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Northern States Aviation

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U-I pilot

Relaxation....
Joined
Dec 3, 2002
Posts
537
Anyone here fly for Northern States or have past experience with them? Please post comments/thoughts or PM me...
 
I've met a few of thier pilots and worked for a company that did similiar work. Decent pay, planes are good. On the road 100% of the time but you'll get to see the country from down low. I went coast to coast and border to border a few times I did the same type of work. I averaged 100+hours a month. I've heard the owner can be kind of a pain sometimes but nothing horrible.
 
I did the same kind of flying but for a different company. I logged 500 hrs in 5 months. Its a good time builder but it gets old. Good Luck
 
Don't know if this matters or not, but in the "Aircraft" link, down at the bottom, there is a picture of their aircraft in front of a "Welcome to New Orleans" sign. Are they based out of there?
 
They are based in GVQ. It is about 15-20 west of ROC.

Hey Flying Illini....where ya been? Still have the urge for bowling?
 
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I acutally applied for a job there iwth around 600 hours. They sent me a spread sheet to fill out with all sorts of odd questions. Like PIC hours in icing. PIC hours in class B. etc.

Then they sent me a test to take that had to be emailed back in 1 hour. With questions like how do you stay safe single pilot IFR. As well as multiple choice questions.

They turned my down though. Not sure why, maybe they didn't like my essay anwers, I got most of the multple choice right.

There mx is supposedely top of the line.

If anyone wants a copy of the quiz or the spreadsheet I still have them, just pm me and I'll send you a copy.
 
Here is a letter the president of the company sent me:

Paul,



Thank you for your interest in the pilot position available at Northern States Aviation. The following background information is provided to allow you to assess if the position meets your career objectives.



Northern States Aviation is seeking competent pilots to provide piloted airborne platforms to our aerial imaging customers. Computer skills are also of importance due to the level of automation of the photo collection system. Customer service is the key to our business and dedication to customer service along with safety guides our daily activities



Position Details:

The home base for aircraft and pilots is GVQ, near Rochester, NY. Pilots and aircraft are deployed individually or in groups to temporary bases located within the US. Imaging is captured only in VFR conditions, and when there is no snow on the ground, therefore the location assignments are nearly always in the warmer climate areas during the winter months. Aircraft are located at these temporary bases anywhere from 1 week to 4 months. It is common for aircraft to be moved directly from one temporary base to another and therefore pilots should expect to be away from the home base for very significant periods of time.



The typical flight time during the leaf-off season ranges from 60 to 100 hours per month depending upon weather. Northern States Aviation operates 7 days a week, 365 days per year (weather permitting). Flight hours on a daily basis depend upon the time of year, as the hours of daylight vary by season. The flight window is typically 2.5 hours after sunrise until 2.5 hours prior to sunset. All aircraft have long-range tanks and therefore pilots are routinely in the air for 5-6 hours per sortie. Although photo missions are conducted in VFR conditions, aircraft ferrying is often conducted in IMC conditions.



In addition to flying, pilots are considered as Northern States Aviation’s “on-site” customer service representatives. Various duties are required on a daily basis such as: receiving and sending FedEx packages, documentation of flight hours, documentation of defects encountered with aircraft or the photo system (via daily email report). Responsibilities also include coordination of maintenance activity on the aircraft when required “on-site”, cleaning lenses, changing photo system equipments, and general responsibility for the care of the aircraft.


Aircraft are maintained to impeccable standards to minimize down time and to enhance safety. Northern States Aviation uses a special preventive maintenance program to change-out components such as magnetos, vacuum pumps, alternators, etc. when they reach a specified number of flight hours, regardless of their condition.



The delivery of a quality product is Northern States Aviation’s number one objective. Pilot positions at Northern States Aviation are demanding, however they allow rapid building of time. After reviewing this material, if you remain interested, please fill out the attached questionnaire and return by email.



Thank you again for your interest.



