Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Low time VFR FAR 135 pilots Juneau, AK

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web

Check 6

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 5, 2005
Posts
224
http://www.climbto350.com/job_search.cfm?jobID=24262

If link does not work:

  • L.A.B. FLYING SERVICE, 1873 Shell Simmons Dr., Suite 112, Juneau, AK 99801
  • Tel: 907-789-9160
  • Fax: 907-790-2165
  • PA32/28 VFR 135 pilots needed immediately.
  • $1500/month but housing included for free.
  • Transportation to/from work provided for free.
  • All aircraft EFIS w/GPS/WAAS.
  • Great opportunity for low time pilots
  • Must provide own transpo to Juneau, AK
  • Ground school starts April 20
  • Minimums: 700tt, 100x-c, 25 night x-c.
  • Misc: must be motivated; must be able to lift 60# and want to fly a lot. Only call if you are serious.
Note: I know nothing about this position. I am just passing it along. No warranty implied etc. etc. ;)
 
Actually I'd say with housing included that's not a bad deal IMO. That alone should save your enough to make it worthwhile plus if a pilot is looking to get some Alaska experience you can't beat that job...
 
If you value your life and would like to keep living...

Run... They don't call it "Legs And Bodies" for nothing!
 
Look them up on the NTSB website. [FONT=&quot]Something like 16 reports in the last 10 years.

[/FONT]BORAT,
"Legs And Bodies" I thought it was "Looking At Bears"
 
Question?

Did the owner have the accidents/incidents or did the employee pilots?

I ran an NTSB search for 10 years for L.A.B. and came up with zero. :confused:

I don't have a dog in this fight so I would suggest that anyone interested contact them and ask about safety, etc.
 
Last edited:
I used to work there and they have had accidents, but if you are going to do something stupid, there isn't a lot management can do for you. I don't think any of the fatal accidents have been caused by MX or being forced into WX. They don't want accidents. I am not saying they are perfect, but I was never forced to do something that I wasn't comfortable with.
 
I think they upped their salary too. A couple months back I when I was looking for jobs I think it was $1000/month housing included. Alaska scares me a little but with those Chilton's in the airplanes I would think that would help. I'm guessing most of their issues stem from people going into bad or quickly deteriorating conditions. That's what I've heard at least.
 
NTSB Identification: ANC01FA093.
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Public Inquiries
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Monday, July 30, 2001 in Haines, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 9/10/2002
Aircraft: Piper PA-32-300, registration: N39586
Injuries: 6 Fatal.​

NTSB Identification: ANC02FA010.

The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Public Inquiries
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Tuesday, January 15, 2002 in HAINES, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 1/16/2003
Aircraft: Piper PA-32, registration: N30004
Injuries: 1 Fatal.​

NTSB Identification: ANC02LA069
.
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Public Inquiries
Scheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 25, 2002 in Kake, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 4/29/2003
Aircraft: Piper PA-32-300, registration: N2947N
Injuries: 3 Minor, 3 Uninjured.​
NTSB Identification: ANC04CA119.
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Public Inquiries
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, September 28, 2004 in Haines, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 1/24/2005
Aircraft: Piper PA-28-181, registration: N3002T
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
NTSB Identification: ANC97FA097 .
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Public Inquiries
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Thursday, July 03, 1997 in SKAGWAY, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/13/1998
Injuries: 4 Fatal, 1 Minor, 1 Uninjured.​
NTSB Identification: ANC96FA137 .The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Public Inquiries
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Sunday, September 01, 1996 in HAINES, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/15/1997
Aircraft: Piper PA-32, registration: N2181Z
Injuries: 4 Serious, 2 Minor.​
NTSB Identification: ANC96LA088 .
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Public Inquiries
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, June 14, 1996 in GUSTAVUS, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 2/18/1997
Aircraft: Piper PA-32-300, registration: N8956N
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.​
NTSB Identification: ANC95FA101 .
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Public Inquiries
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Friday, July 07, 1995 in HAINES, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 3/21/1996
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32R-300, registration: N6281J
Injuries: 6 Fatal.​
NTSB Identification: ANC93LA096 .
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Public Inquiries
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Friday, June 18, 1993 in JUNEAU, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 9/15/1994
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32-300, registration: N30505
Injuries: 1 Minor, 5 Uninjured.​

