cargo or nothing ?

[Casper]

Hey Guys,
I am considering doing the cargo thing and at this point I am willing to fly anything I can, I have talked to a few dudes tugging freight and they all tell me it is a good gig. Does anyone know anything about Westair and can anyone give some insight about flying a caravan I know it is a single popper but it is a turbine.

 

[HAZ-MAT]

I like my Caravan. Its a fun aircraft to fly. I've never worried too much about losing the engine, due to the reliability of a PT6. It keeps you warm in the winter-time and cool in the summer-time. I was just like you when it was time to go to the next step. I just saw more job security in cargo as opposed to the pax demand of the air carriers. One thing that i would look into is aircraft types. If they just operate Caravans... its a great place to start, and they might even pay well (place like Baron Aviation), but they only operate Caravans. A place like AirNet, Flight Express, Mountain Air Cargo, Empire... you can start out in a 210, Baron, or C-208 and with time and senority move up the ranks to a F-27, ATR-42/72, or Lear. So its all about how you want your career to go, if you're in your mid-thirties to forties, then a place like Baron would be great, because they pay well, and continues to go up with years worked there, and you could be home almost everynight to see your wife, kids, or your dog. Or if your right out of college and are single, or have a girlfriend that is willing to follow you, then Flight Express, AirNet, or MAC is a good place to start.

 

[Casper]

Hey there Haz Mat,
Thanks for the reply , say can you tell me what Companies are located in the SoCal area if any?

 

[HAZ-MAT]

I'm going to guess and say Ameriflight... They might have some Beech 99's and possibly Navajos down there. If you do a search in cargo, there have been past posts about people looking for work in Cali.

 

[Airpiraterob]

failure rates

dont forget the reliability of the PT-6 series is one failure every 1+million hours flown. thats another reason to fly the van. the single that wont quit.

 

[pilotyip]

PT-6's do quit

Looking for a cargo job, think about USA Jet at YIP, BTW we have pilot who got to land at night in Lake Eire in October a coulpe years ago, when his C-208's PT-6 died, he does not fly SEL over water anymore.

 

[2LT]

PT6

Statistically, they're incredibly reliable -- no doubt.

Had one fail on a King Air flying jumpers -- of course, maintenance was an issue.

That'd be a hell of a 'sinking feeling' -- worst kind of quiet.

 

[CSY Mon]

Cargo is great...I worked for a carrier that had both pax and cargo planes, I bid the freighter every time.

As for PT 6s, have a few thousand hours in them.
Good mills for sure, never lost one....

On the other hand, about 20 years ago I worked for the first company in the US, and probably the world to get the C-208 Caravan.

A few months after we started flying it, the thing crashed..Folks died.
I belive the final outcome was pilot error, did not read the report afterwards, but the pilot was a good friend and collegue.
The engine stopped turning...

Anybody else familiar with that accident? (Alaska)

 

[wingnutt]

yea yea yea...but show me one type of aircraft that has never had an accident/incident, and ill show you one rich SOB.

point being, you can find horror stories about any type, but that caravan is one dam reliable aircraft

having flown both recip twins and single turbines extensively, id personally take the van any day of the week...be it over land or over water

 

[CSY Mon]

No horror stories here wingnut, just talking about a deadly accident.

Again, don't think it was the Caravans fault.
Have lots of respect for the craft and the PT-6.

If ya fly the C-208, look at the details and perhaps learn something.