If it sounds too good to be true...

[Italianaviator]

Pilots lose their careers, businesses keep on trucking.... something wrong with that.

Like the OP said - time builders.... WATCH OUT! It's a scary aviation world out there, and the only one there to protect your certificates is YOU!!!

If a company you work for violates a regulation and you're involved, you're busted. That's just the way it is...

Your absolutely right and many companies have that mentality. Even credible 135 and 91 companies. Always make sure what your doing is legal because most companies could care less about the repercussions to us, as long as they make a buck and can replace us they don't care.

 

[sr22driver]

CDNPILOTDAVE has an interesting concept when he talks about the bad press concept.
Maybe instead of alerting the FSDO to "Bob" you should alert the media. Let them know that there is a "human interest" story for them about a low time PPL guy who is using donated time from other low time guys and charging BP for the operation. You would kill two birds with one stone, "Bob" gets hammered by FSDO, his pilots get their collective pee-pees smacked, and yall get some extra work.
Just an idea but it could work.

 

[Callador]

Bob is a new pilot himself, so hes kinda figuring he could get some time out of it. Also, assuming he could lease a 172 for 40 an hour dry, then turn around and bill 150 an hour dry, and get all the gas paid for, and use free pilots, he'd make quite a bit a day flying 4-6 hours, which is what the plan is.

He would be taking income away from my company, which takes money away from me. We make a salary, but get paid extra anytime the company gets paid extra for things like this.

If he is getting that kind of deal on the airplanes, 40 per hour and free gas, he could still pay his employees pretty well and make money. Unfortunately greed gets in the way. I see this with other companies as well. They will downsize, even though they still have great profits. They now want "record" profits every year.

As for finding pilots that are willing to fly for free, I'm sure there are lots of them. There are even pilots that might pay 30 bucks on hour to do it, since they are getting a "sweet deal" on 172 time. I think part of the problem is that they don't think they are doing a job. They think they are time building. They see a job as either the majors or some really nice corporate gig. So they accept low pay (or paying for) regional time or other jobs like the one you are mentioning to get ahead. And that is the other problem. Some people are willing to step on others to get ahead. It's sad, but it is the truth. At least some have no clue that what they are doing is effecting other pilots. They are still guilty; their ignorance blinds them. In some of those cases I'm willing to forgive those people.

I hope you are able to get this 134.5/90.5 out of there!

 

[killbilly]

I know you said you're waiting for a flight...but...it sounds like he's moving forward if he already has an LLC set up.

Turn him in, man. You might save some other pilot from his own ignorance, and this might prompt a few others to do a little research.

No downside here.

 

[darthpanda]

You should write a local or national journalist with this, I bet they'd be interested to hear about some of the unscrupulous people taking advantage of the situation.

 

[Duck_Twacy]

agreed. Think we're waiting for an actual flight to take place first.

It only takes one flight for someone to get hurt. May as well make the call now.



I don't know about getting the media involved. I'm sure that some sort of negative slant against G/A would come out of it...something along the lines of unregulated, unsecure operations putting innocent people on the ground in harm's way being the norm.

 

[XLR99]

It only takes one flight for someone to get hurt. May as well make the call now.



I don't know about getting the media involved. I'm sure that some sort of negative slant against G/A would come out of it...something along the lines of unregulated, unsecure operations putting innocent people on the ground in harm's way being the norm.

+1 - God only knows how they would slant it.

Devil's Advocate time:
I'm wondering, being a new pilot, does he even realize what he's doing? Depending on his level of understanding, he may just think what he's doing is ok and never considered 134.5, the FSDO, or the absolute stupidity of putting a volunteer 50hr PPL 50miles offshore.
He went and formed an LLC for this, but maybe no one has smacked him upside the head with the truth yet. If that's the case, just educating him should be enough to stop him in his tracks.
Obviously, if he knows and understands, then he deserves the FSDO beatdown.

 

[Roger, Roger]

This is one of the FEW cases where I would call the FSDO on someone.

Yup. If you work for a 135 op and some numbskull with a 134.5 is terkin yer jerbs, bring the hammer of the FAA down on em. You don't screw with a man's livelihood.

 

[crazyjaydawg]

Hold up...did you say FREE FLIGHT TIME?? Where do I sign up?

How shiney are these 172s?

 

[SurferLucas]

How shiney are these 172s?

That's what I'm thinking.

If they're Beech 1900 shiny, and I get to fly as a Captain... That's gotta be worth me paying $50,000 for 250 hours.

If it's CRJ-700/900 shiny, then I'd def pay $100,000 for 250 of those hours!!!

