Grant Aviation

[z987k]

Bethel crud.. you mean TB?

 

[Roger Roger]

Bethel crud.. you mean TB?

Gonoherpasyphalitis.

 

[z987k]

Gonoherpasyphalitis.

That's a fairly avoidable problem.
Tuberculosis is spread by aerosol and is very contagious. The infection rates in rural Alaska rival third world counties and recent infections have shown antibiotic resistance.
I always figured if I did medivac in Alaska long enough, I'd eventually at least get latent TB. Statistically speaking, you eventually will.
Like an STD, just make sure you get tested yearly and maybe look into the positives and negatives(the skin test comes back false positive requiring a chest x-ray is really the only negative) of the TB vaccine.

 

[Roger Roger]

That's a fairly avoidable problem.
Tuberculosis is spread by aerosol and is very contagious. The infection rates in rural Alaska rival third world counties and recent infections have shown antibiotic resistance.
I always figured if I did medivac in Alaska long enough, I'd eventually at least get latent TB. Statistically speaking, you eventually will.
Like an STD, just make sure you get tested yearly and maybe look into the positives and negatives(the skin test comes back false positive requiring a chest x-ray is really the only negative) of the TB vaccine.

The price paid for what’s essentially a really cush version of being unemployed I guess. Though tbh it’s probably 6 of one, .5 dozen of the other vs. flying air taxi as far as infectious disease exposure.

 

[ppragman]

@ppragman lots of respect for you but I'll be honest, my time at Grant, I saw some scary stuff. I was really disappointed with the outfit and the way they treated their new pilots. Everything from having to fight for a bed at the pilot house (because the homeless loser who was leaving shift didn't want to give up the pilot room) to the company copying one airplane GOM for a completely different airplane and submitting it to the FAA for a addition of said aircraft to the GOM. Weight and balances were way off, airspeed, you name it. They took the 207 numbers and just changed where it said 207 and replaced it with GA8. The tests were a wreck too. I kept pointing out errors in the tests, instructor agreed I was right and suggested I chose the "most correct answer". He told me he would eventually get around to fixing the errors on the test. Then no one to check me out in the assigned airplane. I had to spend my own money 3x to get myself there and back to BET, somewhere along the lines of 7-8K. Eventually I said screw this.

Meanwhile the company never paid me a dime and demanded I be on the flight line every day in case they suddenly managed to get a check airman approved. Saying go take an orientation flight with so and so out to the villages when I could better spend my time studying. So I got lots of time riding around in the GA8 and the 208 but very little actual loggable time. Granted I was so sick I was near death on one of those trips thanks to the "bethel crud" (which is a real thing). But it was a complete waste of my time and money.

I hope for the sake of the new pilots your new management doesn't have their heads up their rear ends and is really committed to doing the right things for their pilots. Grants had a few mishaps that could be avoided if the company really wanted to improve like the keep saying they do.

Listen up kiddos, if the company isn't willing to pay you for your time training (and they don't pay for your plane tickets or housing or transport while training) then you have to wonder where else they are skimping. Maybe things have changed in the 2 years since I left........

I’m on vacation right now - I do this part time, but if I remember I’ll address all of these points when I come home.

Anyway - not entirely inaccurate, we’re getting better though.

 

[alaskadrifter]

I’m on vacation right now - I do this part time, but if I remember I’ll address all of these points when I come home.

Anyway - not entirely inaccurate, we’re getting better though.

How long to hold a Van spot in DLG?

 

[ppragman]

How long to hold a Van spot in DLG?

6mo - 1 year? Maybe less? Maybe more? It really depends on a lot of things I can’t honestly forecast on vacation. With your flight time you’d be in the van with a quickness - off the top of my head I’m not sure who would have to be gone in DLG for that to be a thing, I’ll check when I get back to ANC.

How much TT you have these days?

 

[NickH]

That's a fairly avoidable problem.
Tuberculosis is spread by aerosol and is very contagious. The infection rates in rural Alaska rival third world counties and recent infections have shown antibiotic resistance.
I always figured if I did medivac in Alaska long enough, I'd eventually at least get latent TB. Statistically speaking, you eventually will.
Like an STD, just make sure you get tested yearly and maybe look into the positives and negatives(the skin test comes back false positive requiring a chest x-ray is really the only negative) of the TB vaccine.

I've had the BCG vaccine. Hydrocortisone cream guarantees a negative skin test.

