Hired. Again.
- Thread starter GX
- Start date
I guess I'll wait for the sage advice that will keep me alive. What was offered was snarky, and condescending. JMHO. I appreciate the "young" comment. Perhaps you mean flying career? I appreciate the "looking out for my best interest" angle, but, well, it's the internet. We've never met. You don't know me, or my background. You couldn't possibly know how to offer that kind of insight. I don't mean to sound like a dick, but it is what it is. Perhaps we should all have a beer together. Believe it, or not, I'm actually old enough to have a beer. And something better than PBR. Or Schlitz. Wait... I just aged myself.
I fly 4-6 hours a day. If I fly more, it's my choice. I get paid for it too. I'm good with this situation.
I guess I'll wait for the sage advice that will keep me alive. What was offered was snarky, and condescending. JMHO. I appreciate the "young" comment. Perhaps you mean flying career? I appreciate the "looking out for my best interest" angle, but, well, it's the internet. We've never met. You don't know me, or my background. You couldn't possibly know how to offer that kind of insight. I don't mean to sound like a dick, but it is what it is. Perhaps we should all have a beer together. Believe it, or not, I'm actually old enough to have a beer. And something better than PBR. Or Schlitz. Wait... I just aged myself.
I fly 4-6 hours a day. If I fly more, it's my choice. I get paid for it too. I'm good with this situation.
I don't know man, if I was going to go fly, say, in South America, I'd probably scoot my chair up to the "Pilots From South America/Fly in South America" campfire with a notepad and say "You talk, I'll take notes".
But that's just me!
Roger Roger
Bottom of the list
Easy there, turbo. Not trying to nitpick, I was just genuinely curious. It was kind of a logical question after you made a statement about flying 10-12 hours a day. I don't know anything about your operation, but just remember that some of the creative tricks can seem like fun and games until you have a fed meeting you on the ramp when you taxi in (which I've had happen) or that wonderful certified letter shows up at The Company with Attn: Your Name on the address label (which several of my co-workers have had happen). Fly safe.
I don't know man, if I was going to go fly, say, in South America, I'd probably scoot my chair up to the "Pilots From South America/Fly in South America" campfire with a notepad and say "You talk, I'll take notes".
But that's just me!
You know I'm all about this. We don't really have a "Pilots Flying Alaska" campfire set up, so I'm a little ignorant about the backgrounds. At any rate, I'd be happy to meet at a campfire of their choosing anytime, pen and pad in hand. The last thing I'm trying to do after spending time in 2 sandboxes, 2 hostile continents, and one very hostile ocean, and making it out alive is to leave here in any condition other than the one I arrived in.
If you guys make it out to Kenai, first round's on me.
You've really got to take the initiative and make that "campfire".
I've done a few Alaska cruises and it seems like it's a meet 'n greet at every stop because we have an impressibly large number of JC'ers in Alaska fly Fjords, icecubes and tundra.
I'd say "Frozen Tundra" but living a bit in Wisconsin taught me that it's redundantly redundant.
Make the contacts and set some honeypots and you'll attract those people. I know Roger Roger and TallFlyer (and that mf'er IS tall, holy cow) and they're two guys that I absolutely recommend sharing a cocktail with and gleaning all you can as they've been up in the region for a long period of time.
I'm absolutely sure if I was headed to "The Sandbox" and got a little testy with MikeD as he was trying to throw down some gritty guidance, you'd probably be one that would say, "Hold on, partner, listen to what the man has to say."
Looking at your post count you've been around JC enough to know that's pretty much par for the course around here. That said, I think it's much more snarky than condescending, but I guess that's in the eye of the beholder.
Gee, I guess that nearly 2,000 hours I've got in Alaska, a good portion of it in your neck of the woods (my first ever lessons were out in Port Alsworth) doesn't mean much. [Author's note: previous statement is meant to be snarky]
I was trying to offer some leading comments and ask questions that would present the fact that, as I understand the operation (and I've helped unload a Beech 18 or two), Air Supply can deliver groceries under Pt. 91, therefore answering the 10-12 hours a day comment. What is that, maybe three round trips a day out of ENA to the bush? And yeah, in the summer we all fly all day like crazy, but when it's winter and cruddy outside and they're loading you up for another trip, at max gross, in the Lance so you can climb out over Cook Inlet single engine...... well, know your limits dude.
Oh, and one more Protip, from one Alaskan pilot to another: Don't call 'em Native Americans.
A Life Aloft
Well-Known Member
All I know is a couple of things. I doubt many here have more hours than I do and more decades flying. (hey, I am old lol) But, I have never flown one mile in AK. I know enough that I will be hiring a pilot to come along when I fly around Denali and if I decide to fly the northern part of the state because of what I have read here and on line regarding the wx, winds, the mountains and how fast it all changes and how tricky it is all is. I figure I will do fine alone in the three major cities in the south that we will be staying at and on the trip up and back. But even then, I am reading up like crazy, intend to plan my ass off, and really study the fields, wx, approaches, have a plan b and c and will talk to the local pilots.
It takes a special breed of man/woman to live there, year round, appreciate and know the area, enjoy it and to be safe. That is rare and not a common thing, IMO. Flying is a double AA game scenario up there.
