Summer pilot jobs in Alaska

jrh

jrh

Well-Known Member
Hey everybody,

If this topic has already been discussed, I apologize. I did a search of the forums and couldn't come up with much.

I'd like to know, what are some ways to get a summer job as a pilot in Alaska? I've seen discussions on what it's like to fly up there, but never how to actually land a job. For those of you that have gone to AK, how did you find your jobs?

I'd really like to head that way next summer (summer of 2006). I've got a couple of contacts up there that might be able to help me, but I'm not counting on them. I also thought of subscribing to Climbto350.com but I'm not sure if Alaska jobs get posted on there much. What are some other options?

I'm not picky about what the job is. Could be flight instructing, VFR charter, aerial tours, pipeline patrol, etc. I'm mainly wanting to do it for the firsthand experience of seeing what Alaska is like and networking for the future. It sounds like more of an adventure than flight instructing for another summer in the 48 states.

I should have at least 900 TT and 500 dual given by next summer, if that matters. I'll be available from the end of June until the end of September.

Any advice?
 
There are a couple ones here in SE that hire seasonally I think:
1. LAB Flying service
2. Skagway Air
3. Air Excursions

There are also a few float plane operators.
 
Are you saying that sending out my resume to operators at random would work? I'm not opposed to it...just didn't think I have a chance with a company that doesn't know me and isn't advertising for openings.

Also, for the record, I have a high performance endorsement, but zero experience in tailwheel or floatplanes. Will this hurt me?
 
alright while its fresh in my head no the lack of tailwheel and float rating wont hurt. most 135 operations dont fly much of either. southeast alaska although beautiful country can be very challenging flying for lowtime pilots who are not accustomed to alaska. western alaska isnt a piece of cake but in my opinion is much easier than s.e. southeast is characterized by crappy rapidly changing weather combined with very mountainous terrain. western alaska is much flatter but usually windy. interior alsaka is pretty staight forward flying, and summer times are much nicer.
as far as landing a job the best bet would be to flood the market with resumes. early next year. that however is rarely enough. i would strongly suggest visiting in late february to early march. that is when most hiring is done to fill april classes. employers like to see people here in alaska because it shows them the guy is serious about being here. a lot of people come here to fly and cant take more than a month of it and end up leaving so if youve seen alaska and walk into a chief pilots office hes much more likely to offer a job. anyway come early next year let me know if you still are looking and ill see what i can do to help. also if you have any other questions feel free to ask
 
Alaska flying

Most Alaska operators require a minimum of 1000 hours to fly as PIC under part 135. These minimums are probably dictated by the few (only 6, I think) insurance companies that insure airplanes and pilots in Alaska. Many of them also like to see Alaska time or equivalent (mountain time) If you're a low-time pilot, there is always the option of giving flight instruction in Alaska until you acquire enough time and Alaska time to be a viable candidate for an airtaxi job.

The most commonly flown airtaxi airplanes on wheels in Alaska are Cessna 206s and 207s. There are also many DeHavilland Beavers in service, most of them on floats. There are many Piper Cherokee Sixes, a few Super Cubs in commercial use, a Maule or two, Cessna Caravans, standard Otters and turbine Otters and a few turbine Beavers. There are also many Cessna 185s and a few 180s and maybe even an occasional 182.

The flying out of Anchorage during the summer is probably the most diversely scenic, although any operation that flies north of the Arctic Circle on a daily basis is great during the summer with lots of Brooks Range stuff great weather and many beautiful lakes (if you're on floats). Nevertheless, Anchorage is within a reasonable distance of a diverse range of terrain and geographical features. There is the Chugach Range just to the east of Anchorage and just beyond it, Prince William Sound. To the west is the Susitna River Valley, the Alaska Range, Mt. McKinley and passes through the range to the "far side." To the south is the Kenai Range and the Kenai Peninsula and all of the fjords and Bays on the Pacific Ocean side of the Kenai Peninsula. There is the Harding Ice Field towards the south end of the peninsula and then the town of Homer.