 

[Holocene]

With the private pilots he's going to use, you could save someone's life.

Someone is going to die. This is more about safety than anything.

It only takes one flight for someone to get hurt. May as well make the call now.

putting innocent people on the ground in harm's way

How is it that single-engine water overflights become safer if the pilot has ratings beyond private?

 

[z987k]

How is it that single-engine water overflights become safer if the pilot has ratings beyond private?

It's not that single engine over water is more safe with any pilot, but a 60hour pilot in any conditions isn't exactly safe. Surely not enough to take customers.

 

[cmill]

I know what you guys are saying about going to the media, but this isnt the time to do it. This is a different company than BP. BP has already taken customers that we had contracts with, and told them that float planes are unsafe, and that if they wanted to see what they needed to see, then they would have to ride in a helo, but thats another story.

How is it that single-engine water overflights become safer if the pilot has ratings beyond private?

Its not the over water part, its the congestion out there right now, and that they would be operating out of a 1800ft grass strip. Its hard enough for guys with thousands of hours and two P-3s in the air to keep track of things. Not the environment for a wet private to be operating in.

 

[z987k]

I hear helos float really well.

 

[FL900]

CDNPILOTDAVE has an interesting concept when he talks about the bad press concept.
Maybe instead of alerting the FSDO to "Bob" you should alert the media. Let them know that there is a "human interest" story for them about a low time PPL guy who is using donated time from other low time guys and charging BP for the operation. You would kill two birds with one stone, "Bob" gets hammered by FSDO, his pilots get their collective pee-pees smacked, and yall get some extra work.
Just an idea but it could work.

:beer:
That's the way I'd go. The media would be all over something that they could pose as corporate corruption or incompetence. Then within a couple of days the media attention would light a fire under the FSDO's bureaucratic ass and get them moving a little faster. But I would still call the FSDO too.

 

[FL900]

I don't know about getting the media involved. I'm sure that some sort of negative slant against G/A would come out of it...something along the lines of unregulated, unsecure operations putting innocent people on the ground in harm's way being the norm.

Oooh, good point. I think the media like to pick on GA almost as much as they do corporate corruption and incompetence. They certainly understand it far less.

 

[FL900]

Devil's Advocate time:
I'm wondering, being a new pilot, does he even realize what he's doing? Depending on his level of understanding, he may just think what he's doing is ok and never considered 134.5, the FSDO, or the absolute stupidity of putting a volunteer 50hr PPL 50miles offshore.

If this is true then the FSDO needs to track down his instructor too.

 

[Douglas]

Cmill I'm going to piggy back on your thread.

Last fall a guy from a few states south wondered up in to our airport and said he had a deal with some company to fly HazMat from OMA-APA-OMA five nights a week in a Mooney.
Our lead mechanic gave him my number.
He was operating 91 with some special letter from the FAA (which he couldn't show me due it being a proprietary edge over competition).

Suspect as hell. I was polite but told him it was suspicious and I wouldn't be a part of it. Fortunately we spread word and no local low timers flew for him. He had to "import" two 300 hour commercial pilots from around his home airport to fly the route.

That ice got thick and I think the young pilots bailed on that idea and went home before the winter was even over. I honestly thought they going to be gone-ers.

End of the story is only you can watch out for you, not just your tickets but your life. There are many shady people you can find yourself wrapped up with.

 

[cmill]

Cmill I'm going to piggy back on your thread.

Last fall a guy from a few states south wondered up in to our airport and said he had a deal with some company to fly HazMat from OMA-APA-OMA five nights a week in a Mooney.
Our lead mechanic gave him my number.
He was operating 91 with some special letter from the FAA (which he couldn't show me due it being a proprietary edge over competition).

Suspect as hell. I was polite but told him it was suspicious and I wouldn't be a part of it. Fortunately we spread word and no local low timers flew for him. He had to "import" two 300 hour commercial pilots from around his home airport to fly the route.

That ice got thick and I think the young pilots bailed on that idea and went home before the winter was even over. I honestly thought they going to be gone-ers.

End of the story is only you can watch out for you, not just your tickets but your life. There are many shady people you can find yourself wrapped up with.

Excellent point.

Honestly one of my biggest worries is that if this thing gets going, these guys wont know what they're getting themselves into.

 

[BaronPete]

Am I the only newly-minted private that's terrified or at least very wary of flying over water in a single engine? Come to think of it..trees in all directions bother me a great deal too. Maybe I'm just fem-genitalia?

Granted, I do my flying in southern alabama. Farm land as far as the eye can see. I think it's a blessing and a curse.