work in alaska

[Alaskaairlines]

Looks like I'll be headed out to BET soon. Isn't the bush a good place to get your required time and move on? J?
Thats what I have in mind, many say the flying is awesome and overwhelming!

 

[moving2vegas]

whoa there stud

Alaskaairlines...UAA Student...Av Training....Cargo...?whatever

If the 170 hours in your bio is correct then you got a ways to go before running off to the bush. Read the previous posts about flying in Alaska. "Isn't the bush a good place to get your required time and move on?, many say the flying is awesome and overwhelming". NO and yes. Alaska is not the place for a fresh commercial pilot to go for time building and yes it is overwhelming. Look. I'm not trying to #hit on anyone’s dream. I wanted to fly in Alaska since I was 8, and when I signed my commercial ticket I knew I had some experience to gain before I went. Alaska isn't about flying the plane, hell everyone has a pilots license up there and could probably fly you in circles. Alaska is about making good decisions and flying smart. To a certain extent it's something that can't be taught, you just got it. If an operator will even hire you, going to Alaska with a fresh commercial isn't smart. The fact that you don't see that says something. I left the lower 48 for Alaska with 1000 hours and questioned my skills then. I returned 2 years later a better man and pilot. Do yourself a favor, gain some experience and perspective. Better to read the NTSB reports about Alaska than be on one.

 

[Alaskaairlines]

Re: whoa there stud

Alaskaairlines...UAA Student...Av Training....Cargo...?whatever

If the 170 hours in your bio is correct then you got a ways to go before running off to the bush. Read the previous posts about flying in Alaska. "Isn't the bush a good place to get your required time and move on?, many say the flying is awesome and overwhelming". NO and yes. Alaska is not the place for a fresh commercial pilot to go for time building and yes it is overwhelming. Look. I'm not trying to #hit on anyone’s dream. I wanted to fly in Alaska since I was 8, and when I signed my commercial ticket I knew I had some experience to gain before I went. Alaska isn't about flying the plane, hell everyone has a pilots license up there and could probably fly you in circles. Alaska is about making good decisions and flying smart. To a certain extent it's something that can't be taught, you just got it. If an operator will even hire you, going to Alaska with a fresh commercial isn't smart. The fact that you don't see that says something. I left the lower 48 for Alaska with 1000 hours and questioned my skills then. I returned 2 years later a better man and pilot. Do yourself a favor, gain some experience and perspective. Better to read the NTSB reports about Alaska than be on one.

Well I agree with what you say, but I'm a little different than the standard guy who gets his time CFIing, I work for a carrier who will put me in the right seat of there aircraft when I finish up my ratings - and no its not a single engine Cessna, etc.....
I will be flying right seat and gaining lots of knowledge from the CA - and then move on - get the idea? In-fact there are lots of guys who get hired in AK with bare Mins - so don't go and preach at me saying I'm not worthy flying out there - in my case its a bit different.
But, in the normal case scenario - I see exactly what you are saying, and I wouldn't want to be out there with 300 hrs flying 500/1 (for the book) single pilot bush VFR.

 

[scubabri]

Um.. I'm not even gonna go there. Sheesh.. I hope I wasn't like that when I had 300 hours.

I really didn't know how much I didn't know until I started studying for my CFI and working on my 135 stuff along with my ATP.

I also didn''t know how much I didn't know until I started flying around in California, at night, low vis, with a student in the left seat.

So flying around right seat is not building the type of experience you need, you need to be in the left seat, making decisions, life or death, crash into a mountain or not, decisions.

Don't' be so hasty, build the experience, don't go up to Alaska and become another statistic.

b

 

[moving2vegas]

Alaskaairlines

Don't bash me jr. I'm not preaching but rather offering the real world, practical advise you asked for. I believed in mentoring young or aspiring pilots, mostly because I'm not a CFI and feel it's my way of paying it back. I now see that you're a PFT puke and therefore don't need anything but daddy's money.

