Where can I go with my pilot career??

Mattibob

Mattibob

Filing Flight Plan
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Oct 27, 2014
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Matt
So Im new ro the aviation world when it comes to licensing. I'm currently active duty AF In Okinawa. I've been working on my PPL for the last couple of year. It's taking so long because I'm pretty poor lol. I should be finishing here in the next month or so though. All I think about is flying. That's all I've ever wanted to do. More specifically bush flying. My question is, is how can someone like myself get into a bush flying career when I separate from active duty? Everyone I've met who flies seemed to have just fallen into a random piloting career. I have nobody to really ask. I don't know any pilots that I can ask questions to that aren't japanese. None of them have ever heard of bush flying. Long story short, if there is anyone out there reading these posts, please enlighten me with where I can go to school, or if bush flying requires a university type school. What are the steps involved in setting myself set up with the ratings and licenses required to get there? I literarily have no clue where to start other than getting my PPL finished and getting my instrument. Are there programs out there that teach bush flying techniques?? I feel very lost about my aviation goals. The big things that are holding me back are that Im no very well off. I'm only an E4. And my wife is in school for forensic anthropology. That being said, the only places she'll be able to get a job is in a bigger city. I feel like the places she can get a job are the last places that will have a bush flying demand! Can anyone give me some advice where to start or even share your experiences if you've been through situations like mine? Please, leave all sarcasm to youselves. I'm in need of actual advice, not criticism. Thank you
 
You'll want tailwheel time, and float time and 200 series cessna time (206/7)

TRY to do all your training in AK, many bush operators will require X hours of AK or PNW time.

For tailwheel time get your PPL in a champ or something and log your hours that way, it'll save you money too.

For seaplanes, get the seaplane ticket, and try to do all your complex stuff in a constant speed seaplane with flaps. Seaplanes often rent for as much as trainer twin.

Work wise, you could try your luck in Botswana or Namibia, though you need to have a high BS threshold over there.

Could also try to get a first job in AK, maybe work the ramp than transition to right seat, to left seat.

Also could build up hours flying jumpers, good thing is you'll be flying some bush type planes. 206s, later with some hours, twotters. After this go for a bush job.

Getting the first 500hrs then 1000 is going to be the hard part.

Being able to work a forklift will help

Being able to turn wrenches on small engines and misc equipment will help

Hunting and fishing experience will help

Check out PPRUNE, some OK info on there.

Also get on backcountrypilot.org and ask around there too.





Blue skies.
 
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The only part that's discouraging is that I've heard if u want to bush fly, kiss your social life goodbye. I'm from farm towns so it wouldn't be that bad but the way they make it sound is that there's nobody around lol. But I don't know about that. Also, I plan on owning my own airplane. If I can afford it, I'll have a STOL capable taildragger. Would that be something that would benefit me more? Like if I had my own airplane while trying to get into a career like that?
 
All flying jobs are crap on your social life, Alaska flying jobs are just worst.
 
Mattibob said:
The only part that's discouraging is that I've heard if u want to bush fly, kiss your social life goodbye. I'm from farm towns so it wouldn't be that bad but the way they make it sound is that there's nobody around lol. But I don't know about that. Also, I plan on owning my own airplane. If I can afford it, I'll have a STOL capable taildragger. Would that be something that would benefit me more? Like if I had my own airplane while trying to get into a career like that?
Click to expand...

Getting a cheap STOL capable plane would be an excellent idea to get ASAP and build your time in, something like a Highlander, and rent to do your Instrument rating and commercial. 500hrs of STOL TW time would serve you well. Having an Experimental may serve you well enough to get your A&P ticket which is invaluable if you want a bush flying career.
 
James331 said:
You'll want tailwheel time, and float time and 200 series cessna time (206/7)

TRY to do all your training in AK, many bush operators will require X hours of AK or PNW time.

For tailwheel time get your PPL in a champ or something and log your hours that way, it'll save you money too.

