ppragman
FLIPY FLAPS!
I know a lot of you are furloughed or broke, and looking for a way out. Well, here's the scoop on Alaska. Right now, the economy even up here is starting to slow down. However, these are your best bets:
Hageland Aviation Services
They fly 207s, Caravans, Navajos, 406s, 1900s, and more out in the sticks. Good job, starting pay in the left seat of the 207 is $200/day, plus some hourly wage if you bust 60hrs in a month. Cass.
Frontier Flying Service
They are actually combined with Hageland, but operating under different certs. They fly Beech 1900s, Navajos, and I think they've still got a couple of sleds around somewhere. Not sure on the pay. Cass.
Alaska Central Express
They fly part 135 Cargo, and pax charter, Beech 1900s. The pay starts at $25/hr in the right seat, and goes up to $50 after you upgrade, upgrade mins are 2000TT, 1000Type, or 3000TT and 500 in type, and to be on the good side of the CP (who's actually a pretty cool, and likeable guy, if not sometimes gruff). Good place to work, some pretty extreme flying. Gravel strips in the Hondo, and very very very ###### weather. I flew here last winter. Not Cass, limited non-rev privaleges.
Grant Aviation
They fly part 135 caravans/sleds/navajos/one kingair in the bush and in Anchorage, they pay $150/day and $20/hr (I think) for starting pay in the sled. Decent pay, and an excellent job, the schedule is 20-on 10-off, regardless of whether you're in town or not. Not Cass. This or hageland is where I'll probably go when I finish college.
There are a few others, Warbelowes, Wrights, Aero Air, Guardian Flight, and then scores of Mom and Pop operators, JP Air in Bethel pays $6000/month from what I understand, but you have to live in bethel.
In south east Alaska, Wings of Alaska is hiring into the 207 and the Caravan, its seasonal though. THere are also numerous float operators in south east if you've got a SES on your ticket. The best of which appears to be Promech (which supposedly pays $450/day, though that's just heresay) and Alaska Seaplanes, which is supposed to just be a good place to work.
Further, there are some seasonal tour operators that operate out of Talkeetna (PATK) that are pretty cool gigs, and some more difficult to get jobs like Bering Air (supposedly the holy grail of AK jobs after Conoco Phillips Shared Services).
As for mins. For a PIC slot, you'll need at least 1500TT to get into the 207 if you don't have any Alaska time, or else you'd need 1000TT and most of it AK time. Don't count on jumping into a a navajo or anything like you could down south. A company needs to trust you, and 2000TT doesn't really cut it unless they've known you for a while. That being said, if you get on board, expect the flying to be challenging enough day in and day out. I've got 2000TT and have an incredibly benign job relatively speaking, and am still forced to make some really difficult dicisions because the opSpecs and operations up here as well as weather are about as vague as it gets.
The flying up here is fun, but there are a lot of people scud running, going VFR through IMC (don't be surprised if you're flying along and a Caravan pops out of the mist above you), and other stuff. Also, some operators aren't so legit in how they treat their pilots. Some will try to get you to fly in bad wx, or with ####ed up loads, try not to do that, and pay attention. Its not really right, but it happens. I don't do that #### because I don't want to get violated, but there are guys who just don't give a damn, and would welcome a 30 day vacation anyway. Plus, be advised, you're no longer just a pilot, you're providing a service. You're not just a taxi driver, you're a guidance councellor, and you'll know many of your passengers by face name, and whose cousins are whose after a couple of months. You're the sole way that these people can get food, supplies, school books, newspapers, etc. With that in mind, don't push it, but fly to the limit and no less. At a VFR operator you'll get 500' CX and 2 miles of Vis, or 1 mile vis, and 1000' CX.
Instrument approaches in the bush are practically useless in many cases, as places often don't have minima low enough to make it in. Count on driving the 207 up and down the river at 500AGL often. You'll be well acquainted with phrases like, "Tuluksak Traffic, Hageland 3GV's 10 down river, inbound landing Tuluksak." Its just the way it is. But don't worry, out west there's not much to hit.
