Just invited to ground school in Anchorage

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nimdabew

Pre-takeoff checklist
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nimdabew
Hello! I was just invited to ground school in Anchorage that will be starting in a few weeks. I have read other threads similar to this one, but I am still slightly anxious about it since it will be my first 135 operation as a commercial pilot.

I am getting all my ducks in a row as far as medical, documentation, etc, but I wanted to put the obligatory "what should I study beforehand" before I make the trip to the last frontier. I am very excited and looking forward to the trip and everything it brings, but I want to be as prepared as much as I possibly can. I will be flying FO in a C208 after ground school and sim training, then flight training with a check ride to follow soon after.

What should I study? Is there anything in the FARs that I should glance/study/engross myself with before I go up? Should I go up with an instructor and get a few more simulated approaches in a C172? Should I just take a breather and let things come as they may?

I have all of the items on their pre hire checklist gathered, still waiting on the drug testing information, and etc. etc. Opinions? Thoughts?
 
Study what they tell you to study.

Pack all of your cold weather clothes, then buy new ones for winter after you get there; what's available down here generally isn't sufficient.
 
They will provide you the materials you need to study. You may want to study up on the avionics packages they use.
 
Hank S said:
Study what they tell you to study.

Pack all of your cold weather clothes, then buy new ones for winter after you get there; what's available down here generally isn't sufficient.
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Insulated Carharts typically work for me into the coldest of climates. It's just a matter of how many layers of what underneath.
 
Go watch YouTube for a series called flying wild Alaska. Watch the last two episodes of season 1 to get an idea of how cold winter is in Alaska. Good luck!

TJ


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Who will you be working for? Do you know where you will be based?

Think cold. I saw -62 in Fairbanks during two weeks of -50s. Fall is just a few weeks away. Termination dust will probably fly in Anchorage by the middle of September.

Study weather regs and 135 time and duty. Learn that GPS if you know what you will be using.

Learn to like fish, seal and walrus...... Ok, maybe not....:lol::lol::lol:
 
warthog1984 said:
Is this P2F? Don't know any operators that actually use a SIC for a caravan.
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When I started in Alaska years ago a few companies would put warm bodies in the right seat of the 'van. Usually to get the flight time up to 135 VFR minimums, then off to 207 world.
 
Zeldman said:
Think cold. I saw -62 in Fairbanks during two weeks of -50s. Fall is just a few weeks away.
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Anchorage is a long way from Fairbanks, both in distance and climate....Anchorage has a much more moderate climate.

Of course, airplanes CAN fly inland. ;)
 
Zeldman said:
When I started in Alaska years ago a few companies would put warm bodies in the right seat of the 'van. Usually to get the flight time up to 135 VFR minimums, then off to 207 world.
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If only one pilot can log time at a time in a Caravan, how did that help?
 
dans2992 said:
If only one pilot can log time at a time in a Caravan, how did that help?
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135 can need 2 pilots in a Caravan. Pretty sure the autopilot needs to be working and single pilot usage allowed in the op spec.
 
Congrats ,they will give you everything you need to study for the position.
 
jordane93 said:
Congrats on the job!
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Thanks!

Zeldman said:
Who will you be working for? Do you know where you will be based?

...

Study weather regs and 135 time and duty. Learn that GPS if you know what you will be using.
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I do know who I will be working for, and I will be based in Anchorage. They still said bring rain gear, wool socks, hiking boots (I will be getting waterproof stuff tomorrow), and bug spray.

As far as the GPS, I don't know.

warthog1984 said:
Is this P2F? Don't know any operators that actually use a SIC for a caravan.
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It is not. Caravans can be single pilot, but if the auto pilot is inop, then you need someone in the right seat doing something.
 
Congrats dude! JSYK, the outfit you are flying for doesn't have a base in anchorage. You might be doing ground school there, but that's not where you will be spending your time every month.

Insulated carhartts, a really good base layer, and a good fleece layer in between kept me warm on the coldest days. Usually a layer of regular carhartts over the fleece but under the insulated bibs will help keep the wind out.

Good luck, we're all counting on you.
 
DavidWhite said:
Congrats dude! JSYK, the outfit you are flying for doesn't have a base in anchorage. You might be doing ground school there, but that's not where you will be spending your time every month.

Insulated carhartts, a really good base layer, and a good fleece layer in between kept me warm on the coldest days. Usually a layer of regular carhartts over the fleece but under the insulated bibs will help keep the wind out.

Good luck, we're all counting on you.
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Good enough for me. I am going to study up on pt 135 stuff for the next few days, gather some supplies for the trip up there, and then hope for the best.
 
Anywhere the sun doesn't rise for days is not a place I want to be.
 
Good thing I am a lumen junkie. But then again, I haven't enjoyed the pleasure of flying in a flat area with no city lights... YET!
 
nimdabew said:
Good thing I am a lumen junkie. But then again, I haven't enjoyed the pleasure of flying in a flat area with no city lights... YET!
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flat with no lights isn't so bad....mountains with no lights are a whole different kettle of fish...
 
