Are the 135 minimums set in stone?

[Bryan D]

I was reading the General board and a guy posted the following:

Advice needed

Hello,
I am currently a flight instructor with 1250 TT and only 55 MT. Recently I've been debating whether to try to get on with a regional or go the freight route. My thinking is if I get on with a freight company such as Flight Express or Ram Air, I will have a lot more options and it will benifit me in the long run to do freight before regionals, etc...
Would you guys agree that doing freight for a while is benificial to one's career as an aspiring professional pilot? Is freight a waste of time? I'm not sure at this point whether I want to go to the airlines or corporate but I figure doing freight will provide a better chance at both opportunities.

Any thoughts?

It got me thinking, I have about the same times as this guy but, I'm 25 hrs short of the night minimums and 294 short of the X-country (point-point) minimums. The fact that I don't meet the 135 minmums has kept me from sending out my resume to any cargo operators. As a footnote, a pilot told me some cargo operators donot even look at your logbook, they take your word for your hours. Is this true?
My question is, would I stand a chance of landing a cargo job without the 135 minimums?

 

[aviatornick]

mins arent set in stone! i have a little over 1000 hours and i am about 40 short on my night and i got hired on with a 135 operator! APPLY, you never know!

 

[RideTheWind]

If you think back really hard you can probably remember stopping at an uncontrolled airport and doing a touch and go on every flight you've done, if you think hard enough you'll find you have the 500 hr XC time.

Cargo is great.

 

[RideTheWind]

mins arent set in stone! i have a little over 1000 hours and i am about 40 short on my night and i got hired on with a 135 operator! APPLY, you never know!

Are you PIC or SIC?

If you're PIC and you're flying 135 IFR you are not legal and I am willing to bet the operator you fly for is crooked as hell if he hires pilots that don't meet the 135 mins that are set in stone and probably doesn't maintain the aircraft very well, watch out for yourself.

 

[Bryan D]

If you think back really hard you can probably remember stopping at an uncontrolled airport and doing a touch and go on every flight you've done, if you think hard enough you'll find you have the 500 hr XC time.

Cargo is great.

That made me laugh...you are right but, think of the White Out!

 

[RideTheWind]

Forget the white out, use one of the free pc logbooks out there and start over.

 

[T-Gates]

I was reading the General board and a guy posted the following:


Any thoughts?

It got me thinking, I have about the same times as this guy but, I'm 25 hrs short of the night minimums and 294 short of the X-country (point-point) minimums. The fact that I don't meet the 135 minmums has kept me from sending out my resume to any cargo operators. As a footnote, a pilot told me some cargo operators donot even look at your logbook, they take your word for your hours. Is this true?
My question is, would I stand a chance of landing a cargo job without the 135 minimums?

Is this a joke???

 

[Dan CFI/CFII]

Sorry to say it Bryan: but the 135 PIC minimums are set in stone.

However, you might be able to find a company that would somehow allow you to build some time with them until you met those minimums. I know a few guys who were given that offer: to get a PC (apparently this makes is legal to log time), and then to ride along (unpaid) until they had the minimums to be the PIC.

However, these were all guys who were less than a hundred hours away from whatever minimum they lacked, and for a company who really, really wanted to hire them. So the company made a way for them to meet the FAA's minimums.

But those FAA minimums are not negotiable. Any operator who would "take your word for it," would also be taking thier mechanics word for stuff, and I'm sure that they could give you thier word that the checks would clear... Be careful man, there are some shady operators out there, and they LOVE guys desparate for time.

Dan

 

[jergar999]

Nothing is set in stone. I once had a chief pilot (freight) tell me that the FARs were really just a collection of suggestions and often didn't apply to what we were doing. "You know, that's just paperwork." He also loved making fun of anyone who called "fright service" for a weather briefing. I learned a lot, both from the neat things he taught me and from the two violations he received in less than a one month period.

Honestly, my advice to you would be to do the flying, and get the time legitimately. Try not to think so much in terms of hours, but rather experience. There is a good chance you may skate by unnoticed as far as all the requirements go, but what if you don't?

Either way, good luck.

 

[barnyard]

I remember doing everything i possibly could to meet the requirements for 135; instruments students at night only, always going to other airports, etc.

nothing torqued me more than to meet guys that had padded their logbook just to get some time.

If you are considering padding your logbook, remember that this will lead your flying experience into a lie for the rest of your life. You will always have that in the back of your mind during interviews. Anyone doing logbook inspections who cares can spot a pencil-whipper in a second.

Freight isn't a waste of time, if it's good PIC time you need. Many guys only do the freight thing for a few months, and move on to the regionals as soon as they have some multi time. And there are good freight operators out there where staying for a few years is worthwhile. A couple hundred piston hours will get you though the door at a regional, but a couple thousand turbine PIC hours will open the door for some much better jobs (more than 17,000/yr).

Keep on truckin...

-barnyard