Summer in Alaska

[BD King]

And lots of GAS!!!

Gas is GOOD.

VERY GOOD!

Fly smart.

Assuming that you are not on fire.

 

[TurboS7]

Mar, guess you are spoiled now flying the 747, lots of gas, lots of gas, one way or the other. How are those crew meals?

 

[nosehair]

How does one get AK time if they are a "southerner"? It is possible to get hired as a CFI up there and build AK time?

Yep. That's exactly how you do it. Gettin' a CFI job there is as easy as it is here. You are basicly stayin' in the local area with students and gettin' out away from home base at your and your student's own pace and not being pressured into flying when the wind and weather are no good for you, and you are learning the mountainous terrain features which is the sole source of navigation, so you really need "some" Alaska time before you get too far too deep too soon.

And networking. Getting to know people and build trust. Airplanes are stolen at the same rate as cars in the lower 48, so you ain't gonna just walk in off the street and be trusted with the keys to the company's airplane.

 

[BD King]

Leave the jobs for the whipper snappers and buy yerself an old cub, old man[/QUOTE}

Disregarding any tirates, Vladimir's response was snotty. I personally have little respect for low timers with an attitude. By the same token, I have a great deal of respect for the 500 hour pilot who flys well, and can listen, and wants to perfect. One who wants to become a seasoned aviator. I said aviator, not pilot. ........Ernest Gann has the definition of pilot and that of aviator........Most of the youngters on this thread won't even bother to look up the difference...Most do not care. They do not have the foggiest idea of the history or how they came to be either where they are, or how they got there...............As for Alaska and the NW Territories, I have not flown there in the last 38 years. But the land and weather was a challange. I shall never forget it. I loved it........I will take exception to a **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** who has grown up with an airplane with an electrical system, with a nose gear, and a gps.........Sorry, I had to vent.


www.bdkingpress.com

 

[TrafficInSight]

My self righteousness can beat up your self righteousness.

 

[ClearRight]

There are operators up there who will hire without Alaska time. I got hired up there with about 800 hours without ever having stepped foot in the state. flyalaska.com is a great resource. It might be a little late for this summer season, but you just never know... good luck! Alaska flying is some of the most beautiful flying you'll ever do.

 

[TurboS7]

Awesome website you guys have to check out the pictures. Please note the color of the hair of the pilot-I stand behind everything I have said on this thread. BTW the neat thing about Alaska is that it looks the same from when I flew into all those places in the late 70's and early 80's. Now if I am lucky I get to fly into ANC, FAI and occationally CDB. Whooopeeee. the curse of big airplane flying. Just wait Mar that will start bugging you after a while too.

 

[PilotSkydiver]

I flew in Alaska on and off for about 2 1/2 years..
My .02

My Advice,

To All--- It's not the weather, or the terrain that kills in Alaska. There are no worse places in Alaska than in the lower 48 (colder...yes). It's the attitudes that kill in Alaska. I had a FED tell me to fly 1000lbs overweight as long as it was all gas.

There is always someone who will go... No matter what the weather, there is always some Idiot thats out flying. and you're boss will let you know that he is and you're not GOOD FOR HIM. I'll make 40 thank you very much.. If you fly 135 beware of the Post Office.. they probably have contributed to more accidents in alaska than anyone else. The Idiot who is flying will get your mail from time to time and that costs your boss money, hence he trys to push you out the door.

To the Old guys first time in AK,
You are smart and have alot of experince.. that's good, use it don't get pushed around and stand up for what you know is right. Every area in AK has it's own unique challenges. Be willing to learn from the "Whipper-snappers" who have been there for a while and NEVER let pride get in the way.

To the New guys and people who want to try out the whole AK thing!!
As one of the people in this catagory I can attest to the following: Be careful.. It can impact your carreer.. I was fired for standing up for my convictions and it has been a diffucult road trying to get a job post Alaska. I don't mean it to be a deterrent to you but make sure you do you're homework. That aside it was one of the best experiences of my life just go in with the right attitude and you will love it also

 

[TurboS7]

I once followed an experience bush pilot, who learned from his dad, and he learned from his dad, etc. etc. The weather was really bad so he said just get on my wing and follow me and do what I do. He got through the mountains by reconizing the rocks on the side of the hill. Forget a chart, if I had looked down once I would have plowed into the side of the mountain. We made it through no problem, but there are those that have a little Alaska experience and there are those that have it inherited since childbirth. Big diffrence. I am of the former and will never be like the latter, it is not in my blood.

