To CFI Or Not To CFI? That is the question.

I finally get back in a Seneca today. As much as I have enjoyed the Arrow, the sound, feel and performance of a multi engine aircraft is wonderful. Besides, multi time is what it's all about...which leads me to my current dilemma.

I am going to be 37 here pretty quick. Now 37 isn't exactly old, but it's not 23-25 either. At my age, I want to get a seniority number as quickly as possible. I also want to take advantage of a job market that is beginning to favor job seekers. Airlines keep lowering their minimums. I've heard of a few regionals that are so desperate for pilots right now, that their interviewing pilots with less than 300 hours and 50 multi.

None of those airlines are necessarily places I want to work. I would prefer to work for one of a select few. I'm not as concerned about 1st through 3rd year FO pay as I am about working for an airline that I know is going to be there.

Anyway, since I've been doing quite a bit of flying outside of flight school, my times are going up rather quickly. I could have the minimums for the airline that is my choice by April or May.

Next month, I could either start CFI or FOS (Flight Officer School). FOS is basically 9 weeks of Part 121 Airline Regs and standards, high altitude training, jet simulator training, interview prep and so on.

I know that CFI/II/MEI are valuable and I great respect for everyone that has them. However, a day in the airline business is like a year everywhere else. Things change overnight. Right now and for the foreseeable future, hiring looks very good. But as the past has demonstrated, things can change in a heartbeat.

CFI/II/MEI would probably take 90 days to complete and then I would have to instruct for some time. Time is the factor for me.

Right now, I'm leaning towards FOS. My gut feeling is that it's the right thing to do for my situation. If I were 25 and didn't have a family, I would definitely be thinking differently. My friends that are airline pilots have told me that the airline doesn't care if you're a CFI. They want to know if you're trainable for Part 121 flight ops and if you're someone they could stand to be with for 4 days at a time. The earlier I get hired, the earlier I can get 121 turbine time and work towards ATP (Airline Transport Pilot).

There are a lot of people who have paid their dues through being a CFI. Being a good CFI is invaluable experience. But is it worth the time and cost for me right now? If the preferred route didn't work out, I could always go back and get CFI/II/MEI.

Hiring minimums are near an all time low. Just a few years ago, you needed a Space Shuttle type rating and 2,000,000,000,000 hours to be considered. September 11th demonstrated what can happen overnight.

To CFI or not to CFI? That is the question.