Kamaka Air
- Thread starter wayway8
- Start date
CFIscare
Well-Known Member
I don't know anything about them, but they do have an interesting fleet.
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled-(Kamaka-Air)/Beech-E18S/1140608/L/
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled-(Kamaka-Air)/Beech-E18S/1140608/L/
Ollie
Well-Known Member
Before you go down there, give them a call and ask if it's a paid position. Last I checked, it's not. See this thread.
Ollie
Well-Known Member
They do have a cool fleet. When I was there the paid positions started in Volpar converted Twin Beeches unless you had 100ish hours tailwheel and were good with your feet. A newhire groundlooped what's now N231H and they stopped hiring into the tailwheel Beeches. It was a fun place to work years ago before they changed management. Nowadays they think it's okay to prey upon the hopes and dreams of low time pilots to reduce their ever-increasing overhead.
sharkey
kind of a big deal
It is not a paid position; you will help load and unload the freight and possibly log the return leg so long as it is empty. Loading not a job it's something you do around your normal schedule. This is first hand info, I work there. I think the OP's question has been answered (if it hasn't feel free to ask or PM.) and I'd like to take this opportunity to hijack this thread.
A lot has been said about this place in the past few weeks and I'm not sure that all of it is completely accurate. I've read the other thread that Ollie linked and other times that Kamaka has been mentioned in the few years I've been on here. First of all the Beeches and Van are a single pilot operation. They can and do fly without a "loader" all the time. If no one wants to come in for the early flight we're loading and unloading the plane ourselves, lifting and dragging freight is part of our job description. Even with a loader we always bust our asses right along side them. As long as I've been here there has never been PFJ/T. Everyone has been hired out of the cadre of loaders.
Is this an ideal situation? Of course not. But loaders are not taking jobs from anyone, not even non-pilot loaders. The other 135-cargo outfits are either $13-25K PFT or aren't entry level. If you want to make a life here your options are sort of limited.
A lot has been said about this place in the past few weeks and I'm not sure that all of it is completely accurate. I've read the other thread that Ollie linked and other times that Kamaka has been mentioned in the few years I've been on here. First of all the Beeches and Van are a single pilot operation. They can and do fly without a "loader" all the time. If no one wants to come in for the early flight we're loading and unloading the plane ourselves, lifting and dragging freight is part of our job description. Even with a loader we always bust our asses right along side them. As long as I've been here there has never been PFJ/T. Everyone has been hired out of the cadre of loaders.
Is this an ideal situation? Of course not. But loaders are not taking jobs from anyone, not even non-pilot loaders. The other 135-cargo outfits are either $13-25K PFT or aren't entry level. If you want to make a life here your options are sort of limited.
Ollie
Well-Known Member
Yup.
Sharkey's a great source of information about this company because he's got the current scoop. My info is years dated and I've been away from the island for a few years now.
I really enjoyed working there. We worked hard, flew in some challenging "VFR" conditions (over water, low vis, etc.), and I loved flying the Twin Beech. The maintenance was decent and the crew schedule was very fair and flexible. I was a part-timer there and had to leave due to my military commitment. Upon my return to the island management had changed and they wouldn't let me come back unless I did the free cargo loading and ramping thing. Most of the guys that were doing it were low-time, fresh commercial pilots that were coming in at 0400 and working until noon with no pay for a possible shot at a right seat empty leg. I felt a little slighted and decided to pursue other options.
Those are my personal experiences and your mileage may vary. I just hate to see somebody get abused for having some ambition - it's such a rare quality in young people these days.