlyer]

Here is an Austin FBO. I do not know anything about them first hand, but I heard from an instructor at Wright Flyers in San Antonio that this is a decent place to learn. I live in San Antonio (1 hour south).

www.allianceflight.com

Once you get here, pay them a visit and see what you think. I am sure this is one of only several FBO's in Austin.

[David0526]

Hey guys thanks for your advices and info. It seems alliance flight is the only FBO located exactly within Austin, but there are several more in the nearby towns like Georgetown. I will give them visit once I settle down there. I heard many members mentioned here the Skymates seems to be a very decent school and the cheapest place to build multi hrs, umm...wish to get a good job in Dallas.

David

[Alchemy]

I used to instruct at Alliance Flight Academy at AUS, it's a nice school and if you do all your training there I'm sure they will give you strong consideration for employment as an instructor. All the CFI's are good guys (and they all have their MEI/CFII as far as I know), the maintenance department is fairly solid and they have a good variety of planes (2 152's, 4 or 5 172's, a couple of PA28's, a C182RG and a GA7 twin). Believe it or not, this is really the only flight school at AUS that has complex/twin trainers. However, like you said, I would not worry about multi time until after you earn your single engine commercial.

I've checked out a few places in Georgetown, and frankly, I'm more impressed with the facilities at Alliance. You will pay slightly more than you would at GTU however. For an ab inition 0 time to CFI program, you could probably expect to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of 25k-30k at alliance. You could save money if you did the private in the 150 rather than the 172.

If you have any more questions about flying in the Austin area or Alliance in particular, feel free to ask!

[David0526]

Thanks Alchemy. It seems to me that the bergstrom is a fairly busy airport. Is it good or bad for beginners?

David

[texflyguy]

www.pilotschoice.com
www.adventure-aviation.com

those are my two favorite FBO's but they are at GTU and not AUS and they are just a tad bit cheaper too.

[Texguy]

Hi David,

Alliance is good. First get your private to get a better idea of if you really want to spend thousands more and make a career of it. If so, you'll need multi time. The multi course at Alliance only gives you 45 hours of multi time, while at Skymates and similar places you'll get about 200. Plus, keep in mind that the downside to instructing at Alliance is that it's hard to find multi students in Austin.

Austin Bergstrom is a great place to learn. Any uneasiness about dealing with ATC will go away quickly. It would not be fun to drive to GTU all the time for training (a 45-minute drive from Central Austin).

[texflyguy]

the drive is all relevant to where in austin he lives. I live in north austin close to Mcneil High School so it's only a 20-25 minute drive to GTU as it is a 30-45 minute drive to bergstrom which I will be going to tomorrow for my flight to indy!!

[Texguy]

Have a good flight!