
Originally Posted by
JUNEK9
Im very much interested in the world of aviation, so many questions bothering me about taking flying since its not a walk in the park what you spend in your tuition fee, i know that the fact that taking flying course is very expensive. I just wanna ask to the pilots here specially those working on big commercial companies like PAL, Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines, Zest Air, Seaair etc.. What will happend after graduating the av school assuming you gain 150-200 log flying hours with CPL License and Instrument Rating. What's the next step after graduating av-school? Of course some commercial companies their minimum requirement is at least 500 hrs as second officer with CPL and instrument ratings and Radiotelephone Operator Certificate.
You can go on to a small charter company and general aviation aircraft to gain more hours before you go on to the major airlines. Or get a flight instructor's license and teach (probably the most fulfilling thing I've ever done in flying). Before you know it, you'll have the requisite minimum hours that the airlines want. If you have the opportunity, earning a multi-engine rating is highly recommended.
By the way, the 500 hours total time (TT) Second Officer position with PAL is multi-engine time. If you apply with only a single-engine rating on your license, they will ask for double that time, or 1,000 hours total time. A second officer acts as a relief crew member on long flights. The advantage is you get to fly 747s and A330/A340s right away. The disadvantage is you are not allowed to do takeoffs or landings, or sit in the front seats below 10,000 feet.
Cebu Pacific will accept you for the ATR (turboprop) First Officer position with CPL/IR and 500 hours TT. Of that, at least 20 hours must be multi-engine time. If you want to apply for the Airbus First Officer position, you will need 1,500 hours TT. Ironically, Cebu Pacific does not have a multi-engine requirement for the Airbus--which probably shows you jets are easier to fly than prop planes.
Between 2010 and 2013, Cebu Pacific is projected to require 90 captains and 180 F/Os to man all the A320s they have on order. The powers-that-be in the airline have yet to decide whether they want more ATRs, but if they do, that'll mean even more jobs available.
Seair, I understand, will take you in with only a CPL/IR but I haven't verified this. I don't know whether Zestair is still hiring or what the requirements are.