another annoying commercial wannabe question...

[gatt]

Thanks for your previous help, folks. I have, hopefully, one remaining
question.

At the age of 35, having resigned to a life of earthbound employment, I just
want to know this:

If I finish my instrument rating and complete my commercial, is it possible
to recover those training expenses flying part-time? All I want to be able
to do is subsize my passion and increase my ratings and skills. If I spend,
say, $10,000 earning instrument, commerical and perhaps CFI ratings, is it
reasonable to expect that I will be able to earn that back before the final
wings are pinned on my shoulders?

In the end, it'll be worth it anyway, but what are the odds?

-c

[Teacherjh]

>>
If I spend,
say, $10,000 earning instrument, commerical and perhaps CFI ratings, is it
reasonable to expect that I will be able to earn that back before the final
wings are pinned on my shoulders?
<<

I'm not sure I understand the question. If you are asking, essentially,
whether a lifetime total income of more than $10,000 is reasonable in aviation,
then yes. At $20/hour as a CFI, you could fly 500 hours (say, enough to see 20
students through primary training) to make that kind of money. If you can pull
down $40/hour, then ten students (over your entire lifetime) will pay back
$10,000 worth of ratings.

But I don't think that's really the question on your mind, because in order to
do this, you will have to work for 500 hours. That's a little over twelve
weeks of full time flying. This will involve double that amount of hours when
you count all the down time. So, going full steam, it will take half a year,
assuming that students are coming out of the woodwork to fly with you.

So, half a year of working, and you get $10,000. Ok, it's fun work, but it's
still time you're renting the apartment or paying the morgage, eating lunch,
buying flowers for your honey (probably the best flying investment there is :),
and accuing other expenses that need to be paid in cash rather than gasoline.

Or, it's time you're not working at your earthbound job making the money to
take care of the other stuff, such as getting ratings and flying (for
yourself). I would not look at "hobby flying employment" as a way to pay back
the cost of ratings, but rather, as a way to get in the air on somebody else's
dime. Assumnig you're going up anyway, might as well get somebody else to foot
the bill.

Jose

--
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[Marco Leon]

Two things come to mind:

1) If you want a positive cash flow when you fly for hire, then you probably
want to line up with an on-demand charter company because maintaining your
own aircraft to Part 135 requirements takes money and probably full-time
availability for work.
2) There will be a long line of other pilots competing for whatever opening
you find at this charter company.

Not impossible but it will be a difficult road. Your best bet would be to
get your CFI and teach part time.

Marco

-+
"gatt" > wrote in message
...
>
> Thanks for your previous help, folks. I have, hopefully, one remaining
> question.
>
> At the age of 35, having resigned to a life of earthbound employment, I
just
> want to know this:
>
> If I finish my instrument rating and complete my commercial, is it
possible
> to recover those training expenses flying part-time? All I want to be
able
> to do is subsize my passion and increase my ratings and skills. If I
spend,
> say, $10,000 earning instrument, commerical and perhaps CFI ratings, is it
> reasonable to expect that I will be able to earn that back before the
final
> wings are pinned on my shoulders?
>
> In the end, it'll be worth it anyway, but what are the odds?
>
> -c
>
>




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[Dan Truesdell]

I'm in the process of getting my commercial now. The only reason for
doing it is that it will allow me to do scenic flights at the local
flight school if there is no one else available (it's a small school).
If the FAA goes through with their illogical restriction on
scenic/charity flights, I will stop my commercial training for now (I
only have 270 hours) and pick it back up again when I'm close to the
500 hour requirement (lots of Angel Flights should allow this). You
need to ask yourself a few questions (which I'm sure you already have).

1. Do you really want to do this as a profession, regardless of the money?

2. Do you think that flying professionally will satisfy your desire to
fly or kill it?


Once you get your commercial, I think viewing paid part-time
instructing/sight-seeing as a time builder rather than investment
recovery instrument might be the way to go. Just think of it as getting
to do something you like to do and you get some money for it as a bonus.


Just my $.02

gatt wrote:
> Thanks for your previous help, folks. I have, hopefully, one remaining
> question.
>
> At the age of 35, having resigned to a life of earthbound employment, I just
> want to know this:
>
> If I finish my instrument rating and complete my commercial, is it possible
> to recover those training expenses flying part-time? All I want to be able
> to do is subsize my passion and increase my ratings and skills. If I spend,
> say, $10,000 earning instrument, commerical and perhaps CFI ratings, is it
> reasonable to expect that I will be able to earn that back before the final
> wings are pinned on my shoulders?
>
> In the end, it'll be worth it anyway, but what are the odds?
>
> -c
>
>


--
Remove "2PLANES" to reply.

[gatt]

"Marco Leon" <mleon(at)optonline.net> wrote in message news:4096a641

> 2) There will be a long line of other pilots competing for whatever
opening
> you find at this charter company.
>
> Not impossible but it will be a difficult road. Your best bet would be to
> get your CFI and teach part time.

That's my plan. It should help that the FBO owner I'm training out of was
my father's partner at the sheriff's office for over a decade, eh?

Thanks for the comments, everybody. Since my original post I discovered
that my primary flight instructor also sells real estate (and serves as a
Major in the AF Reserve)

-c