135 Ground School

MulePilot

MulePilot

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MulePilot
Hey all,
I’ll be attending a 135 ground school in about a month for single-pilot VFR ops in 208s and PC12s in Alaska. I’m trying to gauge what I should be studying prior to, and in addition to, the class. As it is, I have some manuals and documents pertaining to the 208, but what else should I be looking at? I’m trying to be as prepared as I can be.

Are there specific sections of 135 I should focus on more than others?
Is 91 also something to keep sharp on?
What about general preparedness, outside of hitting the books?
Is the 135 checkride given by the feds or the company?
How is the training typically structured?

Any and all information is greatly appreciated, no matter how minor. This is my first entry into commercial flying and I’d love to hear from others with far more time in the sky than myself.
Thanks, MP
 
135 regs, look at the crewmember qualifications, flight and duty times. Training and testing.
Weather related stuff like non-std TO and alternate wx mins are ops spec, C-50-55. Authorizations and exemptions are all ops spec.
Check ride will be check airman or fed or both depending on what they have
I used to do lots of 135 training. It's mostly firehose on but you'll get it.
 
Sea Planes in Juneau.??

If so the checkride is in house. You will have to crash inverted into the orphanarium to fail. Training is pretty loose, but complete. martym pretty much has it on to study up on. You will basically be doing a single engine commercial style checkride. Pay attention to company operations as to how they want you to fly the plane. Learn the Op Specs. They will brush you up on what they want you to know.

If it is JNU memorize the reporting points in the area. Tower folks are laid back.
 
MulePilot said:
Hey all,
I’ll be attending a 135 ground school in about a month for single-pilot VFR ops in 208s and PC12s in Alaska. I’m trying to gauge what I should be studying prior to, and in addition to, the class. As it is, I have some manuals and documents pertaining to the 208, but what else should I be looking at? I’m trying to be as prepared as I can be.

Are there specific sections of 135 I should focus on more than others?
Is 91 also something to keep sharp on?
What about general preparedness, outside of hitting the books?
Is the 135 checkride given by the feds or the company?
How is the training typically structured?

Any and all information is greatly appreciated, no matter how minor. This is my first entry into commercial flying and I’d love to hear from others with far more time in the sky than myself.
Thanks, MP
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Where in Alaska? I'll be back to fly PC12s for a 135 operator out of Juneau. 10th year. Would be 12 but for Covid. Lots of Caravan time here as well. VFR only (mostly) 207s back in the day. Fun Stuff. HAHA!!! Zeldman knows.

Know your hours of service and all the rules about them down cold. Exceeding your hours will get the Feds attention.

Most outfits in Alaska have company check airmen. But I've ridden with the FAA before as well.

Your ground school will include company indoc and going over the GOM and ops specs. You'll learn about MELs, what an MEL really is and how to apply it.

Don't sweat it too much, but be prepared to do homework and pass a few tests.

I've not seen anybody wash out of ground school, but I have seen people get sent home from flight training.
 
I’ll be operating in the interior out of Fairbanks, though Juneau looks like a beautiful place to fly around. I’d love to make it down there sometime!
martym said:
C-50-55
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Sorry, I’m not sure I’m following what you’re referring to here, is this part of an AC?

I’ve heard the VFR checkride is basically an IFR check but you’re still limited to vfr ops until the 1200hrs req. is met. Also, could I get clarification on the ops. specs you’re referring to? Company specific ops. specs or something else?
 
MulePilot said:
I’ll be operating in the interior out of Fairbanks, though Juneau looks like a beautiful place to fly around. I’d love to make it down there sometime!
Sorry, I’m not sure I’m following what you’re referring to here, is this part of an AC?

I’ve heard the VFR checkride is basically an IFR check but you’re still limited to vfr ops until the 1200hrs req. is met. Also, could I get clarification on the ops. specs you’re referring to? Company specific ops. specs or something else?
Click to expand...

OpsSpec C-50 through 55. Some won't apply until you're flying IFR. Since most Ops Specs are canned and the same for all operators, they can be found online. But not all apply to all operators.

You may also be learning how to use Chelton avionics. Many 135 operators in Alaska use them as they were paid for by the Feds as part of the Capstone project. It's a dated system, but very capable.

In my experience, VFR 135 checkride is about the same as Private Pilot checkride. YMMV.
 
MulePilot said:
I’ve heard the VFR checkride is basically an IFR check but you’re still limited to vfr ops until the 1200hrs req. is met. Also, could I get clarification on the ops. specs you’re referring to? Company specific ops. specs or something else?
Click to expand...