Across from Anchorage and south along the west side of Cook Inlet is more of the Alaska Range including several volcanos (Mt. Spurr, Mt. Redoubt, Mt. Iliamna, Mt. Augustine). Lower Cook Inlet is spectacular and unpopulated. So, in my opinion, the most diverse Alaskan territory available on a daily flying basis is best accessed from Anchorage. One exception for amazing wilderness scenery is, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park but with few airtaxi operations from which to fly. http://www.nps.gov/wrst/

Most of the single-engine flying out of Anchorage is seasonal and tourism/fishing/hunting related. Tourism related flying is fun, and interesting if you are a people person with a gift of gab. Tips can be good, but I prefer more work related flying in Alaska where tourism and the requisite good weather are not a daily requirement.

I flew out of Cordova for many years and still regard Prince William Sound as one of the most beautiful areas of Alaska. The flying there was primarily related to commercial fishing. It involved taking fishermen to and from their boats between openers and closures, hauling parts around the sound to broken-down boats and hauling fish. Mail runs were another aspect of flying out of Cordova along with off-the-wall charters involving gold and coal mining/prospecting, scientists researching various things and a great variety of other kinds of charter flights not involving tourism.

Bethel is a great place to start as a low-time pilot because it is a year 'round job and does not involve tourism. Flying out of Bethel is actually busiest during the fall winter and spring months. The flying there can be intimidating to a new pilot with its whiteouts, fog and wind, but taken incrementally, the skills required to be an effective pilot in that neck of the woods, or anywhere in Alaska for that matter, can be slowly acquired until what may once have been scary, is no longer an adrenaline producing ordeal. The advent of GPS has also added to the ease of navigation although the skills required for pilotage and dead reckoning should be kept honed and ready.

For some useful information, links and great photos of the areas frequented by airtaxi pilots flying out of Anchorage, take a look at my website: www.flyalaska.com
 
Wow, thank you all for the info and advice. I became a member at the Flyalaska.com web site, and it looks like it is worth it. Very well-organized directory of employers, along with their equipment and minimums.

The more I read, the more questions I have now.

In no particular order of importance:

If I come up to visit for a weekend, should I focus on visiting operators mainly in the Anchorage area? Or should I wait until I send out resumes, talk to chief pilots over the phone, then personally visit the most likely prospects? It looks like I'll apply to places all over the state.

If the seasonal work begins in April, will not being available until the middle or end of June be a hindrance to me? I'll be in school until then, so there's not much I can do about it.

When employers say "mountain time" do they mean "Idaho backcountry bush flying time" or "Non-Nebraska flatland time"? I've been flying around Washington, Oregon, and Idaho for the past 2 years/700 hours, so I know about density altitude, fogged in valleys, mountain wave turbulence, that sort of thing, but I have zero experience landing off airport, going into one-way strips, twisting my way through narrow canyons, etc. I don't want to sell myself short on an application, but I don't want to claim to be something I'm not, either.

A bit off the topic of flying, but what sort of cost of living should I expect? How much would a one bedroom apartment be in Anchorage? Or in a small town? Or is there a better way to live for a summer besides getting an apartment by myself?

Even if all I can get at 900 hours is a CFI job, I'm still excited about the possibilities.

Thanks again for the help.
 
Monguse said:
For some useful information, links and great photos of the areas frequented by airtaxi pilots flying out of Anchorage, take a look at my website: www.flyalaska.com
Click to expand...
My favorite part: "Now Hawaii is my home in the winter months, and it's Alaska every spring summer and fall for some of the most interesting flying on the planet."

Welcome to JC, Jay! Look forward to hearing more from you. You bring a unique perspective on professional flying that not many people have seen. It is always good for people to hear that there are other opportunities besides the airlines.

It looks like you already have a good start on a "Perspective" article for JetCareers front page if you were so inclined. I'm sure that Doug would love to have one from you???
 
Alaska Flying

The first approach would probably be better...resumes then visits to the most likely prospects.