[FONT=&quot]NTSB Identification: ANC93LA077 [/FONT][FONT=&quot].[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System Please contact Public Inquiries
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Wednesday, June 02, 1993 in SKAGWAY, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 8/18/1994
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32-300, registration: N8127K
Injuries: 3 Minor, 2 Uninjured[/FONT]
NTSB Identification: SEA91FA207 .
The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 44243.
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Wednesday, August 14, 1991 in GUSTAVUS, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/10/1992
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32, registration: N4075W
Injuries: 6 Fatal.​
NTSB Identification: SEA90LA003 .
The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 40861.
Scheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Thursday, October 05, 1989 in HOONAH, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 6/10/1991
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32-300, registration: N7193F
Injuries: 1 Serious, 5 Minor.​
NTSB Identification: SEA89FA143 .
The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 40824.
Scheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Sunday, July 30, 1989 in HAINES, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/10/1990
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32-301, registration: N8257V
Injuries: 2 Fatal, 3 Serious.​
NTSB Identification: SEA89LA105 .
The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 40046.
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Wednesday, June 07, 1989 in SKAGWAY, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 8/2/1990
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32-300, registration: N7994F
Injuries: 6 Uninjured.​
NTSB Identification: SEA85LA099 .
The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 27763.
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Monday, April 29, 1985 in FUNTER PASS, AK
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32-300, registration: N2897X
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.​
NTSB Identification: SEA83LA025
Scheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Friday, November 26, 1982 in GUSTAVUS, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/26/1983
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32R-300, registration: N6104J
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.​
[FONT=&quot]NTSB Identification: SEA82DA098[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 29, 1982 in GLACIER BAY, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 6/29/1983
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32-300, registration: N2947N
Injuries: 5 Uninjured
[/FONT]
NTSB Identification: ANC81FA095
14 CFR Part 135 Nonscheduled operation of SKAGWAY AIR SE
Event occurred Tuesday, August 11, 1981 in SKAGWAY, AK
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32, registration: N8224Q​
[FONT=&quot].[/FONT]
NTSB Identification: ANC76AA142
14 CFR Part 135 Scheduled operation of L.A.B.FLYING S
Event occurred Wednesday, September 29, 1976 in JUNEAU, AK
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28R, registration: N1493T​
 
Piper877 said:
I think they upped their salary too. A couple months back I when I was looking for jobs I think it was $1000/month housing included. Alaska scares me a little but with those Chilton's in the airplanes I would think that would help. I'm guessing most of their issues stem from people going into bad or quickly deteriorating conditions. That's what I've heard at least.


Wish I had 700 hours TT and if the pay was $500.00 more I would be game Alaska don’t scare me I am a mountain flying fool from the Pacific NW :pimp:
 
I may need to clean my glasses, but where are these identified as being related to L.A.B.? They certainly are reportable incidents or accidents. What am I missing here?
 
had the time of my life flying for LAB. PA44 typed came up there to fly and ran off in the middle of the night during training! i would hardly trust the advice of someone that couldnt cut the mustard! LAB was the most risky and rewarding flying job that i have had to date. unlimited freedom in one of the most beautiful places on earth! also, the 100+ hours a month in the summer doesnt hurt. also saw air excursions put a posting on 350 this week. pretty much same job with more pay. good luck to all interested. the best management in the world cant overcome pilot stupidity!
 
Labbut, thanks for adding some balance to this thread. It is way too common in aviation forums for people without "first hand" knowledge to start bad mouthing an operator.

