CFIs Needed

[flyguy]

Current hiring requirements are - Commercial Pilot, CFI, and a pulse. Preferred are - Commercial Multi, CFI, CFII, MEI. I'd recommend tht also, as its not easy to get training for yourself when you are a full time flight instructor.

Hours flown/ground/worked varries quite a bit. If you have new students without TSA approval you won't be flying much. When it gets to late fall-early spring, you get cancelled for weather a lot. Lately we've been very short staffed in maintainence so we've been getting a lot of flights cancelled due to lack of aircraft. When everything is up and running smoothly you can put in as many hours as you have energy for. Between mid January - Mid February I flew 112 hours and probably put in about 50 hours of ground and sims, and I made about $3000 during that time. I was completely exhausted by the end of that period, but it shows what can be done if you are willing to work hard. Also if you are willing to work weekends you get a lot more flexability with the schedule so you can get a lot more hours in that way. In order to get in my 112 hours I worked 7 days a week. I think the average instructor is getting about 70-80 hours per month, about 50 hours or ground/simms, and $2000-$2500 per month.

Can't help you with the mystery meat, I haven't eaten there in almost a year and I don't recommend anyone does either. You don't get an option, there is no menu. You eat what they serve. Its almost always some kind of chicken-like meat with some kind of leafy vegetable, fried together in a wok with a side of white steamed rice. Pretty much the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even the students can't stand it, and they are the whole reason they serve Chinese food.

[Allbert]

Flyguy - thanks for the update. Do they still require the 10 month contract and has the multi time worked out at the 33% you anticipated at the start?

[P&H]

Originally Posted by flyguy

One other small catch is you will be contracted with the school for 10 months, so you can't just up and leave once you meet airline minimums.

Or else? Under California law, they can't really make you continue to work.

[flyguy]

When they did have a contract they offered a bonus at the end. If you left early you missed out on the bonus. Now they have done away with the contract altogether. As for multi time, because as the previous poster pointed out, they cannot legally enforce the contract, and because there no longer is a contract, many instructors leave once they get their time. They usually get their time toward the end of their student's training, which leaves 4 or 5 multi students with no instructor. I remember a time thinking I'd get 1000 hours long before I reached 100 multi. Because of the situation I just described I actually passed the 100 mark somewhere around 700 total. it came in the blink of an eye. Actually I started out with 3 students. Not one of them has made it to multi training yet, but in the last 6 months I managed to sign off 6 commercial multi students and I logged over 200 hours of multi. I may have underestimated the potential for multi time. For me it has turned out to be closer to 40%.

[Nick]

To those inquiring about updates at Castle -- what Flyguy says is correct.

There were a few of us last summer doing 135+ hours per month of straight flying, bringing monthly pay hours well over 200 and the $4,000 a month that comes with that is a good deal especially when you are in free housing. You just don't have a life at that time, which was fine by us.

The multi-engine hours are plentiful when they are in season. In season means 80 students about to start 40 hours of training each in a twin. That is 3200 hours of multi-engine flight time to be flown by less than 20 MEIs -- you do the math.

I would imagine the shortstaffed MX situation is rather dire at this time but I am out of the loop these days. Maybe they've found enough A&Ps to get caught up in the tule fog season. Even if they haven't, nearly the entire first group of students minus the last few are now back in China, freeing up the planes for the remaining ones.

[Nick]

Wow, you are out there posting at the exact same moment I am! How's it going Flyguy?

[WAFlyBoy]

Nick and FlyGuy are spot-on. Overall, working at Sierra Castle is a pretty good deal. Like most everything in aviation, there are trade-offs and you take the good with the bad if you decide to apply and get hired.

I arrived Feb last year, the same day as a new group of students. Things were slow to start off due to TSA approval and a wet spring, but there are ground and sim sessions that need to be done. And the free housing helps make dry spells bearable. Once summer came around, we stayed BUSY. If you're willing to work all hours and weekends, you can really earn lots of hours and good pay. You can take weekends off, but those two extra days of work per week really make a difference in getting your students done and boosting your hours (and pay). Don't count on eating the food, at least not very often. I averaged 1-2 cafeteria meals per week - probably about the same as the average instructor. (Would have been less if not for beef stew night.) Mystery meat, yes.... but you can usually tell where it came from (i.e. land or sea)

I left in December after about flying 700 hours (200+ ME) of dual given. Overall, good experience. I would have liked to see the maintenance situation improve, and maybe it has. Fellow instructors were a good group of people. Working with foreign students was often a challenge, and turned out to be a rewarding experience. I keep in touch with a couple of my former students... it's kind of weird to think that somebody I taught to fly is going to be FO on a 737 soon.

[Piperflyer]

Wow this thread is still going on... How is Castle doing? Is it as crazy busy as ever... 20 mins at the hold short line everytime you go out?

Anyway there are two Duchess qualified examiners that I took students to, one in Calaveras and the other at San Jose RHV.