A weekend in Alaska is awfully short. That would give you only enough time to checkout Anchorage-area flight operations. The Fairbanks area also has a huge aviation community. The Kenai Peninsula has a few as well, including some in Homer and Kenai. Both the Kenai Peninsula and Fairbanks are on the road system and accessible from Anchorage if you have the time to do some driving. Heading towards Fairbanks on the highway from Anchorage will put you close to several little aviation hot spots including Birchwood, Palmer, Wasilla, Willow, Talkeetna and others further north prior to reaching Fairbanks.

Bethel, however is probably the most likely spot for a lowtimer to have a successful job hunt. But Bethel is way out there and an additional airfare expense from Anchorage if you're coming up from America (common Alaskan term for the lower 48). Many pilots have been hired over the years to fly out of Bethel , sight-unseen, just on the strength of a well-written resume and a phone call or two. So it's certainly possible.

Timing and luck also have a lot to do with a successful Alaska job hunt. A succinct and well-written one-page resume is also a plus. For some really good advice on resume writing take a look at: http://www.damngood.com/jobseekers/tips.html

For up-to-the-minute information on Anchorage living expenses and other items that can be found in news paper classified ads (including flying jobs) go to www.adn.com, the website for the Anchorage Daily News. I believe that you'll have to register (no charge) to access the classifieds.

Washington, Oregon and Idaho mountain flying experience would be considered equivalent to Alaska time by many operators. There are some operators, however, who have kind of a proprietary attitude about Alaska and who tend to look down their noses at anything other than Alaska time.

Not being available until the middle or end of June would be a definite drawback for an airtaxi job, but might be less important in acquiring a summer flight-instructor job.
With just 700 hours, which falls short of most insurance requirements, flight instructing in Alaska might be your only option until you acquire enough time and Alaska time to get an airtaxi job.


Best of luck to you
 
hey jay good to see you on a forum again. i was a member of flyalaska.com for a while and still go there to read your new stories and see the pictures. great website. anyway back to jrh as was said showing up late will hurt but dont give up its still quite possible. although these spots fill up early you might take a look at companies such as Pen Air, Era, etc... guys that fly B1900's, 340's and the like. its not uncommon for them to hire low time guys for FO possitions. although not the small plane low flying type it is still alaska flying. of course seasonal work might rule them out. i dont know. most opperators do require 1000 PIC but thats not set in stone. i know plenty of people flying 206's, lance's, or cherokee 6's with under that. bethel would be a good place to look for that. as far as flight schools i think they are listed there on jays website but Take Flight Alaska out of anchorage would be a good bet. also warbelows air in fairbanks, although small, may be looking then. with Take Flight if you dont get a call back keep calling. the chief pilots very busy and its hard to get him on the phone. but they have some great opportunity. anyway im out of rambling ideas for now so good luck and let us know if you need any help.
 
Hey Jay what happened to the Flyalaska message board?
Now to the question at hand. Everything that has been said thus far has been spot on to what I encountered on a trip to anchorage last spring. I dropped resumes at pretty much every operator in anchorage since I am still instructing in Utah I guess things didn't go to well. Take flight Alaska won't look at someone like me as an instructor (960 TT 110 Multi 600 Dual Given and only 1 hour in a anything made by cessna.) Not to be discouraged I will return again next spring and take a ramp job if I have to. Best of luck in your seach and hopefully I will see you all in the AK spring.
PS My apologies if my avatar is HUGE. Someone tell me how to fix it.
 
Alaska flying

Hi Newty,

Twice the forum became corrupted and unusable and I had to start over unable to retrieve most previous postings. After the 3rd try, (with all the most interesting previous posts gone), the interest waned and there were some serious security issues with that version of the forum. Being somewhat cerebrally challenged, I was hard put to wade through the convoluted technical gyrations required to update to the newer version, and weeks would go by without a single post, so I dropped it.

Hang in there, Newty. Take Flight Alaska was probably most concerned by the "and-only-1-hour-in-anything-made-by-cessna." part of your resume.

I may re-install the forum for a forth try ... haven't decided yet.
 
Thanks Jay

I'll look for the Forum if it comes back. I'm thinking about trying to get on throwing bags for hagelands and just wait em out for a flying job.
 
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