Capt. JD
Waiting for Fast-Movers!!
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2004
- Posts
- 291
Solid summary on Aerial Survey!
I flew survey for 2 years. I loved it! Gave me good stick & rudder skills. I got to fly allot of ferry flights IFR @ night in upstate NY during the winter. But at the end of the day I did it as an alternative to being a CFI & instructing to get my FAR prt 135 IFR mins...... working 24/7 with no schedule gets old plus I love flying approaches to mins!
surveypilot said:For those of you that are contemplating working in the aerial survey industry, let me provide a small summary of what the job is like. For some it is the perfect job, many others however would despise this type of work. Aerial survey companies fly everything from Helio Couriers to Gulfstream's. However, the bulk of the industry flies airplanes like the C206, Piper Aztec, Piper Navajo, and several varieties of twin Cessnas. These airplanes are often extensively modified with large holes in the belly, extra fuel tanks, etc. The average company has 2-4 airplanes and the flight crews are composed of one pilot and one photographer (or equipment operator if doing some other type of survey work.) The flying is 95% VFR, and usually involves maximum endurance flights, often followed by a quick turn and another leg. The important thing to know is that this flying is pretty demanding (like flying several hours of continuous ILS's a day) when it happens. The problem is that you are incredibly dependant on the right weather conditions to be able to fly the missions. If you are used to a most other types of flying, then you will get incredibly frustrated with having to sit around for days waiting on the right weather. I have left home many times for a two day job and come home 2 weeks later. I have spent a month in one location waiting to get 6 hours of work done. Some companies mange this well with rotational schedules for flight crews. Some companies claim that they have rotational schedules, but when the reality of the cost of rotating crews sets in they will leave the crews in the field. For this reason most of these companies have a high turnover rate.
Will all that said, I still loved the survey flying that I did. However, the continuous time on the road can takes its toll on the family. When I had my second child, I said that was enough and found other employment.
I don't pretend to be an expert on the industry, but I do have experience with several companies and don't mind the PM's if you have specific questions on a company
I flew survey for 2 years. I loved it! Gave me good stick & rudder skills. I got to fly allot of ferry flights IFR @ night in upstate NY during the winter. But at the end of the day I did it as an alternative to being a CFI & instructing to get my FAR prt 135 IFR mins...... working 24/7 with no schedule gets old plus I love flying approaches to mins!