Hours needed to get a Bush Pilot Job.

Snaggletooth said:
How many Hours do you need to be a Bush Pilot?
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If you want to be paid to fly an airplane, you need to have a Commercial certificate.

(Well, if you want to dio it legally)

The owner/operator of the airplane also needs to meet some requirements -- most found in your trusty AIM/FAR 2009.
 
Insurance will rule. and i suspect the requirements will be high before they turn you loose with a supercub in the back country. its a classic catch 22 where they want you to have some significant time flying Alaska but the only way to get it is to get the job, or buy an airplane and build the time on your own.
 
I'll add to what Dan said. By commenting that being a "Bush Pilot" is not a job you technically apply for at least thats my humble opinion. You want to fly the bush for $$ yeah you need your comm BUT I'd have to bet that there is SOOOOOOOO much more to being a Bush Pilot than any Comm ticket will ever teach you. The places these guys and gals go and the things they do just isn't listed on any FAA rating.

You can't learn to be a bush pilot in ANY class room or flying out of any metropolitan airport. I'm trying to find the words to describe it but without much success. I guess you'd say a Bush Pilot is something you become not something you apply for or get hired for.

Did that make any sense?
 
AdamZ said:
You can't learn to be a bush pilot in ANY class room or flying out of any metropolitan airport. I'm trying to find the words to describe it but without much success. I guess you'd say a Bush Pilot is something you become not something you apply for or get hired for.
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Amen -- though legally the number of hours would be 250 (Comm Part 61), in reality the ability to put an airplane down on a given spot and stop within some limited distance while calculating the effects of wind and load en route is probably a starting point.

A good friend of mine was a Fly Fishing guide in MT and AK for 20+ years. He said too many guides got into it because they loved to fish -- and quickly burned out.

I suppose it's the same for bush flying -- you just don't do enough flying to make all the other stuff merely tolerable.
 
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tonycondon said:
Insurance will rule. and i suspect the requirements will be high before they turn you loose with a supercub in the back country. its a classic catch 22 where they want you to have some significant time flying Alaska but the only way to get it is to get the job, or buy an airplane and build the time on your own.
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Insurance? Wazzat?

A significant portion of the pilot/operator population up here toodles along self-insured (which for most means uninsured for any catastrophic loss.) I would imagine that is also true of many international "bush" operations :dunno:

The Alaska career path as I've observed it is pilot mill->pilot mill CFI->SEL point-to-point freight dog'er in the Yukon/Kuskokwim Delta or Fairbanks area->part 135 point-to-point people hauler ops in a 206/207 in same area->latch on to a big game or fishing guide or transporter service for backcountry ops time. Or alternatively flying tourists around the Mountain or around SE Alaska instead of part 135 scheduled ops. Maybe insert second seat time in a small part 121 bush airline in there somewhere but most of those guys are looking for later big iron time just as in the lower 48, not bush pilot work.

And then strike out out on your own if that is your inclination.
 
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So it's a better idea to get my own plane rather than find a ride with another operator?
 
Snaggletooth said:
So it's a better idea to get my own plane rather than find a ride with another operator?
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Its a better idea to get your PPL first then your IR. At 10.4hrs you are putting the cart miles before the horse. not sure how old you are but I get the imrpession you are in your mid to early teens. (Watch you'll tell us your 38 LOL) So the entire industry could change by the time you are ready. For now concentrat on being the best student pilot you can be then the best PPL and so on.
 
AdamZ said:
Its a better idea to get your PPL first then your IR. At 10.4hrs you are putting the cart miles before the horse. not sure how old you are but I get the imrpession you are in your mid to early teens. (Watch you'll tell us your 38 LOL) So the entire industry could change by the time you are ready. For now concentrat on being the best student pilot you can be then the best PPL and so on.
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You beat me to it!

But you said it better.

:)
 
You'll never believe this..... I'm 38!! No J/k just turned 17 last sunday.
 
As someone who put the cart before the horse myself (I wanted a twin from about 0 hours TT) I'll tell you there are accelerated ways to get this stuff done, it just costs money. In under two years I've done 400 hours and am working towards my CFI now. I'll also tell you to focus on your standard pilot career path - PPL, IR, Comm, Multi, CFI, etc. to build hours. Once you get your comm you can also start getting paid for some of this stuff (or at least not pay to do it).

As to buying a plane - at this point you're probably better off trying to get a good deal with an owner to rent/borrow a plane. That saved me a ton of money and allowed me to fly a plane that was much nicer than I otherwise would have been able to. Making friends at the airport will help with this.
 
Snaggle don't misunderstand my previous post to mean you shouldn't dream or pursue your goal you most definitly should at your age. Go For it is the perfect phrase but do it logically and intelligently as that is most probably the safer and less expensive way of getting it done.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
As to buying a plane - at this point you're probably better off trying to get a good deal with an owner to rent/borrow a plane. That saved me a ton of money and allowed me to fly a plane that was much nicer than I otherwise would have been able to. Making friends at the airport will help with this.
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Absolutely!

My opportunities to fly owned airplanes increased considerably once I had my CFI.
 
I think the big point here is that for bush flying, it's not how many hours you have, it's the type of hours you have -- what and where you've been flying. 10,000 hours of instructing in a C-152 in Kansas won't impress them near as much as 1000 hours of hauling hunters in the Rockies in a Beaver.
 
dmccormack said:
Absolutely!

My opportunities to fly owned airplanes increased considerably once I had my CFI.
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For me it increased once I got to the point where people started believing I might have a clue what I'm doing. What that threshold is varies for various plane owners. Once I got about 150 hours and an instrument rating was when I started getting trusted with others' planes (i.e. the Mooney).

Ron Levy said:
I think the big point here is that for bush flying, it's not how many hours you have, it's the type of hours you have -- what and where you've been flying. 10,000 hours of instructing in a C-152 in Kansas won't impress them near as much as 1000 hours of hauling hunters in the Rockies in a Beaver.
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For sure, and I think that's the case for anyone who's paying close attention. I've seen people with multiples more hours than I have who I'd not fly with in a 172, much less let them fly my plane.
 
Snaggletooth said:
You'll never believe this..... I'm 38!! No J/k just turned 17 last sunday.
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Hey ya peckerwood, I'm 38...it sucks.:D

One step at a time Snag! Take your time and enjoy it, I'm serious! In no time you'll be 38 and wonder, wtf was I think'n getting in a hurry.

Slow down, enjoy today.
 
There are a bunch of operators in Africa who fly what you'd call "bush" operations who hire with nothing more than a commercial license.
 
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