Alaska

[CUBMAN]

Can anybody steer me in the right direction with info on how to locate employment in Alaska? Thanks.

Cub

 

[iflyabeech]

www.flyalaska.com

 

[185 flier]

contact PenAir
they fly saab's and metro's as well as 135 a/c
growing company with good management and work schedule and decent pay

 

[Frozen Ronin]

A Superior Pilot makes use of his Superior Judgement to avoid situations which might require use of his Superior Skills.

"Ifly": Hmmm. I recall reading that above the doorway in Bethel. Perchance we've passed wingtips?

Cubman, do a search here. There's been lot's of wisdom shared here on the boards for AK jobs. Best part of my career, by a long shot. PM me if you wanna, I'd be interested to see how you're coming along with your search.

Ronin

 

[iflyabeech]

A Superior Pilot makes use of his Superior Judgement to avoid situations which might require use of his Superior Skills.

"Ifly": Hmmm. I recall reading that above the doorway in Bethel. Perchance we've passed wingtips?

Cubman, do a search here. There's been lot's of wisdom shared here on the boards for AK jobs. Best part of my career, by a long shot. PM me if you wanna, I'd be interested to see how you're coming along with your search.

Ronin

I have liked that quote since before I was in AK, but, I think that SOB Woody had a plaque with that inscripted in his office as well as above the stairs in the Bethel maint. hangar after they built the upstairs section. Probably the only thing I have in common with that jackass Woody! Did you know he had his own island near Emo? LOL What a crock that place is! If I recall your previous posts, I was there before you...I don't think we have met...

 

[Frozen Ronin]

Yeah, I've been over 'Woody's Island' several times... just outside of Nunam Iqua (Sheldons point)! What a goof!

Where's your avatar from?

Ronin

 

[iflyabeech]

Ha.... Its from PAEH

 

[Monguse]

www.flyalaska.com just completed a major update to the directory of Alaska flight operations (long time coming), but now only for members ($19.95 a year). He has apparently deleted no-longer-valid operators, added new ones and updated contact information and email addresses. The membership section includes daily updates on Alaska job offers.

I got into the membership section a few years ago when it was still a lifetime membership, but a couple of years ago he changed it to a one year membership. But it is still the best single source of information for Alaska flying jobs and cheap for the info provided. There are over 300 listed 135 operators and over 200 with website links.

One thing about Alaska flying jobs is that most operators require 1000 hours TT and some Alaska time or "equivalent," and possibly some time in type ie. C 206 etc. "Equivalent" is usually mountain time. There are a few who require only the FAA 135 minimum of 500 hours, but probably less than a dozen. Insurance requirements tend to dictate the required pilot minimums.

K2 Aviation out of Talkeetna requires no Alaska time, but tail dragger time is a big plus and 2000 hours is their minimum. They fly climbers onto the glaciers of Mt. McKinley and tourists around the mountain in Cessna 185s on wheel skis and over the mountain in an oxygen-equipped Piper Navaho. They also fly single-engine turbine otters which may head up to those heights as well (well over 20,000 feet, but still close to the terrain).

According to the job postings in the membership section of flyalaska.com, Smokey Bay Air out of Homer is looking for a C206 pilot. Homer is an interesting fun community, but I'm not so sure that I would be interested in flying tourists 70 miles across the open waters of Cook Inlet in a Cessna 206 for a tide water beach landing to look at bears for a few hours. Although, Smokey Bay Air does many local flights that don't require long over-water legs. They fly tours on their side of Cook Inlet including the Harding Ice Fields, Kachemak Bay, and other scenic flights in that neck of the woods.

Anyway, I love flying in Alaska. It's an adventure any time of the year. Float flying is especially cool.

 

[CUBMAN]

Thanks for the input Gents. I appreciate some good info and the polite behavior also. So many others posts on this site are so negative it leads me to believe that Alaska pilots are happier in their work.

Cubman

 

[Frozen Ronin]

Does anyone know anything about Air Arctic? I never heard of them before, but that doesn't mean anything. Navajo's out of Fairbanks. Tour stuff. Looking for any info~

Thanks,
Ronin

 

[tjmoser]

Air Arctic is a Navajo operation owned by Northern Alaska Tour Company. This flying used to be done under contract by Frontier Flying Service, until NATC got their own 135 certificate a few years ago. I flew on this contract one summer when Frontier still had it; flying tourists to Deadhorse, Anaktuvik Pass and Coldfoot. The highlight was the evening tour to Coldfoot- we had about 3 hours on the ground there, and could enjoy the all you can eat prime rib buffet at the lodge every night.

The owners of NATC are great guys, and I'd recommend this operation if you are looking for something like this

 

[2Green]

I can't say enough about my experience flying in Alaska. Just like an above poster said it was the best job he's had. I totally agree. Flying there is very rewarding and you won't realize it until you take one of the many boring jobs in the lower 48.

I'm not sure what the current hiring climate is but if you're standing there and they need someone you will get a shot (providing you meet the mins). It may cost you some dough but I bet you can pull it off. Best of luck to you.

 

[FlyingFish]

This was in the Anchorage Daily News recently.