What I have seen, are a number of pilots on here, some of them young, that have a lot of experience flying up there and flying bush to boot. I respect that greatly. They also seem to be, with one exception thus far, without ego. They take their equipment and their flying very seriously and I like that. Everything that I have read (books, articles, etc.) and what I have watched dozens of time on tv about bush pilots and written by pilots from there, is that you can never be that confident or complacent in AK as there as things (again wx, winds, all the conditions, the mountains, - let alone some of the spots that bush pilots have to land in and how remote the areas are) are constantly changing. Even very seasoned pilots who have flown there for many decades are never cocky, take nothing for granted, and assume nothing. This is probably why they are still alive. It doesn't matter what you have flown before or where, AK is it's own entity. That is pretty damn obvious to me. Flying to NRT hundreds of times in a 747 is not going to help me up there and has no correlation in truth. Therefore, I often read and follow what some of these guys talk about and post in regards to flying in AK.
Also, when I have mentioned and asked questions in two threads about AK and going there, right away the pilots from there jumped in and gave me a lot of great info and details about many things, and answered many questions which I saved in a file and greatly appreciated. Anyways, I just thought I would throw this out there for what it's worth and as I always say...wtf do I know? lol
This is from a couple of years ago, but it is food for thought:
"Aviation data analyzed by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's Air Safety Foundation found a rate of 13.59 accidents per 100,000 flight hours in Alaska between 2004 and 2008. The comparative national rate for smaller general aviation aircraft was 5.85 accidents per 100,000 flight hours.
That means Alaska's accident rate was more than two times higher than the national average, according to the figures.
Alaska had 515 small plane accidents from 2004 to 2008, making up 6 percent of the 8,010 crashes nationally in that period, the analyzed federal data shows. By comparison, Alaska makes up about 2 percent of the U.S. population.
Alaska has had several deadly plane crashes in the last couple months alone, includuing accidents at Denali National Park, Elmendorf Air Force Base and in a busy business district near downtown Anchorage that killed eight people in all."
It takes a special breed of man/woman to live there, year round, appreciate and know the area, enjoy it and to be safe. That is rare and not a common thing, IMO. Flying is a double AA game scenario up there.
What I have seen, are a number of pilots on here, some of them young, that have a lot of experience flying up there and flying bush to boot. I respect that greatly. They also seem to be, with one exception thus far, without ego. They take their equipment and their flying very seriously and I like that. Everything that I have read (books, articles, etc.) and what I have watched dozens of time on tv about bush pilots and written by pilots from there, is that you can never be that confident or complacent in AK as there as things (again wx, winds, all the conditions, the mountains, - let alone some of the spots that bush pilots have to land in and how remote the areas are) are constantly changing. Even very seasoned pilots who have flown there for many decades are never cocky, take nothing for granted, and assume nothing. This is probably why they are still alive. It doesn't matter what you have flown before or where, AK is it's own entity. That is pretty damn obvious to me. Flying to NRT hundreds of times in a 747 is not going to help me up there and has no correlation in truth. Therefore, I often read and follow what some of these guys talk about and post in regards to flying in AK.
Also, when I have mentioned and asked questions in two threads about AK and going there, right away the pilots from there jumped in and gave me a lot of great info and details about many things, and answered many questions which I saved in a file and greatly appreciated. Anyways, I just thought I would throw this out there for what it's worth and as I always say...wtf do I know? lol
This is from a couple of years ago, but it is food for thought:
"Aviation data analyzed by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's Air Safety Foundation found a rate of 13.59 accidents per 100,000 flight hours in Alaska between 2004 and 2008. The comparative national rate for smaller general aviation aircraft was 5.85 accidents per 100,000 flight hours.
That means Alaska's accident rate was more than two times higher than the national average, according to the figures.
Alaska had 515 small plane accidents from 2004 to 2008, making up 6 percent of the 8,010 crashes nationally in that period, the analyzed federal data shows. By comparison, Alaska makes up about 2 percent of the U.S. population.
Alaska has had several deadly plane crashes in the last couple months alone, includuing accidents at Denali National Park, Elmendorf Air Force Base and in a busy business district near downtown Anchorage that killed eight people in all."
Jimflyfast
lurker first class
Gee Derg, the Keebler Elf is tall to you
I have to second the advice. Last summer when I was headed to SE Alaska for the first time in a small plane, I emailed Roger Roger and he was gracious with his assistance and local knowledge.
I have to second the advice. Last summer when I was headed to SE Alaska for the first time in a small plane, I emailed Roger Roger and he was gracious with his assistance and local knowledge.
z987k
Well-Known Member
I don't know this to be fact, but I would not be surprised if there us 4 times the general aviation in AK than in the entire lower 48 combined. I know there are more airplanes registered here than in any other state. Also, a good number of pilots are not certificated. Some thoughts to help qualify those rates.
eightballfreight
Mission accomplished
Rose color glasses?
ppragman
FLIPY FLAPS!
seeing = seeming... drinking makes this typing thing a little more complicated...
Jimflyfast
lurker first class
Roger Roger
Bottom of the list
While that is true, and a large part of the accident numbers does have to do with just the sheer amount of flying up here, you and I both know that there is more to it than that. I'm far from an old hand at this (a little over 3 years up here, and flew maybe 40 hours the first 2 of those years) but I've seen enough to know that Bush Pilot Syndrome is still alive and well in places.
Something else that's worth mentioning for the general audience is that there are 2 things in this business that will really get your attention and cause some self-examination. The first is realizing that you nearly balled up an airplane because you were stupid, the second is waiting for a friend/coworker to come back and then finding out that they never will. I've done both in my short time up here, and it's not something you forget.
Too bad you visited during the rainiest summer in recent memory! This year has been great so far, I think we had like 5 days of rain in all of June. Of course July looks to be making up for it, but we'll see.Gee Derg, the Keebler Elf is tall to you
I have to second the advice. Last summer when I was headed to SE Alaska for the first time in a small plane, I emailed Roger Roger and he was gracious with his assistance and local knowledge.