The VFR checkride is just that: VFR and a no brainer. Basically VFR private pilot maneuvers. You will still have to do one instrument approach. When you reach 1200 hours then you will do IFR flight training followed by a IFR checkride. After the checkride you will need a total of 50 or 100 hours (I don't remember which right off hand) in the aircraft before they will let you fly IFR trips.

Ops Spec are company specific operations specifications that are used with the blessing of the FAA. As Htaylor said most are pretty basic, but could be anything. One company I flew for could not do contact approaches, another company had to have a gear not down radar indicator and if it was inop then that airplane could not be used for flight. One company, I was reading through the Ops Specs and it said the company was not allowed to fly in instrument conditions in the state of Alaska. uhhh..... we only fly in Alaska. That got changed quickly.

Learn the MEL for the planes you fly. You don't really have to memorize everything, just be able to look up what you need to find quickly.

Fairbanks is really nice. But be prepared for the coldest winter ever. You will learn to fly in a parka and bunny boots. You get a little bush experience, maybe some trips to the north slope, but then you come back to Fairbanks to a 4 star restaurant....

If someone offers you boiled walrus flipper, take a pass. That stuff can kill non-eskimo folks....:lol::lol:
 
Htaylor said:
Your ground school will include company indoc and going over the GOM and ops specs. You'll learn about MELs, what an MEL really is and how to apply it.
.
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This is the real truth. The ground school will be mostly company policy and procedures focused, so unless they give you a copy of their documents up front there isn't a lot you can study in advance for.
 
What do you all consider “the right questions” to ask? What do you want your students, coworkers, SICs, to know?
 
Who’s here to cooperate and graduate and who’s here for the Distinguished Graduate trophy.

At least that’s the first question to ask in a .mil class. You find out motivating factors upfront. In a .civ environment, I’d probably want to know what get’s me put in jail/cert revoked, what gets me fired, and what I need to do come back next season.
 
TCABM said:
Who’s here to cooperate and graduate and who’s here for the Distinguished Graduate trophy.

At least that’s the first question to ask in a .mil class. You find out motivating factors upfront. In a .civ environment, I’d probably want to know what get’s me put in jail/cert revoked, what gets me fired, and what I need to do come back next season.
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Good to know
 
MulePilot said:
What do you all consider “the right questions” to ask?
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Well, the old school 135 operations I flew for in Alaska, ''Who's buying the first round .??'' was usually a good question at the end of the first day....

In some of the bush villages I spent time in, toilet paper could be used as currency. Not sure how the tp situation is up there now, but might add a few rolls to your overnight bag.

On the serious side, learn de-ice procedures and the anti-ice systems. How do you feel about flying in light ice?
 
Zeldman said:
How do you feel about flying in light ice?
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I can’t say I’m jumping for joy at the thought of it, but I’m willing to fly in reasonable conditions. I tend to lean on the side of caution, but it is certainly a reality up here. I’d prefer to be above or below it if I could.
 
“light” ice

In Alaska there is no such thing as severe. Also gas doesn’t weigh anything north of Bellingham. In Southeast there are 2 ILS approaches and they are 360 miles apart. In the PC12 you should be able to climb out of the ice, except for the infamous hold at SSR where you’re stuck in the **** until it’s your turn.



I don’t have much else to add other than don’t let anyone pressure you into doing something in an airplane you don’t want to do, and if you wouldn’t do it with your momma/wife/husband/whatever in the back you shouldn’t be doing it.
 
Side note just re-read the post; They’re hiring you to fly VFR in a PC12 and a Caravan in Southeast Alaska?????

Be sure to keep it “VFR” above the MEAs and off the airways if that is the case. You can’t hit a mountain if you’re above them. No offense to you, but they must be awful desperate if they’re hiring guys to do that VFR in those airplanes. Jeeeeeeeeez. It’s about as unforgiving of a learning environment as one could ask for. It’s one thing to be doing it in a 207 at 110 knots….
 
DavidWhite said:
Side note just re-read the post; They’re hiring you to fly VFR in a PC12 and a Caravan in Southeast Alaska?????
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More than likely, it’ll be vfr in the caravan, build to IFR mins, fly the caravan some more, then eventually transition to the pc12. And it’ll be in the interior.
 
MulePilot said:
More than likely, it’ll be vfr in the caravan, build to IFR mins, fly the caravan some more, then eventually transition to the pc12. And it’ll be in the interior.
Click to expand...

Ah ok, interior is better but still no joke. Be safe up there.
 
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