PILOT IN COMMAND. Regional airline recruiting 135 Pilot In Command (PIC) positions. ATP+ 500 Alaska time required. Ground school starts in September. Wage and schedule negotiable. 121 FIRST OFFICERS. Open positions for First Officers based in Anchorage. Minimum requirements: 1000 hours; Commercial, instrument and MEL ratings. Competitive wages + excellent benefit package. Email resumes to: [Click here for email]. For more info contact Ruth Davis, Human Resources Director at [Click here for email] or 907-771-2523 or fax 907-771-2664 Equal Opportunity Employer

Penair in case your wondering...

 

[airplaner]

Grant Aviation, Hagaland and Artic Circle are in need of pilots right now. Grant starts a ground school on Monday the 6th. I f you have some multi, check out Penn Air and Era Aviation in Anchorage, they need FO’s for their metro’s and BE1900’s.

 

[NW_Pilot]

Contact Chris or Julie @ [email protected] they are looking for a 206 pilot to fly in and out of gravel strip Whitehorse/Anc/Yukon area. $1,000 a week seasonal.

 

[FlyingFish]

PILOT IN COMMAND. Regional airline recruiting 135 Pilot In Command (PIC) positions. ATP+ 500 Alaska time required. Ground school starts in September. Wage and schedule negotiable. 121 FIRST OFFICERS. Open positions for First Officers based in Anchorage. Minimum requirements: 1000 hours; Commercial, instrument and MEL ratings. Competitive wages + excellent benefit package. Email resumes to: [Click here for email]. For more info contact Ruth Davis, Human Resources Director at [Click here for email] or 907-771-2523 or fax 907-771-2664 Equal Opportunity Employer

Penair in case your wondering...

F/O Mins have been lowered to 700 hours. http://www.penair.com/careers.html

 

[CUBMAN]

Lots of good intel there guys, keep it coming cause I'm still looking. That PenAir site sure looks good. Are there any PenAir guys on this thread? Anybody know about the operation? Any other companies that look like good career choices? I'm not looking to go to the biggies but would like to find a nice place to settle in. Thanks.

Cub

 

[iflyabeech]

I'm an ex-Penair guy! Super place to work. I was a 135 pilot, but the 121 is a cool gig as well. . .Flying fish is a Penair pilot as well!

 

[FlyingFish]

Yeah, not a bad place to work if you can stay outta the politics. Real stablecompany. The pay is OK and the benies OK on top of that, your home every night. All in all not a bad place to hang your hat for a while.

 

[iflyabeech]

Yeah, not a bad place to work if you can stay outta the politics. Real stablecompany. The pay is OK and the benies OK on top of that, your home every night. All in all not a bad place to hang your hat for a while.

Tell Charlie I said its about time for him get back in the Cherokee.

 

[Jedi_Cheese]

When do Alaska Operators start looking for pilots for the summer season? I'm mainly looking for single pilot operations flying something small that I can acquire some good stories in addition to some fun experience.

I will have a little TW and Float experience (less than 10 hours) and some HP time (~50 hours) but will meet 135 IFR mins (come winter/spring).

 

[Monguse]

When do Alaska Operators start looking for pilots for the summer season? I'm mainly looking for single pilot operations flying something small that I can acquire some good stories in addition to some fun experience.

I will have a little TW and Float experience (less than 10 hours) and some HP time (~50 hours) but will meet 135 IFR mins.

Most Alaska operators will actively begin looking for pilots in late winter and early spring for summer season flying jobs. Most of the initial and recurrent 135 company training classes for summer jobs occur in April and May.

It's not a bad idea to get a jump on this by submitting resumes in the fall or winter. And then if you have received any favorable responses, following up with phone calls or even a pre-season trip to Alaska for some face-to-face meetings with prospective employers.

135 minimums are generally not enough for most Alaska operators and most of them also like to see some Alaska time or equivalent (mountain time) as well as some time in type. The pilot experience minimums (generally 1000 hours or more) required by Alaska operators are for the most part dictated by the insurance companies. There are a few companies, however, that hire low-time pilots because they feel they are more easily trained to company standards. The apparent opinion is that low-time pilots are more easily trained than high-time crusty old pilots who may think they know it all already. Thinking varies on this from operator to operator.

There are also occasional first officer (co-pilot) jobs available for low-time pilots.

Take a look at www.flyalaska.com for comprehensive info.

 

[Frozen Ronin]

The trend, as of the last few years, is that of lowering minimums for new hires. The market can't support the need for experienced Alaska pilots. This last season, I worked with more first season guys than ever before. Experienced, several thousand hour pilots, but first season AK.

One of them didn't survive the season, and took several couples with him. It's just different up here, and you have to be able to learn what it's like to fly in a new environment.

Monguse is right on, a little tour of various operators and areas is well worth the investment, if you can afford it. The value of a face to face interview, for a 1st timer, make the difference between an invitation to groundschool, or a thanks but no thanks letter.

One of my first questions would be do you want to fly all year, or just seasonal? Do you want to fly tundra, or mountains? As part of a crew, or as PIC? Do you hope to fly in the airlines, or are you just looking for new experiences, a test of how far you can push yourself? Do you like the cold, the extreme? Wanna fly tourists or Yupik passengers? Village life, where there's a good chance for indoor plumbing, or a town that has a walmart and movie theatre? Wanna live with a bunch of other pilots in company housing, or do you want to pay your own way to have your own space? These are a few lifestyle questions that could help you zero in on a job best suited for you. And research your question here, search the threads. There's a lot of good info here already.

Good luck,

Ronin