Nick Steo

President

Northern States Aviation
 
Great time builder!

paulsalem said:
Position Details:
The home base for aircraft and pilots is GVQ, near Rochester, NY. Pilots and aircraft are deployed individually or in groups to temporary bases located within the US. Imaging is captured only in VFR conditions, and when there is no snow on the ground, therefore the location assignments are nearly always in the warmer climate areas during the winter months. Aircraft are located at these temporary bases anywhere from 1 week to 4 months. It is common for aircraft to be moved directly from one temporary base to another and therefore pilots should expect to be away from the home base for very significant periods of time.

The typical flight time during the leaf-off season ranges from 60 to 100 hours per month depending upon weather. Northern States Aviation operates 7 days a week, 365 days per year (weather permitting). Flight hours on a daily basis depend upon the time of year, as the hours of daylight vary by season. The flight window is typically 2.5 hours after sunrise until 2.5 hours prior to sunset. All aircraft have long-range tanks and therefore pilots are routinely in the air for 5-6 hours per sortie. Although photo missions are conducted in VFR conditions, aircraft ferrying is often conducted in IMC conditions.

Nick Steo
President
Northern States Aviation

Nick Steo is also an executive at http://www.pictometry.com/ which is the company that owns the aerial imaging sensors & cameras in his C-172....

I worked 2 years for a company in Utica, NY www.landvue.com that has a contract with pictometry. [url="http://www.landvue.com/customers.htm"]http://www.landvue.com/customers.htm[/url]

This was a really great job for me because I got my FAR135 IFR mins without ever getting my CFI's... I didn't want to instruct. Plus there is no other flying job were you get assigned an airplane & get to fly it all over the country!!
 
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Am I correct in assuming that you're in hotels the whole time, and if you are, does the company pay for the hotels?
 
when i was getting information from them, I was under the impression you figure out places to stay but when you are away from domicile you get a per diem of $100 per day.
 
You do get $100/day when away from base. Plus, if you don't spend $100 a day, you get to keep the rest, which adds to the pay you already get, which is better then the other companies(that work for pictometry). You also get paid a straight salary and it's pretty good money for flying a 172 all over the country. It can be a hard life, considering you are on the road 100% of the time, with the only days off, being bad weather days. But the owner is great. Can be kind of picky, but with as much going on as there is, its a good thing. He's a great boss. He actually cares about his pilots. He does his best to make your experience a good one.

I worked for NSA for over a year. It was one of the most challenging and
exciting times of my life. Try flying a localizer at the outer marker, +/- 100 ft, no more the 5 degree's of bank and 10 degree's pitch change all at less then 85 knots... for 7 hours a day... it makes you a darn good stick pilot.

The picture of the planes in New Orleans was taken Feb/March of 2004. We were doing 2 parrish's down there and thought it would be a great photo opportunity... :) They are based out of the Rochester area in NY. The boss used to work at pictometry, but hasn't worked there since fall of 2004. He left to start NSA. It is a great time builder. And you get to see so much of the country in such a cool way, its great!

Maintenence is top notch. He's very thorough and strict about oil changes, any and all problems, and any concerns the pilot has about the plane. I was impressed. I've had a few jobs at smaller companies in aviation, and NSA has the best mx program by far. Feel free to contact me with any more questions. Good luck and enjoy.
 
Great way to build your time if you don't want to be a CFI. Got to my 135 mins at NSA in less than a year. Excellent pay for driving a 172 around if you can stand being on the road constantly.

Some of the people you work with can be a little crazy though, like there was this one girl ... wow, what a nut job.
 
Riiiiight.....

Trogdor said:
Great way to build your time if you don't want to be a CFI. Got to my 135 mins at NSA in less than a year. Excellent pay for driving a 172 around if you can stand being on the road constantly.

Some of the people you work with can be a little crazy though, like there was this one girl ... wow, what a nut job.

Yea, you should talk... do i need to start telling stories??? I've got a few!
 
Wondering...

So if you're based in Rochester do you need to get an apartment there? Or are you on the road THAT often?
 

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