Pen Air Caravan Pilots

Well, first of all when I was there the guarantee was 8 hours.

Second, it's a pay guarantee, not flying hours. So if you fly 0, you still get paid for four.
 
Never will I ever try to justify getting paid 40/day as a pilot, especially 135 IFR in Alaska in a Caravan...

But past that how loggable is the time from the right seat? Are you a required crew member?
 
HVYMETALDRVR said:
Never will I ever try to justify getting paid 40/day as a pilot, especially 135 IFR in Alaska in a Caravan...

But past that how loggable is the time from the right seat? Are you a required crew member?
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It's an insurance thing I believe, but you are bumpable. Go figure.

mojo6911 said:
135 pax ops require a SIC.
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Negative Ghostrider. Never did have an SIC in my PA32 or C207.

I believe the thought you're looking for is pax 135 IFR Ops require an SIC UNLESS there's an autopilot on board, Op Specs are approved for it's operation in lieu of an SIC, the PIC is trained in its use, and it's actually operable.

Anyways, now that I'm on a laptop and not my phone, to the OP: There are far better ways to build the time. If you're not planning on being there until the fall anyway, I would HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend networking with as many of the pictometry guys as you can right now (do a search, there are always a few hanging around) and get a better idea of what that is all about. As a fresh college grad with a wet ink commercial ticket you are the EXACT preferred demographic that most of these guys are looking for. You'll have more fun, you'll make more money, and more importantly it's going to be all single pilot PIC. The short version is that you want that in your logbook far more than you want some questionable 208 right seat AK time. Start applying to all of them at the beginning of the summer with special emphasis on Landcare Aviation and Air America (both have aztecs for returning second season guys).

Nothing against any of the PenAir folks; I have some good friends over there, and the Saab guys do pretty good for themselves. Mins for the Saab operation are 700 hours with no multi requirement and after one season in a 172 you should easily have the time for that. And it comes with a real paycheck. Keep in mind if you only make guarantee on the 208 SIC gig you'll only make about $600 a month. I have a personal friend that did the picto thing with me for a bit, then got hired into the 208 at PenAir, and within a few months he was in the Saab.
 
TallFlyer said:
I believe the thought you're looking for is passenger 135 IFR Ops require an SIC UNLESS there's an autopilot on board, Op Specs are approved for it's operation in lieu of an SIC, the PIC is trained in its use, and it's actually operable.
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FTFY.
 
Exactly, this is the best way into the Saab. On another note, you can log SIC time in the Caravan there. They have it written into their ops specs. At that point, it is legal. There are several companies with this setup.
 
Dan208B said:
Exactly, this is the best way into the Saab. On another note, you can log SIC time in the Caravan there. They have it written into their ops specs. At that point, it is legal. There are several companies with this setup.
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Eh, is a way into the Saab. Plenty of guys there in the Saab that have never seen the right seat of a Caravan. Yes, it is logable time, but you can also be bumped for freight, the PICs whim, etc. Yes, it is some very cool flying and you'll see things out of the front of the airplane that you never thought possible, i.e. the Chigs, etc. But in the end having 600-ish hours of single pilot PIC in a 172, with the possibility of several hundred hours in an Aztec would be WAY more valuable, whether or not your desired destination is a PanAir Saab or anywhere else.
 
Anyone with knowledge about Hageland Aviation? I read that they too accept very low total time pilots for the right seat of their 208s. Is still true/what is pay/hours are like? (Dated figures indicated Hageland operated 19 208s, and Pen Air operates 5. Does Hageland have more 208 SIC pilots? Or do they log more hours each?). Somewhere on an old JC thread I read someone's personal ranking of Alaskan operations. For this particular individual, Hageland was the most desirable- and a consensus seemed to agree Era was the worst. What are the attitudes since the Frontier Alaska merger?
 
Neil11 said:
Anyone with knowledge about Hageland Aviation? I read that they too accept very low total time pilots for the right seat of their 208s. Is still true/what is pay/hours are like? (Dated figures indicated Hageland operated 19 208s, and Pen Air operates 5. Does Hageland have more 208 SIC pilots? Or do they log more hours each?). Somewhere on an old JC thread I read someone's personal ranking of Alaskan operations. For this particular individual, Hageland was the most desirable- and a consensus seemed to agree Era was the worst. What are the attitudes since the Frontier Alaska merger?
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Oddly enough I spent time at both. I flew far more hours at Hageland than I did at PenAir. Mins are fairly similar at both; wet ink commercial ticket and be at their front door ready to go when they call. Last I had any current info on Hageland the pay was based on $1,000 for 15 days, so roughly $66 a day, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, but their general MO was to keep you out as much as possible as to get you into a 207 as quickly as possible. Housing was free in the bush, although once you made it into a 207 then they charged you for it. Not much though. Once you've made it to a 207 they generally want to see a winter or two before they'll move you into a Caravan.

I don't know about the general feeling around there these days and if guys can move from the bush side into the 1900s, etc. I just sent an email to a friend of mine (one of my former 208 PICs actually) to see what the current deal is. I'll let you know what he says and forward to you his email if he's cool with that.

All that said, adding lots of PIC is in your very best interest. If you're thinking about getting your CFI you may want to check this out:

Position: Flight Instructor Hours: Part-time/ Full-Time General Description: Excellent long-term career path opportunity in Alaska for the right, motivated individual. Successful candidate will initially instruct in our Cessna Pilot Center for up to a year. CFIs that have demonstrated professionalism and aptitude are then transitioned to our FAR 135 scheduled airline as SIC in our BE-190 0C and PIC in our C206 or PA31-350s. CFII and tailwheel experience a plus. If interested in applying for this position, please submit a cover letter, current resume and a minimum of three references (two professional and one personal) to David Spence, Chief Flight Instructor. Email: david.spence@warbelows.com / Fax (907) 474-0412
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I will certainly keep looking into Hageland/Frontier. In addition to your 208 contact (thanks for the email), my uncle has a few Era/Frontier friends that I think I can get him to share.
I'll also call up Warbelow and see if I can talk to someone and learn more. I really wouldn't mind instructing if I thought I could stay as busy logging hours as the other entry-level options.
 
So Have Hageland, Frontier Flying and Era merged??? I did a google search and it sent me to hageland.com with all 3 names listed.

Didn't appear to have any pilot positions available but are they accepting resume's?
For those of you here who have flown up there for one or all of these companies, what's it like?
Pay seems low for Alaska, but can you make it work, living on your own?
 
STS-41B said:
So Have Hageland, Frontier Flying and Era merged??? I did a google search and it sent me to hageland.com with all 3 names listed.
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Yup. Frontier Flying Service, Hageland Aviation, and Era Aviation are all part of Frontier Alaska now. Hageland was acquired in June 2008, Era in February 2009. Hageland.com, flyera.com, and frontierflying.com are still separate addresses (they don't re-direct) but the content and services of each page are identical.
 
Just curious, do any of you know what equipment is installed on the right side of the panel at Penair or Hageland? (CDI/HSI etc?) What's actually required to have an SIC? Just a standard six pack?
 
juxtapilot said:
Just curious, do any of you know what equipment is installed on the right side of the panel at Penair or Hageland? (CDI/HSI etc?) What's actually required to have an SIC? Just a standard six pack?
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The 208Bs have a standard 6 pack with a DG. Ever tried to shoot an ILS with the Capts HSI?

One of their A models has nothing on the right.
 
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