Realistic timeline
Posted by itauditneed@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 37 comments
Is 3 years a realistic timeline to go from 0-1500 hours working a 9-5 office job where I can fly before, after and weekends
Posted by itauditneed@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 37 comments
Is 3 years a realistic timeline to go from 0-1500 hours working a 9-5 office job where I can fly before, after and weekends
churnitupsome@reddit
I’ll go against what everyone else is saying…disco June 30, 2021, and I just got 2200 yesterday. I work a full time job completely unrelated to flying. I CFI’d to build the large majority of my hours after 250. It’s definitely been a massive commitment, but it’s doable
itauditneed@reddit (OP)
Are you at 2200 with no airline job?
zcar28@reddit
Hot dog. Do you fly 6pm to midnight every day?
churnitupsome@reddit
lol there are plenty of times it has felt like it
Curious-Owl6098@reddit
No. Even for a full time person who went to an accelerated school like an atp. In 2/3 years flying once a week youll probably get to a place where you can get a low time job. Then you have 1100 hours left to build
SnooHesitations1718@reddit
First flight was 2/14/22 Currently at 1200 hours
itauditneed@reddit (OP)
Is this while working full time?
SnooHesitations1718@reddit
No my entire life became flying for 2 years
oranges1cle@reddit
That’s the way. I did it in 3.
You have to be obsessive though. It became what I did, thought, studied, and daydreamed for those 3 years. Makes you loathe it towards the end so it comes with its consequences.
SnooHesitations1718@reddit
No my entire became flying for 2 years
Budget_Door3303@reddit
5 years if your lucky
rFlyingTower@reddit
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Ok-Tap7824@reddit
While working another job? Hell no. I did my first flight in a small plane to 121 right seat in 2 years but that was a grind
UNDR08@reddit
Probably double that…. 6 years.
3 years is for a full timer
zcar28@reddit
I had a full time job while earning ratings and hours. It did indeed take me 6 years from 0 to regional.
SomeCessnaDriver@reddit
I kept my office job while hitting the flying pretty hard. I just checked my logbook, I had 700 hours after the first 3 years. Maybe I could have flown more, but I was already making pretty big sacrifices at work and at home. It would be a pretty big stretch to more than double that amount of flying.
ReserveBidder@reddit
I flew 400 hours this year and it's my full time job. You really think you're going to go from 0 to 1500 hours in 3 years while ALSO having a full time job? Lol
Acceptable_Concern23@reddit
Going to be very difficult with a full time job. Took me just over 3 years in the north east while working part time at dicks Sporting goods and was a grind. Started flying January 2020 started at a 121 carrier April 2023.
Ill-Revolution1980@reddit
Been flying almost 3 years and about to finish my certs. Let alone I’m at 300 hours. Unrealistic sorry to say
OffRdX@reddit
One thing I didn’t see anyone else mention is the job market. Nobody can tell you what it will look like at the end of those 3 years.
Don’t bank on starting now, getting to 1,500 hours in 3 years, and a regional picking you up immediately. The people getting CJO’s right now that I’ve talked to are all waiting ~6 months for a class date, at least.
Keeping your full time job and progressing as fast as you can manage while not getting into debt is a good plan.
Alone_Elderberry_101@reddit
It took me nearly 5 years. Worked full time in finance. Started Aug 2017. Regional April of 22, fractional in late 22 now at a major in late 2023.
I was pushing hard. Totally blowing off work sometimes burning the candle from both ends for sure. I think it would be really tough to do it any faster.
Necessary-Art9874@reddit
An important piece of information you're leaving out is which region of the country do you live in / plan on completing your training in? If you're in FL or AZ you should be able to fly mostly year round. Where I live training grinds to a halt during the winter.
itauditneed@reddit (OP)
In in southern California
Mattyice199415@reddit
Pretty sure right now in California people are waiting like 4-6 months for a check ride
Turbulent-Bus3392@reddit
I worked full time while owning my own plane and flying pipeline part time. The most I have flown is 400 hours in a year, which does not include commute to airport, preflight, post flight fueling, etc.. The hardest part will be getting your CFI and I could see that taking over a year since gaining the knowledge will slow down progress. I know some CFIs that teach after work and on the weekends. Anything over 6-10 hours is tough just due to weather and finding students that need to work around a 9-5 job.
Dazzling-Ad-4364@reddit
Your mileage will vary significantly based on location, funding, and your ability to learn.
I started training in November of 2020, CFI in June of 2022, and got my airline job in January of 2024. So that timeline was about 38 months. I was working a full time job and had breaks between checkrides. I did however take advantage of training stipends and grants where I could. This was all in a part 61 school and I have ZERO debt from flight training. All was “pay as I go”. No degree and 1500 hours for my R-ATP.
BookieWookie69@reddit
If your employees as a CFI and get lucky
LS788@reddit
I got a 10 year plan to go from zero to hero while working full time, that I started in 2021. I seem to be on track, but I'm in europe and only aiming for 250 hours.
surefirepigeon@reddit
If you quit your job, fly or study most days, with the occasional few weeks off every now and then you can get CFII in a year. You can skip ME and MEI for now.
Then a year and half of instructing to get to 1500.
So 2.5 years with minimum breaks and a year off from work until you begin working as a CFI.
Treader1138@reddit
Just doing some napkin math, that’d put you at 500hrs/year, or around 10hrs/week of flying.
Is that possible? Maybe…if you have a flexible job, you could do an hour a day, the stars align, and Manwè blesses the winds for you…
But to do that everyday for 3 years? Not a chance. Aside from exhaustion, you’re going to run into weather and mx delays…soon your “1 hour a day” hypothetical quickly turns into 3hrs…then 5…then 27th a day to stay on pace.
Deep-Wolverine-4313@reddit
This is very dependent on multiple factors. Speed of learning, instructor/plane availability, DPE availability, how many hours/month as a CFI, weather, etc. In a perfect world, I’d say it’s possible. 1500 hours isn’t a magic ticket to the airlines anymore either. What’s the rush anyway?
Low_Sky_49@reddit
Not even close.
Bahahaaaahaha@reddit
I started 2022 January, full time job throughout. I now hold CMEL: Instrument at 500 total hours. If I can get a flying job soon, may be I'll be able to hit 1500 in another two years.
LuklaAdvocate@reddit
Once you get your certificates, what is your plan to build time? 0-1500 in 3 years is certainly possible, but it depends on which path you take.
There are courses which allow you to get your ratings quickly, but if you plan on instructing, a 9-5 office job might make that difficult.
Available_Honeydew43@reddit
Not realistic. You’ll need to commit to earning ratings full time and then CFI/time build full time to accomplish that timeline. Even then…. It will be tough.
BrettSchirley22@reddit
Nope. 3 years is basically min for someone that eats, breathes, and sleeps this shit. And it still requires a bit of luck
EliteEthos@reddit
Absolutely not