Henning said:
Anywhere the sun doesn't rise for days is not a place I want to be.
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I survived a year in Barrow one winter. The constant darkness really affected me. Around 11am the southern sky would get light, looking like the sun may rise. Light enough to not need headlights while driving. It would stay like that for about 4 hours, then darkness again.

I would go to bed at 7pm, sleep until 7am and wake up just exhausted.

Of course the 24 hour summer sun was almost as bad....gotta play while the sun shines.

The only thing I really remember about Bethell was how flat the area is. Flying in very reduced visibility was not a problem. Until you found the mud volcanoes. Sloping terrain colored hills, Very slow sloping hills, low visibility....:(

Bad housing, bad food unless you cook for yourself, expensive food in the A/C store, drunks walking all over the place, inadequate heating, cold airplanes in winter, stinking airplanes in summer, the smell of raw sewage in summer, drunk eskimos tossing the cookies in the back of the plane.....

All done before GPS was affordable. Flying needle, ball and airspeed in barely legal VFR equipped airplanes in what is supposed to be VFR conditions...

Otherwise I had a lot of fun flying in bush villages.....:yes:
 
nimdabew said:
Hello! I was just invited to ground school in Anchorage that will be starting in a few weeks. I have read other threads similar to this one, but I am still slightly anxious about it since it will be my first 135 operation as a commercial pilot.

I am getting all my ducks in a row as far as medical, documentation, etc, but I wanted to put the obligatory "what should I study beforehand" before I make the trip to the last frontier. I am very excited and looking forward to the trip and everything it brings, but I want to be as prepared as much as I possibly can. I will be flying FO in a C208 after ground school and sim training, then flight training with a check ride to follow soon after.

What should I study? Is there anything in the FARs that I should glance/study/engross myself with before I go up? Should I go up with an instructor and get a few more simulated approaches in a C172? Should I just take a breather and let things come as they may?

I have all of the items on their pre hire checklist gathered, still waiting on the drug testing information, and etc. etc. Opinions? Thoughts?
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As far as cold weather gear goes, don't sweat it just yet. The weather isn't that cold just yet. Anything you need you can buy in Anchorage or mail order it. I suggest looking at what your co-workers have and get stuff that's similar. Try not to go overboard with stuff.

Word of advice/caution...

The weather will be crap and so will the equipment you fly. You'll either have to deal with it, or go home. That being said, if you're not comfortable with a particular situation, don't get into it. Your management will only be concerned about making a buck. If you get violated (FAA), do damage (aircraft), or hurt (ground), they will hang you out to dry and hire the next newbie that sends in a resume. You will be expected to fly anytime the weather meets minimums. That means 500 foot ceiling and 2 miles of visibility is good VFR weather. In the end, you need to know when enough is enough and put your foot down, even if that means you'll be going home so the next newbie can get his chance.

I spent five years flying all over Alaska and had a great time, despite my negative sounding paragraph. Good luck and have fun!!
 
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I looooooove Anchorage! The only advice I have is for your time off, though. Hit up F Street Station for a beer and a halibut sandwich! It's a "pilot bar" (or used to be) but all the crews have plastered their patches all over the place, really cool to see. Or Humpy's for more seafood. The coffee is incredible all over the city, too. Also, oddly enough, The Gumbo House. I'm from Louisiana and was SHOCKED at how good their gumbo was. Moose's Tooth for pizza. Head over to Point Woronzof Park to sit RIGHT UNDER the final approach path for PANC. 747 freighters from Asia rumbling a hundred feet over your head is an indescribable experience.
 
I have had mooses tooth pizza. It was a-mazing. I think if I spend a significant amount of time there in the future, I will get pretty chubby from that pizza alone.
 
onezuludelta said:
I looooooove Anchorage! The only advice I have is for your time off, though. Hit up F Street Station for a beer and a halibut sandwich! It's a "pilot bar" (or used to be) but all the crews have plastered their patches all over the place, really cool to see. Or Humpy's for more seafood. The coffee is incredible all over the city, too. Also, oddly enough, The Gumbo House. I'm from Louisiana and was SHOCKED at how good their gumbo was. Moose's Tooth for pizza. Head over to Point Woronzof Park to sit RIGHT UNDER the final approach path for PANC. 747 freighters from Asia rumbling a hundred feet over your head is an indescribable experience.
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Take a couple laps around Lake Hood too for that matter. I think there's more planes there than you will see at Oshkosh.

BTW... When I first got to Anchorage, I stayed at The Long House. Pretty decent hotel right across the street from the lake.
 
Anymouse said:
Take a couple laps around Lake Hood too for that matter. I think there's more planes there than you will see at Oshkosh.

BTW... When I first got to Anchorage, I stayed at The Long House. Pretty decent hotel right across the street from the lake.
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Long House.... I was stuck in Anchorage one year during Thanksgiving. The owners invited me in for Thanksgiving dinner with them and their employees and families. I was always treated well there.
 
I may switch my reservations to long house after you fine ladies and gentlemen give them the thumbs up. They are the same price as the place I am staying at right now and they are within walking distance of the place where I am going to be doing ground school (according to google maps).
 
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