 

[wrxpilot]

Yep. That's exactly how you do it. Gettin' a CFI job there is as easy as it is here. You are basicly stayin' in the local area with students and gettin' out away from home base at your and your student's own pace and not being pressured into flying when the wind and weather are no good for you, and you are learning the mountainous terrain features which is the sole source of navigation, so you really need "some" Alaska time before you get too far too deep too soon.

And networking. Getting to know people and build trust. Airplanes are stolen at the same rate as cars in the lower 48, so you ain't gonna just walk in off the street and be trusted with the keys to the company's airplane.

Thanks for the info nosehair. It'll be a nice goal for me to keep in mind.

 

[wrxpilot]

There is always someone who will go... No matter what the weather, there is always some Idiot thats out flying. and you're boss will let you know that he is and you're not GOOD FOR HIM. I'll make 40 thank you very much.. If you fly 135 beware of the Post Office.. they probably have contributed to more accidents in alaska than anyone else. The Idiot who is flying will get your mail from time to time and that costs your boss money, hence he trys to push you out the door.

That's a very good point that I've often wondered about. How do you say NO! without looking like the bad guy? Of course, some will probably always think less of you for saying it, but there's gotta be some way of explaining it.

For example: "I understand this generator needs to go out today, but look we're overweight here on this chart. We'll do what we can today and deliver it tomorrow".

Just curious how some of you experienced guys have diplomatically deal w/ such a situation...

 

[Aviator]

Here is another good source for info on flying in Alaska....
http://www.elliottbay.com/

Good luck. It is a fantastic place to fly.

 

[TurboS7]

Don't say no to the customer you just figure out a way to make it happen. I will never forget a jungle pilot leaving all the survival gear in the hangar so I could go on a flight. Did we need the survival gear, not where we were flying, so it worked. Pulling out a chart is not going to impress anybody believe me. What are the ways you can tell a C-206 is well within cg and it is way more accurate than any chart. The same with a float plane. These are the type of things you have to learn, your life will depend on it.

 

[mar]

Trick question

Mar, guess you are spoiled now flying the 747, lots of gas, lots of gas, one way or the other. How are those crew meals?

Now my friend, how would it sound if I started complaining about the crew meals? They're fantastic!!!

Lots of gas on the 747? Sure but we always take just a splash over min.

You know, the thing about saying "No" is that one day you're the good guy and the next day you're the bad guy but that's just too bad for everyone else.

I mean, personally, I consider scud running a skill. And like most skills you need to stay proficient and sharp. If I took two weeks off and then came back to work and found some really crappy weather on my first day back, well, too bad but I ain't pushing it.

On the other hand, if I had been working really hard for a week and we got, say, a huge load of building material to move into a particular village and that's all we did (go back and forth to the same runway to the same village all day) well, there's nothing stopping me. It becomes habitual and this is when "local knowledge" becomes a serious asset.

As for following the guy who grew up out there into a pass in crappy weather...I'm with you Turbo. I once (ONCE) followed a Native pilot into the crud and I swore I'd never do that again.

The locals (natives) have a certain connection with the Earth. I'm not saying natives don't crash. They do. But plane crashes have a different significance to natives than white guys. Most white guys are out there to build time and/or make money. The native usually doesn't care about that stuff.

I'm off on a tangent with wicked jet lag.

Over and out.

 

[PilotSkydiver]

I mean, personally, I consider scud running a skill. And like most skills you need to stay proficient and sharp. If I took two weeks off and then came back to work and found some really crappy weather on my first day back, well, too bad but I ain't pushing it.

Until your engine quits, coughs, sputters for 2 seconds and you run out of Altitude, Airspeed, and Ideas all at the same time.... Personally I would go get a cup of coffee and wait an hour until you could get a thousand or so feet in the air.. (but that's probably why I got fired)