 

[alaskadrifter]

6mo - 1 year? Maybe less? Maybe more? It really depends on a lot of things I can’t honestly forecast on vacation. With your flight time you’d be in the van with a quickness - off the top of my head I’m not sure who would have to be gone in DLG for that to be a thing, I’ll check when I get back to ANC.

How much TT you have these days?

About 2k.

 

[Urp99]

At a minimum we need 135.243(b) minimums (500TT, 100XC, 25 Night XC) for an entry level hire, but ideally someone with a little more would be great. The job is 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off in Bush Alaska in the Airvan or the 207 to start, chances are you'll end up in Bethel or Emmonak out of the gate, but we've sent new-hires directly to Dillingham and King Salmon as well.

I've noticed that Grant has their A&P mechanics on a 2 week on, 2 week off schedule as well. Has anyone ever spent their 2 weeks off of piloting working in the shop, and vice versa? It wouldn't be feasible to work 7 days/week 52 weeks/year, but it seems like a good opportunity to make bank while utilizing both tickets during their busy season.

 

[ppragman]

I've noticed that Grant has their A&P mechanics on a 2 week on, 2 week off schedule as well. Has anyone ever spent their 2 weeks off of piloting working in the shop, and vice versa? It wouldn't be feasible to work 7 days/week 52 weeks/year, but it seems like a good opportunity to make bank while utilizing both tickets during their busy season.

We have one person in particular who does that yeah - we allow that.

 

[TallFlyer]

I have tried to leave Alaska multiple times, I keep coming back. I suspect I’ll alternate between Alaska, the west coast, and Hawaii the rest of my life.

Sounds like you need to figure out how to get to AS. @Cheechako seems to have more pics from Hawaii on FB than Alaska, and he lives in The Valley.






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[Urp99]

We have one person in particular who does that yeah - we allow that.

That's good to know. I'm currently just under 1000 hours, but most of those have been day vfr skydiving ops. I've got about 140 XC and 30 night XC, so I just barely make 135 vfr minimums. I'm also an A&P/IA with over 20 years of experience, and I"m looking for a place where I can utilize both tickets while furthering my pilot career. I'd love to get back to Alaska, but I'm committed to flying skydivers until this coming October, and I think it would be a good idea to finish up my instrument rating first.

 

[z987k]

That's good to know. I'm currently just under 1000 hours, but most of those have been day vfr skydiving ops. I've got about 140 XC and 30 night XC, so I just barely make 135 vfr minimums. I'm also an A&P/IA with over 20 years of experience, and I"m looking for a place where I can utilize both tickets while furthering my pilot career. I'd love to get back to Alaska, but I'm committed to flying skydivers until this coming October, and I think it would be a good idea to finish up my instrument rating first.

No one will/can hire you with the limitation of a non instrument commercial. You'd also die, so there's that to.

 

[Urp99]

No one will/can hire you with the limitation of a non instrument commercial. You'd also die, so there's that to.

Yup, that's why I thought it would be a good idea to finish the instrument up first ;-)
I had considered taking an AP/IA job to get my foot in the door, and then transferring to a flight position once I finished the IFR ticket, but I've learned that that's a difficult move to make.

 

[TallFlyer]

Yup, that's why I thought it would be a good idea to finish the instrument up first ;-)
I had considered taking an AP/IA job to get my foot in the door, and then transferring to a flight position once I finished the IFR ticket, but I've learned that that's a difficult move to make.

Yeah, @Roger Roger probably has some thoughts about that.




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[alaskadrifter]

That's good to know. I'm currently just under 1000 hours, but most of those have been day vfr skydiving ops. I've got about 140 XC and 30 night XC, so I just barely make 135 vfr minimums. I'm also an A&P/IA with over 20 years of experience, and I"m looking for a place where I can utilize both tickets while furthering my pilot career. I'd love to get back to Alaska, but I'm committed to flying skydivers until this coming October, and I think it would be a good idea to finish up my instrument rating first.

When you finish your instrument rating look into Lake Clark Air, I know they’ve taken on others in your situation.

 

[MEPilot]

Does Grant ever do schedules other than 2/2? Maybe seasonal?

 

[nazdra96]

Was anyone ever able to nab the chief pilots # from @ppragman?

 

[jon wilson]

What is the pay? How are they on Safety? Do they fix the problem or just put it off?