Traffic Watch/Bay Area

[GAcfi]

Would someone please advise what companies to contact concerning traffic watch in the San Fran. Bay area? Thank you. Also, how about jump pilots for sky diving operations in the Bay Area or Sacramento. Kind Regards.

 

[skyaddict]

The easiest way to find the Traffic Watch jobs is to drive around the Bay stopping at the various airports and then find the most run down, sleazy FBO offices and the most beat up cars in the parking lot and then wait and stop the scruffiest, most exhausted, tired looking guys walking between them.~ I instructed for $40 and hour out there and slept in while some of my buddies did TA on the side and I can testify to those appearances. It's a fast way to build initial total time but is certainly one of the most abused and grotesquely underpaid. I remember one of my buddies stories about flying with a freaky female traffic reporter who had an iron bladder... she could gulp down a few quarts of coffee and hour without ever having to p.~

Seriously, though, I recall some outfits at Hayward and San Carlos airports right off the bat as places which had traffic watch gigs available. Just drive around and walk in and ask. There is huge turnover. As for jump piloting, I recall Byron as probably the closest site, busy every weekend. Good luck.

 

[typhoonpilot]

Wasn't it Antioch that had a Skydiving center ? The bigger one is at Yolo County Airport near Davis. Also Cloverdale a little further north.

It's been awhile ( like 18 years ) but I flew some traffic watch in the Bay Area when I was going to SJSU. My company, Performance Aircraft of Hayward, would provide the pilots for Lin Durling and KGO radio when Lin went on vacation. I did that for a few times over a two year period and then Lin had a mid-air over Palo Alto with a C-152. It bent the vertical stabilizer of his Mooney 201 in half and knocked off most of the rudder. He managed to land it safely. The C-152, with a student and CFI, lost their nosewheel but also managed to land safely at Palo Alto. Kind of miraculous that nobody crashed and a great testament to the ruggedness of the Mooney. Anyway, after that Lin was really nervous and we ended up taking over the flying full time in a Piper Warrior. Not sure who does it now, but as previously suggested ask around and it shouldn't be too difficult to find out.

I really liked the traffic watch flying. I would do one flight from 0600 to 0830 and then another from 1600 to 1800. An easy 4.5 hours of flying for the day and I could attend class or teach students the rest of the time. It was a radio work out going up the west side of the Bay talking to SJC, Moffet, Palo Alto, San Carlos, and then SFO tower in quick succesion. We would get the helicopter routing over the top of SFO and then either fly over the Golden Gate or the Bay Bridge.

When the fog was in it could get a bit tricky. Sometimes we would just stay on top the whole time. The reporter would get the reports from the station and relay them from the air. That way the driving public still heard the background noise of the airplane. There was a little bit of pressure to get a look when you could. I would fly approaches into SJC or OAK to give the reporter a glimpse of the freeway before we went missed. Flying up the bay from the south the fog base would get lower, pushing us lower and lower. Ask me if I've been over the top of downtown San Francisco at less than 1000 feet .... Of course the answer is, no .

If you can get a job doing that it is a great way to build time. Just be careful and don't ever hesitate to contact Bay approach and ask for a climb.


Typhoonpilot

 

[Movin' on up!]

Traffic

Flying Vikings in hayward. Good luck!

 

[Wiskey Driver]

Flying Vikings in hayward. Good luck!

You are correct, I did that many moon ago there. KCBS news.

WD.

 

[slomo]

Flying Vikings lost the contract last year. It's now done by someone else down the street.

 

[Wasted]

When the fog was in it could get a bit tricky. Sometimes we would just stay on top the whole time. The reporter would get the reports from the station and relay them from the air. That way the driving public still heard the background noise of the airplane.

Typhoonpilot

Sounds like a lot of work. Why not just sit in the run up pad with the engines wound up while the reporter makes the report....

 

[LearLove]

I had a friend that flew Ransome's old ATR's in HI. He told me that the traffic guy out there in the mid 90's was doing the same thing(running his helo on the ground and giving traffic reports to save hobbs time and cash). Apperantly the public found out and almost lynched him, so my friend told me. Guess they take traffic seriously out there.

 

[Wasted]

Dude, Hawaii is surrounded by water, where the heck are these people driving to?

 

[marcusaurelious]

I flew trafficwatch out of Hayward a couple years ago. We were loosely based out of the building directly across from Home Depot. Valley Air. 6 hours a day, five days a week, 10 bucks an hour. Good Bosses, decent mx, great time builder.

 

[AA717driver]

The long-time traffic reporter at a big AM station in IND just got busted by a rival radio station for doing the report in the studio with background noise that sounded like an airplane with the door open. They ran an ad telling people he was faking it.

His reports don't have the background noise anymore. TC

 

[Ace-of-the-Base]

Would someone please advise what companies to contact concerning traffic watch in the San Fran. Bay area? Thank you. Also, how about jump pilots for sky diving operations in the Bay Area or Sacramento. Kind Regards.

Oops. I clicked on this thread because I thought it said 'Bay Watch'.