Experience. What Is It? How To Get It?

It can be a hard road to follow.

In Australia we have two CPL levels. The integrated Part 142 150 hours and the Part 141 200 hours. The 150-hour CPL is probably good for overseas students but to get a flying job here with 150 hours when there are other CPL holders with 200 hours or more could mean that a prospective employer may well take on the more experienced pilot.

Now flying has always been expensive. So how does one pay for all that flight training? Unless a budding pilot has mum or dad writing the cheques for the flying there are several basic options.

Do a job that helps pay for the flight training. The other is by going the VET Fee Help route. This is a loan by the government to assist with getting that CPL ticket.

Remember that the money is a loan. It has to be paid back with interest when the student reaches a certain level of pay. If the student drops out of flying without getting a CPL the loan must still be repaid.

Another route for time building is glider towing, hopping skydivers and simply getting mates to chip in for flights to interesting locations.

A lot of flight schools would appear to train students with the sell that they will be going to an airline slot in the short term. A reality check says that this is unlikely to happen. The internet advert with the pic of the cockpit of an airliner (sometimes a sim with zero readings on the gauges) is the hook that gets them in.

In these times of COVID lockdowns, reduced tourist traffic and laid off airline pilots, it can be a hard gig to get a seat in any flight operation. Sometimes it can just be luck or someone moving on and then there is an immediate vacancy.

Time in more commercial aircraft might be the key. So, you have trained in a C172 Grob or a DA40 and then got your CPL in say a PA44. No employer will take on board a new pilot with just those two types unless they have an instructor rating and is now a raw G3. The secret is to get time in a variety of types. One learns a little bit more from every type flown.

Flight Instructor tip of the month

For any commercial pilot or any private pilot, it can be a good move to get a copy of the POH for the aircraft type that they are flying or plan to fly. It can pay dividends to know if the aircraft should have flap use for take-off , if the fuel pump should be on for take-off, is it 12 or 24 volts, what flap setting for a cross wind landing, glide speed, critical speeds, fuel totals, fuel systems etc. A check of the internet will find firms that sell such manuals. Also good to know a lot about the aircraft of a prospective employer.

Try and get time in the type that a prospective employer uses

A charter operator would much prefer to employ a new-hire who has experience on the types that they operate such that there is little costly conversion work required.

An example might be to go the C172/PA44 route but then to get time in a faster, heavier, more complex, more commercial type and to get round instrument time. Aircraft used for up-country charter are often round instrument types not the latest Garmin glass panel. Those more commercial S/E types could well be a C182, C182RG, C206, C210, GA8, PA32, PA32R or Bch.A36.

If possible, try and get time and an endo in types that a prospective employer uses.

The PA44 and the DA42 are good twin trainers but few if any are used for charter. Then comes the need to get time and a check out in another more commercial twin but do remember that even with a twin IF ticket it is unlikely that an employer will put the 250-hour CPL pilot straight in his expensive IF twin. Safer to see if they are the ‘right stuff ’ in a single before moving across to the fleet twin.

Another aspect of getting that first job is the aspect of hours. Some employers will say a minimum of 500 hours and plead insurance demands. In reality that figure could well be a filter to discourage applications from low timers in a time of excess pilots.

There are other things that can swing a job in favour of a low timer. Age and life experience. Having worked in a job that had interaction with people, having worked in the tourism industry if looking for a charter job. Having mechanical experience and better still having aircraft mechanical experience. Knowing how to drive a computer and be able to run the front desk. Having time in a round instrument aircraft as well as glass panel time. Knowing how to use the GPS. Have good networking. Have a good CV.

In seeking that first job and having the right flight time in the right aircraft does not guarantee that one will get that first job easily. Sometimes luck is needed.

Have confidence in yourself and be prepared to last the distance. You will get there. Good luck.