REAL Flying - No Sissies Allowed - PENAir Alaska

[On Your Six]

Here's an interesting video clip I just found related to Pen Air up in beautiful Alaska. If you want to fly Caravans, Metros (sorry, no glass) and Saab 340s in a beautiful but harsh environment to get some truly great flying experience, maybe flying for Pen Air out of ANC would be a good choice. Gorgeous in the summer and harsh in the winter. It's the last frontier and your instrument skills will improve big time... Not sure about upgrade time or current conditions but it might be worth investigating.

I don't work for PENAir but I thought the video clip was interesting a potential eye-opener for wannabe regional pilots who are looking for something beyond the "typical" regional experience.

Check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/user/JustPlanes

 

[Flybywire44]

Don't forget the Goose! What a great plane.

 

[On Your Six]

Here's the latest info on PenAir from airlinepilotcentral.com:

http://airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/regional/penair.html

Certainly not the best compensation out there for a regional pilot - but most regional pilots don't expect to make any money - right? Still, it might be a good place to get some turbine time and see some interesting places you might otherwise miss while flying for Colgan, Great Lakes, Gulfstream, etc. I wonder how long before you could upgrade in the Metro to get some turbine PIC time?

 

[johnsonrod]

Cool video clip. I have a friend who went to PenAir. He really enjoyed it - flew both the Metro and the Saab. He now flies for UPS and he thinks flying in the lower 48 states is a breeze compared to what he experienced up in Alaska. Quite the adventure. I sorta wish I had gone that route myself - the ERJ is fun but I am bored with my monotonous routes in the Midwest. If I were an instructor out of flight school I'd definitely check out PenAir.

 

[30West]

Wait, where are the Shiny Jets?

 

[Mookie]

right here....

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Alaska-Airlines/Alaska-Airlines/0087952

 

[BLing]

WTF? "Plus 20, Plus 7, Plus 8, Get on center line" That Metro CA fits the mold of the typical sloppy Alaskan self proclaimed bush pilot! I have trained many many guys who fly in Alaska, so I have room to talk...

 

[Mookie]

I'll take a "sloppy alaskan bush pilot" over some snot-nosed RJ fo anydays...

and I would know...I've actually flown with both...

moron..

Mookie

 

[Salukipilot4590]

That was the coolest thing i've seen in a while! Thanks!

 

[Heavy Set]

Alaska flying is AWESOME! I highly recommend it to anyone considering regional flying at the moment. Why wouldn't you do it? How often can you get that type of great instrument experience on a daily basis? I agree that flying down in the lower 48 would be boring after some good Alaska flying. Plus, flying during the summer is gorgeous.