There certainly are two sides to every story, so let's hear both sides. This is the other side and with this information people can make a more informed decision about pursuing employment there.
:beer:
 
labbutt said:
had the time of my life flying for LAB. PA44 typed came up there to fly and ran off in the middle of the night during training! i would hardly trust the advice of someone that couldnt cut the mustard! LAB was the most risky and rewarding flying job that i have had to date. unlimited freedom in one of the most beautiful places on earth! also, the 100+ hours a month in the summer doesnt hurt. also saw air excursions put a posting on 350 this week. pretty much same job with more pay. good luck to all interested. the best management in the world cant overcome pilot stupidity!


Alaska is one of the most beautiful places on earth from May to September then it becomes an ICE Burg but still beautiful!!
 
Yes it is, but Juneau's climate is moderated by the Ocean and its latitude being south does not reach the temperatures that ANC or FAI reach. I flew a Lear 35 for Alaska's Ford dealer for about 18 months and had a ball.
 
Check 6 said:
Yes it is, but Juneau's climate is moderated by the Ocean and its latitude being south does not reach the temperatures that ANC or FAI reach. I flew a Lear 35 for Alaska's Ford dealer for about 18 months and had a ball.


To bad the ferry business has been slow I should be at 700+ I would love to do any type of flying in alaska even in crapy beat up airplanes but I must make $2,000 a month min + Housing.
 
For the record:
I did go up there last summer, after training and PASSING CHECKRIDE. I got an offer to sit the panel on the 727 back in Florida (where I am from) for 3 times the pay at LAB. It was an easy decision. As for leveling in the middle of the night, I left on a 2pm flight after telling the CP what was up. The CP was afraid of the DO and refused to tell him, so he told everyone that I left in the middle of the night. If you don’t have what it takes to be a CFI then LAB might be for you. It, along with their safety record was not for me. Take it for what its worth.

Check 6,
Those are all tail numbers of LAB aircraft. I didn’t post the whole report of each one to save space.
 
Thanks PA-44.
 
BORAT said:
Run... They don't call it "Legs And Bodies" for nothing!

Actually, it's Layton's Adolescent Boys.
Most of their guys don't live to see 23.
 
NW_Pilot said:
Wish I had 700 hours TT and if the pay was $500.00 more I would be game Alaska don’t scare me I am a mountain flying fool from the Pacific NW :pimp:

Yeah but 500-2 is still an eye opener, especially if you don't have floats.
 
imacdog said:
Yeah but 500-2 is still an eye opener, especially if you don't have floats.

Hey 500-2 is Fun!!! Some times rather exciting:) I am from the Pacific North West I am used to marginal VFR & Scud Running! Would be great to be paid and have fun at the same time.
 
Yeah I guess, five years in the NW and BC flying 135 VFR on floats and wheels was enough for me. It's fun looking back on it, but no more of that for me, at least without floats. A rocky shoreline may qualify as gliding distance of shoreline but realistically it's not the safest thing to do.

I wonder if LAB still makes you bring a mic to plug into the intercom?
 
Let's see, add low time pilots, VFR aircraft (with GPS), lots of IMC and high terrain = Many accidents, don't know how they buy insurance up there. Good place for guys like this though:
I would be game Alaska don’t scare me by NW_Pilot
Just another accident waiting to happen.:rolleyes:
 
Lab

Hello All,

I flew for LAB for quite a while and to this day nothing in my career has surpassed the experiences I had in flying in Southeast Alaska. Before I go on I would like to clear up this “safety record.” that LAB has. As most of us know airplanes don’t crash themselves. Read any of the NTSB reports posted by PA-44 and you will see that in nearly every instance the pilot crashed the airplane. Weather is almost always a factor but disaster can almost always be averted by superior decision making. The most common non-visibility related accidents in Southeast are related to wind-shear. If you pay attention in ground school you will learn how to avoid the worst of it and deal with it when it cannot be avoided. When wind shear does take out an airplane, I assure you, LAB had nothing to do with it. The remaining causes are mechanical failures. If you were to do your research I’m sure you would find that LAB’s record is no worse than the average for the state of Alaska or for general aviation as a whole. Remember, the pilot has the final responsibility for determining whether or not an aircraft is safe for flight.
Like many things in life, operator safety seems to be cyclical. If you looked at other Southeast operators you would find that they have all had a “run of bad luck.” There was a time when other companies were the “Black Sheep” because of a string of crashes.