For seaplanes, get the seaplane ticket, and try to do all your complex stuff in a constant speed seaplane with flaps. Seaplanes often rent for as much as trainer twin.

Work wise, you could try your luck in Botswana or Namibia, though you need to have a high BS threshold over there.

Could also try to get a first job in AK, maybe work the ramp than transition to right seat, to left seat.

Also could build up hours flying jumpers, good thing is you'll be flying some bush type planes. 206s, later with some hours, twotters. After this go for a bush job.

Getting the first 500hrs then 1000 is going to be the hard part.

Being able to work a forklift will help

Being able to turn wrenches on small engines and misc equipment will help

Hunting and fishing experience will help

Check out PPRUNE, some OK info on there.

Also get on backcountrypilot.org and ask around there too.





Blue skies.
Click to expand...


All good advice (and in this thread in general) I've never met anyone up here who thinks PNW time is worth anything in Alaska, though.

In aviation (and Alaska even more so) it's not what you know, but who you know.
 
Henning said:
All flying jobs are crap on your social life, Alaska flying jobs are just worst.
Click to expand...

I seriously dig the schedule.....2 weeks on and then 2 off? Sweet. Alaska flying is unlike any flying you will do anywhere else, though.
 
Henning said:
All flying jobs are crap on your social life, Alaska flying jobs are just worst.
Click to expand...

Mines fine, one week on one off, always home every night, sweet little college town, great co workers. I've had to try to NOT make new friends lol
 
James331 said:
Mines fine, one week on one off, always home every night, sweet little college town, great co workers. I've had to try to NOT make new friends lol
Click to expand...

Who do you fly for?
 
In all honesty, the social life thing is the least of my worries. I'm from a small farm town so I didn't grow up in a nightlife filled area or anything. And plus I'm a huge outdoors kinda guy so even if there wasn't a soul for 100 miles I would prolly be happy anyway lol. Also piggyback on the A&P idea, I've always figured that having one would boost my chances of getting where I want in aviation. For one, the obvious reason of making it cheaper to own and maintain my own aircraft and to make me more marketable. The only problem is, is that i was never into mechanics like a lot of people are where's grew up. Ive never really had a reason to work on anything. I've helped build trucks before, but that's with the help of the people who own the trucks. I just kinda helped and took orders lol. It's not that I'm illiterate about mechanics, it's just I've never had many chances to do things like that nor the reason to do anything like that on my own. It actually seems like it would be kinda hard to be an A&P. The only thing I've done that comes close is building RC planes lol and that ****ed me off more than anything haha
 
There is good advice above. If you want to fly in Alaska, go to Alaska. Take whatever job you can find. Build flight time in Alaska. Even instructing is good to build time and contacts in AK. IFR minimums are good to start, but I went to Alaska with only 900 hours. I knew a few people that started with a little over 500 hours, VFR only. And speaking of, 500 and a mile is good VFR in class G airspace. You will fly in it in a plane that is barely equipped for VFR.

However and more importantly, your wife should be able to find a job in her field in Anchorage, Fairbanks or Juneau. Most women love Anchorage because everything is available there. Seriously, there are two types of women that go to Alaska: those that love it and those that hate it. You have to keep momma happy or no one is happy.

The insurance companies are putting most tail draggers out of business. There are still tail draggers flying commercially, but those guy have millions of hours flying in the bush and tail draggers. It can still be done but expect much, much higher insurance premiums. Expect to start flying commercially in a C-172, or 206/7.

Social life, this is more for single guys, since I was single when I lived in AK. The pilot parties we had should have books written about them. The teachers and nurses liked to hang around the pilots for some reason, and we didn't complain. And by the way, teacher and nursing housing is much better than pilot housing. The shipping company would use a forklift and a pallet to bring our alcohol order to our hanger. Not a small inside forklift but the big 4WD industrial forklift. Just make sure she is at least 18. I did not have a boring social life. Even the local culture social life was fun.

Expect to fly scared at times. Expect to land with your legs shaking so bad that you need support to stand. Then expect to get another load and go back into what scared you. This doesn't happen often, but it will happen.

