Non-cfi pilot?

[igneous]

Is it possible to become a pilot without spending some time as a cfi? It seems that pretty much everyone becomes a pilot either through the military, or was a cfi at some point, to build hours.

[desertdog71]

uhhhh.....Nevermind

Yes its possible to get a Job as a pilot without becoming a CFI, that is the real question isn't it. Get a job and be paid. CFI is a path that people often choose, there are others, like paying for your time, hauling banners and dropping jumpers etc. Tough to find those hours from what I gather.

[meritflyer]

Yes. You can become an airline pilot w/out a CFI. There are plenty of good ways to build time. While being a CFI keeps your flying and ground skills fresh there are some other ways to get quality hours. The other benefit of being a CFI is the jobs are a little easier to come by than jobs needed to build quality time for your airline minimum requirements.

Generally acceptable time building jobs are -

• Pipeline Patrol
• Aerial Survey and Photography
• Skydive Pilot
• VFR 135 (cargo or passengers)
• Traffic Watch
• Renting and making good use of time (if you're rich)
• Towing Banners

As I said, these jobs dont come by very often and to qualify you usually need atleast 500 hours from what I've seen.

Good luck.

[PFactor]

of course if your a hot looking chick, or daddy has connections, you could be flying a gulfstream with a few hundred total..

[igneous]

Originally Posted by PFactor

of course if your a hot looking chick, or daddy has connections, you could be flying a gulfstream with a few hundred total..

Sadly, neither is the case