No matter how good you think you are you don’t really know your full potential as a small aircraft pilot until you have spent at least a summer and a winter in Alaska. You learn things up there that you never learn anywhere else. And most of the time you don’t learn from an instructor, you learn from experience…..the best teacher. There is no need for me to go in to my personal exploits, many books have been written about flying up North. As outrageous as some of the stories may seem, if you’ve been there, you know just how true they can be. As a low time pilot you will learn what it really means to be “Pilot in Command.” It’s not a student in your other seat; it’s a family of five on their way home from a shopping trip in Juneau, or a man on a stretcher that you are flying to Juneau so he can get to the hospital. You encounter below minimums weather and your running out of light. What do you do? Push on to get him to the hospital or turn around? There are many outside influences that will attempt to sway your decision one way or the other on any given day. This isn’t the controlled environment of flight instructing, this is for real, and you have no copilot to talk it over with. Your decision making ability will be honed to a point you never thought possible. Fatigue, weather, get there-itis, passenger desires or complaints, pride, competition and more…all these things you read about in your text books will become reality. And you have to deal with it. I am currently a Captain in the Metroliner….(Ok everybody, you can stop being jealous now!) My being an effective and safe manager of the two pilot crews we operate with has more to do with what I learned in Alaska than anything else. My recommendation….do it! You will be a better person and pilot if you do.

PA-44 Typed – Aviation is a small community. Dont Lie. I was in Alaska at the same time labbutt was and I remember you. I flew with you. You never passed your check ride. You were paranoid about taking it with Lynn (the DO). Remember that a future employer may want to see a copy of your 8410-3 to prove that you did pass. You don’t have one. And as far as your comment about people who couldn’t cut it as flight instructors……you’re full of it. Flight instructing is a valuable and rewarding experience, I did it myself for almost two years, but it does not compare to what you will learn in Alaska. Had you stayed around maybe you would know that. To all others, the rumors are true, the old man and the son that run the place are just plain crazy. But they are two of the best bush pilots that have ever flown and if you listen to them not only will you be highly entertained, you will learn many lessons that WILL save your life.

NW Pilot – I too learned to fly in the Pacific Northwest. Don’t kid yourself. The first time you see 500-2, or lower in Alaska, is not fun, its nerve racking. You will learn how to do it and it will become fun as well as a source of pride, but you have to learn first. Stop making excuses and go do it. If you have financial commitments that prohibit you from taking less than 2k a month then fine, don’t do it. But how much can you be making if the ferry business is so slow? If you’re in flying for the money then you really should find another profession, and you certainly should not go to Alaska. There is money to be made up there but its blue collar flying and you have to work hard to earn your way.

Bottom Line – Every experience is what you make of it. If you fail to make it rewarding and memorable, it’s your own fault. The hardest decision I ever had to make was to leave Alaska for my current position. A little part of me will always regret it. The community of pilots who have flown in Alaska is small and the gate to that community can be hard to open. LAB is your foot in the door. Go fly!
 
Last edited:
highnpressurize,

I'm not sure what your deal is! I took my checkride with chirs, not lynn. Would you like me to scan my 8410?
 
I think the point that is trying to be made here is the fact that if you want to look at the NTSB reports, you wont find a single operator that flies in Alaska that hasnt had a string of accidents at some time. Now, if it was 4 or 5 per year, I would look very closely. 16 over the last 10 years, however, is not a huge deal considering the environment, and the fact that they hire mostly pilots who are still wet behind the ears and may not have the best decision making abilities. Regardless of what you would like to think, the COMPANY is not responsible for the pilot making a dumb mistake. LAB is one of the oldest flying services in Alaska, that is a fact. They must be doing something right, or they wouldnt have survived this long.
 
If you are really thinking about flying for L.A.B. or in southeast Alaska PM me - there is a lot more to the "story" than one might think.
 

Latest resources

Back
Top Bottom