Whats the real deal?

gromm44

gromm44

Well-Known Member
I have read that to be a part 135 Pilot you need a certain amt of hours (over 1000 or something) and something like 100 hrs night flying etc. But then recently I read post or two from a guy saying he started flying freight at 500 hrs. Is this possible? Is flying freight by definition part 135 or is there another way to do it with less hours?
 
A VFR pilot can be checked out at 500 hours. However, a IFR pilot is at 1200 hours plus a few extra things.
 
It would be tough to find a job as a VFR part 135 pilot right now. Most companies will want you to have the IFR minimums. All of the IFR requirements are specified in part 135.243(c).
 
Ok, thanks guys. That makes more sense. I didnt even think they would do freight VFR. I would have figured they would want to make sure the pilot go could if he encountered weather.
 
You most certainly can do freight vfr under part 135. It's just not that much of a money saver when you can just go direct ifr at night. Most companies would rather file ifr just in case.
 
gromm44 said:
What do you mean? If you stay SIC you can get hired right out of school?
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Yes. But, there aren't a whole lot of places that hire sic's for 135 freight. I know Key Lime used to hire sic's (I believe they still do... although they currently aren't hiring) and airnet used to have an sic program. There are other companies that hire sic's as well. And there are companies that hire vfr 135 pilot's as well. The simple truth: to be the most marketable in the 135 world you'll have to have the 1200 hours and all the other requirements filled to have the best shot.

Back in the day, even when a fair number of places were hiring, I worked with a lot of flight instructors and we all tried to do 135 freight at 500 hours... all except one instructor. The only one of us that even got called about an interview was the one person who wasn't looking... she ended up getting a call from an old friend that offered her a job out of the blue one day. She was flying freight at 700 hours tt. It's all about who you know I guess.

I got my freight job at 1300 hours.
 
The rumor has it that Safewing, a Kansas City freight company, will be starting back up. They flew VFR all over the place. Even when it was clearly not. I have no other company info other than they got shut down for not having a Chief Pilot a few years ago.
 
kiloalpha said:
The rumor has it that Safewing, a Kansas City freight company, will be starting back up. They flew VFR all over the place. Even when it was clearly not. I have no other company info other than they got shut down for not having a Chief Pilot a few years ago.
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500 and 2 or 1000 and 1 is all you need to launch VFR in most places, unless there's fog, its not often that you can't launch.
 
I've heard stories of these guys scud running over western Kansas at 300 feet full of checks. One pilot I talked to flew at night doing this, knew where all the towers were between airports.
 
kiloalpha said:
I've heard stories of these guys scud running over western Kansas at 300 feet full of checks. One pilot I talked to flew at night doing this, knew where all the towers were between airports.
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Now that's pretty crazy. Legal limit, ehh, ok, but 300' is pretty f-in low. That's nuts, especially at night. I've done the 500AGL night flight over flat terrain with nothing to hit before, but dodging towers at 300' is a little much I'd say. There's legal, then there's just plain stupid. Damn. What kind of equipment did they have do you know?
 
We use SIC's in our Metro's and Saabs, no minimums other than a commercial multi and instrument.

Of course we arent hiring right now...
 
ppragman said:
Now that's pretty crazy. Legal limit, ehh, ok, but 300' is pretty f-in low. That's nuts, especially at night. I've done the 500AGL night flight over flat terrain with nothing to hit before, but dodging towers at 300' is a little much I'd say. There's legal, then there's just plain stupid. Damn. What kind of equipment did they have do you know?
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Let's just say their name Safewing didn't portray an accurate image of the company.

ctab5060X said:
Last I knew they had Lances and Aztecs.
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Yep, they are sitting on the ramp down from us. FLX uses their hanger now.
 
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