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by Nick

Wow, you are out there posting at the exact same moment I am! How's it going Flyguy?

I'm doing alright Nick. How are things at Express? I hear George put in his application recently. I may be also. Might as well just open an MER domicile for Express Jet, cause it seems that's where they are getting most of their piltos these days.

[vikingair]

Whats the best way to get an application to Sierra. Ive tried emailing it a few times but it keeps being kicked back because the mailbox is full. Any ideas on how to get this into the right persons hands?

I'm also curious what A/C they are flying out of Atwater these days.

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by vikingair

Whats the best way to get an application to Sierra. Ive tried emailing it a few times but it keeps being kicked back because the mailbox is full. Any ideas on how to get this into the right persons hands?

I'm also curious what A/C they are flying out of Atwater these days.

You can email it to me melin.eric@gmail.com and I'll make sure to get it to the right people. Hurry though, I may not be around much longer

We're currently flying 152,172s, and Alaruses for private and instrument, and Seminoles and Duchesses for Commercial.

[woog315]

There is no longer a contract required? That's awesome. Do they still do that infamous written exam?

[flyguy]

Yeah, but its pretty much a formality. From my understanding, you are hired on probation. You'll take the written test and there will be a few standardiztion flights in each aircraft you will instruct in.

[aloft]

Is everybody instructing in 152s? Seems like there'd be at least a few big and/or tall dudes who may not fit in one...?

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by aloft

Is everybody instructing in 152s? Seems like there'd be at least a few big and/or tall dudes who may not fit in one...?

They get to fly in the 172.

[aloft]

Originally Posted by P&H

Or else? Under California law, they can't really make you continue to work.

Hmm...I wonder how GreenDay's employer deals with that down at BFL....

[nabd30]

Is the whole "American instructor becoming an FO for Air China" thing still happening, assuming you instruct 2000 hours, and do 2 10 month "contracts?"

Would I get any preference if I trained with Sierra for the Comm & CFI ratings?

Will you guys still be hiring this summer/early Fall?

Sorry about all the questions flyguy...I have an Uncle who is a capt at Southwest if you need a favor in return!!!

[flyguy]

I don't know if the Air China thing is happening because so far not a single instructor has stayed long enough to find out. They are all off to the regionals once they meet mins, which are comming down, which means instructors are staying shorter. You will easily get hired if you do your training at Sierra, but it'll be easy without it too. No preference is needed. They will take anyone, who trainied anywhere. Actually I wouldn't recommend trainng at Sierra because their rates have just gone way too high. $275/hr for staff rate in the Seminole. And that's staff rate without instructor. The training is top notch, but it is very thorough and at the current rates, it just costs more than the average person can pay. And it takes time to be that thorough too. You probably won't be ready in summer/fall if you train at Sierra. Give yourself at least 6 months for the initial CFI alone. Just get your ratings anywhere you can get a good deal and send in a resume. They'll hire you. I'm sure they'll still be hiring in the summer/fall. Especially with so many instructors going off to the airlines, we're pretty much going to be continually hiring. I may take you up on the Southwest offer, but it'll be a few years before I'll meet their mins. Do you know anyone as SkyWest?

[nabd30]

Unfortunately, I don't know anyone at Skywest...but my Uncle is still in his 40s so he should still be at SWA for years to come.

Thanks for all the info flyguy...I will definitely send a resume out to Sierra when I've got the ratings. Good luck with the next step in your career!

[Louie1975]

I am 6'4" and fly the Alarus. It is actually ok... not 172 ok, but ok.

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by Louie1975

I am 6'4" and fly the Alarus. It is actually ok...

Give it some time Louie. Give it some time.

[Nick]

The main problem with being 6'4" and flying the Alarus is that when the door separates in flight, your head will be out in the wind a bit more than a short person's.

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by Nick

The main problem with being 6'4" and flying the Alarus is that when the door separates in flight, your head will be out in the wind a bit more than a short person's.

Dang Nick, Louie's afraid of heights. We're gonna have a hard time getting him back up in the death trap with that immage in his head.

[Louie1975]

I have now highlited the 'cabin doors closed' on the before start checklist. And maybe I better stop opening my door on the 'taxi back' at Turlock. Yea, I don't do touch and goes with the Alarus at Turlock. Or at least I don't do it with students.

[WAFlyBoy]

Originally Posted by Nick

The main problem with being 6'4" and flying the Alarus is that when the door separates in flight, your head will be out in the wind a bit more than a short person's.

/Hifive, Nick! Ever since that day, I always triple-checked that the doors were "closed and latched" before takeoff.

Originally Posted by Louie1975

I have now highlited the 'cabin doors closed' on the before start checklist. And maybe I better stop opening my door on the 'taxi back' at Turlock. Yea, I don't do touch and goes with the Alarus at Turlock. Or at least I don't do it with students.

Smart man. I wouldn't do them at all at Turlock, especially in the summer months.