Air Tahoma?

[Frozen Ronin]

Can't believe it, but a search here didn't bring much up. Probably doin' it wrong. Any recent Air Tahoma stories out there?

Lots of great reads on the Convair, though. I can be found where the sound is round!

Anyway, appreciate any info.

Ronin

 

[Boris Badenov]

Air Tahoma? Air Tahoma makes Mesa look like FedEx. If you absolutely must play with a radial, start it up, and stick your head inside. It will be more pleasant.

 

[Batfish]

Yea AT

Probably not a lot around because they went to having most of their crews either foreign nationals or on work visas. Less complaints that way. Also probably not a lot of message board surfing from those either. Not worth it to fly round engines. Join a museum with flying aircraft or something, and get your fix like that. Also not a lot of info with a search because for a while FI blocked the Air Tahoma name. Try searching under AT instead. Although then you will get all the "at" stuff too.

I think Catalina Flying boats is still flying the 3 with pax in SoCal. Could be old info though. A couple of companies on the boarder or the islands that are still flying them. I know a 340 is regularly in El Paso, flying freight. Although from talking to an F/O there they do shady stuff. Like making the guys print the NOS plates off the internet from some free site. You know the one that says DO NOT USE for navigation. So maybe not any better.

Good luck. -batfish

 

[Frozen Ronin]

Jeesh

 

[dickburns]

I see a 340 run by some folks out of Laredo up in ELP from a time to time but never one ran by Tahoma.




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[Batfish]

Yep the same one. I was trying to give an AT alternate (to feed the round engine monster), then while I was typing I remembered that gem about the app plates. Also Air Tahoma flys 240s. If they are still operating them. The only 340s they fly are some of their 580 conversions.

Anyone know of a descent operator still flying round engines? -batfish

 

[Batfish]

Plenty of AT horror stories out there. Suffice it to say, no one needs to work there and they need to go away.

Frozen Ronin, if you are flying in Alaska (like some of you posts seem to indicate) ask around about Wein Air if you don't know about them. Bud Rude, the owner of AT likes to brag that he put them out of business to crush the pilots labor actions. He is a gem!

-batfish

 

[Ill Mitch]

Probably not a lot around because they went to having most of their crews either foreign nationals or on work visas. Less complaints that way. Also probably not a lot of message board surfing from those either. Not worth it to fly round engines. Join a museum with flying aircraft or something, and get your fix like that. Also not a lot of info with a search because for a while FI blocked the Air Tahoma name. Try searching under AT instead. Although then you will get all the "at" stuff too.

I think Catalina Flying boats is still flying the 3 with pax in SoCal. Could be old info though. A couple of companies on the boarder or the islands that are still flying them. I know a 340 is regularly in El Paso, flying freight. Although from talking to an F/O there they do shady stuff. Like making the guys print the NOS plates off the internet from some free site. You know the one that says DO NOT USE for navigation. So maybe not any better.

Good luck. -batfish

Flying Boats hasn't run pax in eons. Last I heard, they are now Phoenix Air Transport (or something like that) and run a Chieftian and Caravans out of LGB. When I drove by there last, there was on -3 and an -18 sitting there as well.

 

[Batfish]

Flying Boats hasn't run pax in eons. Last I heard, they are now Phoenix Air Transport (or something like that) and run a Chieftian and Caravans out of LGB. When I drove by there last, there was on -3 and an -18 sitting there as well.

Oh sorry. Gave them a call a few years ago when I was freshly out of work. Somehow got it stuck in my heat that they still flew pax on sight seeing stuff or something.-batfish

 

[Captain Oveur]

The only piston Convair I know of in the
southwest is operated by LaBaTa, in Laredo.
I don't think Rhoades has any more pistons....
A Mexican registered piston Convair would
come into San Diego Brown Field occasionally
last year, but I don't know if they do anymore.
AT had some good people flying for them, but
previous posters in this thread seemed to have
upper management pegged, LoL.

 

[TWA]

NOS plates are available free on the FAA website. http://naco.faa.gov

 

[Batfish]

NOS plates are available free on the FAA website. http://naco.faa.gov

Wow that is pretty cool.

The conversation I had was about 2 years ago went something like this.
Convair Guy: My company is talking about stopping our plate subscriptions and making us print plates off the free service on AOPA.com. Do you think that is ok?
Random guy in a uniform that Convair guy met a short time earlier, (me): I think it says for reference purposes only, doesn't it?
Convair guy: Oh maybe. Do you think those would hold up if we got ramped.
Random guy in a uniform that Convair guy met a short time earlier, (me): No


So I don't know if they went through with it, but it was scary they were thinking about it. -batfish

 

[727C47]

Desert Air still flies a decent looking CV240 in AK. In the late 90's I flew piston Convairs for IFL,we had the 340. A water injected max blast takeoff (59.5") was a thing of beauty.

 

[dickburns]

The only piston Convair I know of in the
southwest is operated by LaBaTa, in Laredo.
I don't think Rhoades has any more pistons....
A Mexican registered piston Convair would
come into San Diego Brown Field occasionally
last year, but I don't know if they do anymore.
AT had some good people flying for them, but
previous posters in this thread seemed to have
upper management pegged, LoL.

Is labata still around, I thought it was Barker that runs the piston 340 out of lrd, or they may be one in the same.

 

[Captain Oveur]

Barker is the 'Ba' in 'LaBaTa'
Lacey
Barker
Taylor
=LaBaTa, at least,that was what I always heard....

 

[Wankel7]

Barker is the 'Ba' in 'LaBaTa'
Lacey
Barker
Taylor
=LaBaTa, at least was what I always heard....

Learn something everyday

I got a ride from LRD to MCI on their convair...first time I had seen an oil quantity gauge in gallons...wow.

 

[dickburns]

Anyone know who flys that blue and white YS-11? I think the last place I saw it was in LRD.

Yeah the stuff you learn, as far as I know LaBaTa runs those ys-11s too, I met the chief pilot there the other week, pretty nice guy. Those three guys have LRD covered pretty well, I'm suprised they don't try and get some other aircraft that would fly more.

 

[rflight2u]

DONT EVER EVER work for at.... they suck made 5500/yr when I worked for them... after their cv580 crash 5 of us got letters for there lawyers... and I quote.."the following 5 people are believed to have personal vendetta's against the company....enough said...