I understand that most companies equip even their basic planes with a GPS now, and that a lot of villages either have or are getting GPS approaches.

Don't let me scare you off. I loved every second of flying and living in Alaska. If someone would offer to buy my business I would sell and seriously consider going back, even at 56 years old.

Send lots and lots of resumes, lots and lots of resumes for your first job. After a couple years you can start being more selective.
 
This is all good stuff guys. Much appreciated. Nothing is gonna scare me off from this either lol. It's been my dream since I was a kid. In all honesty, I wanna be pushed into those scary moments with flying. I like that kind of challenge. I like to know that I have total control and can make the airplane do what I want it to do. That's an issue I'm having right now. My flight instructors are japanese and the way these do this is different from what I'm used to. An instructor I had in the states was teaching me kinda by feel and just adding the book knowledge after that. The japanese are purely by the books. I feel like they teach to be safe and not to gain skill. I'm personally the opposite. I like to be taught to where I have full control of the airplane. For lack of better terms, become one with the machine. I feel like bush flying would be exactly that. That's my drive to reach my goal. I want to have that absolute skill of putting the airplane exactly where I want and exactly how I want. That, in itself, would be the greatest sense of accomplishment for me.

Also, does anyone know of any seaplane training centers near southern Illinois? Or anywhere in that neck of the woods?

Been looking but haven't found much other that MI and WI

Lastly does anyone know what the floatplane business is like in Minnesota? I would assume it would be a good place to start flying floats but I haven't had anyone to ask
 
If you real want to fly backcountry, go to AK.
 
Mattibob said:
The only part that's discouraging is that I've heard if u want to bush fly, kiss your social life goodbye. I'm from farm towns so it wouldn't be that bad but the way they make it sound is that there's nobody around lol. But I don't know about that. Also, I plan on owning my own airplane. If I can afford it, I'll have a STOL capable taildragger. Would that be something that would benefit me more? Like if I had my own airplane while trying to get into a career like that?
Click to expand...

Owning your own airplane won't help a bit if you are looking for work in Alaska. You will be working for a Part 135 operator, and its Operating Specifications list the airplanes in the fleet by tail number. You surely don't want to go into competition with companies that have been flying in Alaska for decades.

Bob Gardner
 
bobmrg said:
Owning your own airplane won't help a bit if you are looking for work in Alaska. You will be working for a Part 135 operator, and its Operating Specifications list the airplanes in the fleet by tail number. You surely don't want to go into competition with companies that have been flying in Alaska for decades.

Bob Gardner
Click to expand...

And their politician buddies that invest in those companies... They seem to have ways to make sure the competition doesn't make (take) money.
 
I haven't flown in Alaska, but it seems to me you are getting a bit ahead of yourself.

Get your PPL, IFR, and commercial done first, anywhere, as cheaply as you can (since you have budget concerns). I can't imagine AK would be a cheap place to train. Then worry about taildraggers, bush flying techniques, seaplanes, and getting time in bigger Cessnas.

Since your wife will probably only find employment in bigger cities, be ok with moving to one for a while. I live in DC right now. Flight training is about as cheap here as anywhere in the country from what I've seen. Having your wife's income plus cheaper training opportunities will help you actually get there. Yeah, you won't want to be there long term, but at this point getting your ratings and time is priority #1, not living where you want or even doing the kind of flying you want.

If you are really serious about this, buying a cheap C-150 or taildragger that burns $25 of a fuel an hour might not be a bad deal. You are going to have hundreds of hours to build on your way to the commercial. And you'll never get there paying $130 an hour for a rental just judging by how you speak about your financial situation.

Maybe look into a Part 141 program and take out a loan for some of it. I'd normally never recommend getting a loan, but if you otherwise would take 10 years to get your commercial done paying as you go, that's time you can't get back in life.

Once you've got your PPL/IFR/Commercial done, then make the move to AK and start networking, getting time in more specific areas, etc. If you go too soon you might go broke before you get off the ground.
 
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