-Pat
Hageland Aviation Services
They fly 207s, Caravans, Navajos, 406s, 1900s, and more out in the sticks. Good job, starting pay in the left seat of the 207 is $200/day, plus some hourly wage if you bust 60hrs in a month. Cass.
Frontier Flying Service
They are actually combined with Hageland, but operating under different certs. They fly Beech 1900s, Navajos, and I think they've still got a couple of sleds around somewhere. Not sure on the pay. Cass.
Alaska Central Express
They fly part 135 Cargo, and pax charter, Beech 1900s. The pay starts at $25/hr in the right seat, and goes up to $50 after you upgrade, upgrade mins are 2000TT, 1000Type, or 3000TT and 500 in type, and to be on the good side of the CP (who's actually a pretty cool, and likeable guy, if not sometimes gruff). Good place to work, some pretty extreme flying. Gravel strips in the Hondo, and very very very ###### weather. I flew here last winter. Not Cass, limited non-rev privaleges.
Grant Aviation
They fly part 135 caravans/sleds/navajos/one kingair in the bush and in Anchorage, they pay $150/day and $20/hr (I think) for starting pay in the sled. Decent pay, and an excellent job, the schedule is 20-on 10-off, regardless of whether you're in town or not. Not Cass. This or hageland is where I'll probably go when I finish college.
There are a few others, Warbelowes, Wrights, Aero Air, Guardian Flight, and then scores of Mom and Pop operators, JP Air in Bethel pays $6000/month from what I understand, but you have to live in bethel.
In south east Alaska, Wings of Alaska is hiring into the 207 and the Caravan, its seasonal though. THere are also numerous float operators in south east if you've got a SES on your ticket. The best of which appears to be Promech (which supposedly pays $450/day, though that's just heresay) and Alaska Seaplanes, which is supposed to just be a good place to work.
Further, there are some seasonal tour operators that operate out of Talkeetna (PATK) that are pretty cool gigs, and some more difficult to get jobs like Bering Air (supposedly the holy grail of AK jobs after Conoco Phillips Shared Services).
As for mins. For a PIC slot, you'll need at least 1500TT to get into the 207 if you don't have any Alaska time, or else you'd need 1000TT and most of it AK time. Don't count on jumping into a a navajo or anything like you could down south. A company needs to trust you, and 2000TT doesn't really cut it unless they've known you for a while. That being said, if you get on board, expect the flying to be challenging enough day in and day out. I've got 2000TT and have an incredibly benign job relatively speaking, and am still forced to make some really difficult dicisions because the opSpecs and operations up here as well as weather are about as vague as it gets.
The flying up here is fun, but there are a lot of people scud running, going VFR through IMC (don't be surprised if you're flying along and a Caravan pops out of the mist above you), and other stuff. Also, some operators aren't so legit in how they treat their pilots. Some will try to get you to fly in bad wx, or with ####ed up loads, try not to do that, and pay attention. Its not really right, but it happens. I don't do that #### because I don't want to get violated, but there are guys who just don't give a damn, and would welcome a 30 day vacation anyway. Plus, be advised, you're no longer just a pilot, you're providing a service. You're not just a taxi driver, you're a guidance councellor, and you'll know many of your passengers by face name, and whose cousins are whose after a couple of months. You're the sole way that these people can get food, supplies, school books, newspapers, etc. With that in mind, don't push it, but fly to the limit and no less. At a VFR operator you'll get 500' CX and 2 miles of Vis, or 1 mile vis, and 1000' CX.
Instrument approaches in the bush are practically useless in many cases, as places often don't have minima low enough to make it in. Count on driving the 207 up and down the river at 500AGL often. You'll be well acquainted with phrases like, "Tuluksak Traffic, Hageland 3GV's 10 down river, inbound landing Tuluksak." Its just the way it is. But don't worry, out west there's not much to hit.
-Pat
