Single engine Turbine VS twin piston time

[Eagle-ista]

I wish you had told us who you were going to work for, not just the plane.

The 402 in Bimini was the way to go. PIC twin time is the way to go for a few reasons.

1) ME PIC time at this point in your career is very valuable. It is more complicated to fly a twin recip in a charter operation than a single engline turbine.

2) The only operator of Caravans that I know that would hire you with the time you have is Air Nevada, dba as, well, I'd rather not slander them here.

3) For what you will be getting paid, you will find it much easier to live in South Florida compared to Maui. Also, you won't be considered a haole.

4) Wherever you live now, it's easier to get there from Florida than Hawai'i, unless you have a really nice boat.

I hope you enjoy the experience in Hawai'i, make the best of it, but make sure you have an exit strategy. Good luck.

 

[Goose Egg]

Hey all,

Related question: How would all that 402 multi recip PIC look if I wanted to follow on with a good corporate job? Would it matter if I wasn't typed or had any turbine PIC? Would someone still buy me a type?

-Goose

 

[seethru]

Goose Egg beat me to the follow-up question, which is similar.

I fly a 414 as PIC under Part 91 for a private individual. I have approximately 250 hrs multi (150 of that is 414). I work strictly part time.

Eventually I would like to move into the right seat of a jet, again strictly part time. Probably would remain Part 91.

Should I start beating the bushes for some turbo-prop time, or should I continue building the 414 time, which I know is also very valuable.

I guess my real question is this: Is it possible to move from a piston twin to SIC in a light biz jet without necessarily building turbo-prop time as well?

Thanks

 

[Freight Dog]

Eagle-ista is right. I would have gone to Bimini because they also have turbine equipment you can transition to later on.

Pacific Wings in Maui... oh brother. Well, let me put it this way, you'll get the flight time, you'll get turbine PIC time. For example, SWA for example doesn't care as long as it's turbine PIC. In other words, at SWA, having 1,000 PIC in Caravans meets the requirements, while 1,000 hours of FO time in B737NG doesn't mean a thing to them.
The owner of Pacific Wings is a strange fellow, but keep your nose clean, and enjoy Maui. I'd take Maui over Oahu any day of the week.

 

[ackattacker]

Then you must not have heard about much, then?

Do they send their pilots to Level D sim training for their initial training, recurrent training and check rides? No?...din't think so.

You know the answer to this question... of course not. There is no level D C402 sim in existance. Cape Air does their 402 training, recurrent training, and check rides in the actual airplane, at no small expense. I guess that's not as good as a level D sim? I guess simuflight is better qualified to teach company procedures than 16 year veteran line captains with 10,000+ hours in type? I guess Cape Air must be unsafe... tell that to the 500,000+ passengers they transport EVERY YEAR without a single fatality in the 16 year history of the company... 9 at a time. Show me a Caravan operator with that record. Plenty of "Level D" trained Caravan pilots have become smoking holes in the ground.

That being said, I didn't mean to denigrate ALL Caravan operators. It is true that I don't really know much about them as a whole. But I've yet to run into a Caravan pilot with as much loyality to his company as Cape Air pilots generally have.

There's a lot more that makes a company "reputable" more than footing the bill for training. The poster asked for general advice, and I gave it. Comments made on this thread about a specific Caravan operator seem to bolster my point.

 

[ackattacker]

Goose Egg beat me to the follow-up question, which is similar.

I fly a 414 as PIC under Part 91 for a private individual. I have approximately 250 hrs multi (150 of that is 414). I work strictly part time.

Eventually I would like to move into the right seat of a jet, again strictly part time. Probably would remain Part 91.

Should I start beating the bushes for some turbo-prop time, or should I continue building the 414 time, which I know is also very valuable.

I guess my real question is this: Is it possible to move from a piston twin to SIC in a light biz jet without necessarily building turbo-prop time as well?

Thanks

I personally know several pilots who have moved from piston twin straight into a biz jet. Netjets particularly for a while seemed to love Cape Air guys. (Not that I'm recommending NJ...) Certainly doable. It's all about who you know, not what you know, ya know?

 

[Goose Egg]

I personally know several pilots who have moved from piston twin straight into a biz jet. Netjets particularly for a while seemed to love Cape Air guys. (Not that I'm recommending NJ...) Certainly doable. It's all about who you know, not what you know, ya know?

Good to know! I think I see a plan developing here.

-Goose

 

[Eagle-ista]

Wasn't there one fatality?

Cape Air does their 402 training, recurrent training, and check rides in the actual airplane, at no small expense. I guess that's not as good as a level D sim? I guess simuflight is better qualified to teach company procedures than 16 year veteran line captains with 10,000+ hours in type? I guess Cape Air must be unsafe... tell that to the 500,000+ passengers they transport EVERY YEAR without a single fatality in the 16 year history of the company... 9 at a time.

I don't want to slander Cape Air, in fact I flew 812AN and 818AN before Cape Air bought them, and they seem like a quality operation, but didn't a pilot crash in a C402 around BOS while flying solo for Cape Air? I seem to remember this happening while I was based in Boston.

 

[FN FAL]

That being said, I didn't mean to denigrate ALL Caravan operators. It is true that I don't really know much about them as a whole. But I've yet to run into a Caravan pilot with as much loyality to his company as Cape Air pilots generally have.

Well, sometime we'll have to go out for a tall cold one, then you'll be able to say you ran into a loyal Caravan flying employee.

We're the red headed step child and the best kept secret...but we just got feeder of the year, so we must be doing something right.

 

[psysicx]

Doesn't Cape Air have an agreement with a charter company in New York?

 

[ackattacker]

I don't want to slander Cape Air, in fact I flew 812AN and 818AN before Cape Air bought them, and they seem like a quality operation, but didn't a pilot crash in a C402 around BOS while flying solo for Cape Air? I seem to remember this happening while I was based in Boston.

Yeah, wake turbulence on takeoff from a 737 rolled him upside down (the Cape Air pilot took an intersection departure). But he walked away from it.

Another Cape Air flight went down in MVY doing an ILS down to mins with strong windshear and turbulence on final. Both pilot and passenger were seriously injured, the pilot with significant burns.

A few other incidents... a pilot once passed out and a passenger landed the plane safely in PVC (with the gear up).

Still... no fatalities (knock on wood).