Low Time job Traffic Watch Addison, TX
- Thread starter Delta Fox
- Start date
SteveCostello
My member is well-known.
No kidding. That is a poopload of flying. If they are doing 55 hour weeks, that's gotta be one tired friggin' airplane.
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
I think they fly something like 5 am to 10 am and like 3 pm to 7pm. Something like that.
elmetal
Ain't nobody got time for that
that sounds pretty awesome. what was the exact schedule like??
I'd consider this if I lived in the area
CFIT99
I'm probably commenting ironically...
used to be...Zebra Air
Then it was HEJ aviation
Then it was a company based out of DTO
Now its based out of ADS...
I am not sure how it is now(I worked for HEJ aviation) this was 3 years ago
CFIT99
I'm probably commenting ironically...
haha yup...let out the reporter/on air talent and then went back to ADS where it was based....
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
I think that company lost the contract. It is some other company. They have been running a few different callsigns lately. Shadow 1, Panther 9, and something else.
aobt14
Well-Known Member
Hey everyone,
This company just started the KADS operation in early May and has another office in San Francisco, California. The owner is a former reporter and seemed like a great guy when I met him. He told me there are 4 flights per day: 2 in the morning (both 6-9) and 2 in the evening (3-6 and 3-5) if I recall correctly. The Dallas office has 3 172s (2 for the flights and 1 backup) that are late 90 - early 2000 models that seem to be in pretty good shape. The pay is $10 per flight hour. If it is IFR, you obviously don't fly but you will still get paid as long as you show up. I chose not to accept the job because I have another in central Texas but this would be an excellent time building experience for many people. While the right person could build hours quickly, you must keep in mind that you will not get any cross-country (greater than 50nm OR airport to airport) nor instrument time so you will need to find other ways to build those hours. He did mention that several pilots were Southwest interns and would be leaving at the end of the summer so he was looking to fill those vacancies. Finally, he stressed the importance of "show time" and said you might find yourself disappearing from the schedule if you show up late.
Edit: Callsigns are Shadow 1, 2, 3
This company just started the KADS operation in early May and has another office in San Francisco, California. The owner is a former reporter and seemed like a great guy when I met him. He told me there are 4 flights per day: 2 in the morning (both 6-9) and 2 in the evening (3-6 and 3-5) if I recall correctly. The Dallas office has 3 172s (2 for the flights and 1 backup) that are late 90 - early 2000 models that seem to be in pretty good shape. The pay is $10 per flight hour. If it is IFR, you obviously don't fly but you will still get paid as long as you show up. I chose not to accept the job because I have another in central Texas but this would be an excellent time building experience for many people. While the right person could build hours quickly, you must keep in mind that you will not get any cross-country (greater than 50nm OR airport to airport) nor instrument time so you will need to find other ways to build those hours. He did mention that several pilots were Southwest interns and would be leaving at the end of the summer so he was looking to fill those vacancies. Finally, he stressed the importance of "show time" and said you might find yourself disappearing from the schedule if you show up late.
Edit: Callsigns are Shadow 1, 2, 3
jarretk
Well-Known Member
I dont know if you will get 55 hours per week. I used to fly traffic out of DTO but we lost the contract to this company. Like the previous post there is 2 airplanes fly the morning shift and 2 fly the evening shift for about 6 hours total each day per airplane. When I flew we wanted the flight time so for the 2 airplanes we had 3 guys that got it covered every day so sometimes I could log 38 hours in a week. I have a few buddies at the new company and they told me that the owner has 1 guy cover both shifts on the dallas route every day because he helped him get the planes down here and he started with very low time. The Ft. Worth route has a total of 6 guys (yes I did type 6 guys) covering those shift. One buddy said for 2 weeks he flew 2 shifts each week for around 6 hours. I think the 55 means that both airplanes combine fly roughly 55 hours per week (3 hours per plane per day for 5 days a week). If a lot of people have left and he has like 3 or 4 people total then its a good gig because you aren't instructing. The hours of operation suck but you get used to it, I drove from Addison to Denton at 4:15am and got home around 8pm usually.
Fireflights
Why am I in charge of this?
I didn't fly for this company, but I logged over a thousand hours in 2.5 years doing traffic watch. The experience you will gain is as valuable as the flight time you'll log. Landing in high winds, reading developing weather, and juggling multiple radios will carry over into every other job you'll have. Also, you learn all the shortcuts and detours in the area you report about. After a few months you'll be able to cross town faster than most professional cabbies.
Itchy
Well-Known Member
Thread hijack: It is amazing to me that this sort of operation still exists. I listen to satellite radio exclusively, and if I have to, traffic on a 'droid. Goggle has a pretty good estimate on traffic. I have to think it is only a matter of time before the usefulness of an airborne product like that withers away.