 

[Alaskaairlines]

Re: Alaskaairlines

Don't bash me jr. I'm not preaching but rather offering the real world, practical advise you asked for. I believed in mentoring young or aspiring pilots, mostly because I'm not a CFI and feel it's my way of paying it back. I now see that you're a PFT puke and therefore don't need anything but daddy's money.

Hey, actually I thank-you for your advise and mentoring. And no I am not a PFT guy - I am working the hard way, my parents haven't given my a dime for my flying. Paying for my training as I get pai. The company I work for hires pilots "with-in" the company when the need comes - so thats my story. If some very helpful pilots didn't mention this great opportunity - then I would have to work all the way to CFI and take that route.

Hasty, I don't have to come-up to Alaska. Thats where I live and learned to fly here. So I don't have much choice.

I know what you mean by "bush", a pilot I know just bent up a Navajo not long ago - lucky to be alive imo.


Now lets get back to the topic - I don't mean to bash anybody or start an argument.

 

[YaMama]

Yes, speaking of the topic ... could somebody please tell me what is the best time of year to be looking for work up there? And when do the summer operators usually start laying off?

Thanks,
ym

 

[moving2vegas]

get busy now

Most operators are looking at resumes and making initial phone calls now. Hiring/ ground school usually begins in late May to early April and runs through September. Exact times really depend on location and the type of operation. The season is shorter (later start earlier layoff) the further north you go. And by type of operation I mean tourism or scheduled work. Alaska is heavily dependent on tourism and so are the 135 ops. The operators know exactly when the cruise ships and lodges are scheduled to start. They hire right before the rush. Scheduled operators tend to hire through the year as pilots move on. They generally have a more even cash flow from mail or passenger work and tend to hire pilots for year around work. If you're looking for seasonal work and want to get up there early, offer yourself for any work they may have. I always was able to go up at least a month in advance in do busy work. I cleaned planes, changed oil in company cars, vacuumed the office, did run-ups and flight checks, whatever I could do for a little extra work. It always paid off in the end because I was asked to stick around and help close things down for the winter. Hope this helps.

 

[crj579]

What is the pay like in AK? Would it be enough to support a family on ?

 

[rchcfi]

You could support a family in Alaska. Question is: Do you want to see and spend time with your family? Of course I can only speak from experience and examples from friends in the biz up here.

If you find a job with a "tourist" based outfit, most of your flying would only be during the day allowing quality "home" time at a fairly nice location (SE, Southcentral, Matanuska Valley). Another good perk of flying tourists or flightseers is the tips. It's not uncommon to get $100 in tips/day on top of the $150-$300/day wages.

If you find a job with a "working" based outfit, you will probably find yourself in Bethel, the North Slope, Nome, Kotzebue, etc. They pay just as well if not more. I have a friend who has a family here (southcentral) but works for Grant in Bethel flying the Caravan. He likes his job and gets paid very well. The downside/upside is he works a 2 week on/2 week off rotation. And while he is at work for those two weeks, all his room and board is paid for.

So I guess the answer to your question is, YES. But if you currently live in a big city, I want to be there when you tell your wife "Honey, we're moving to Alaska"

Cheers

 

[billybob]

Do any of you AK people have info about Island Air on Kodiak? Is it a good place to work ?

 

[TRLpilot]

I'm curious about Island Air as well. I visited some friends there two summers ago and was awed by the beauty. I was also awed the first morning there when I was eating some eggs and reindeer sausage and saw a cherokee six come skimming just above lilly lake to land uphill with pouring rain and a 10 kt tailwind. I understand it is typical flying there and many parts of Alaska. As with most places in Alaska cost of living isn't cheap. Don't know what Island Air pays but if you're going to be poor Kodiak is a great place to be.

 

[billybob]

I was in anc around the New Year to see if Alaska was for me and ever since then I have been looking at places to work up there. I have decided that in March that I am going back up there to get a job somewhere in that state.

 

[dogg]

Vegas, go easy on the kid. If in fact he is going to BET then he is a ramper for ERA and will be a passenger boarder/hand carry holder/baggage handler and occasional clear,calm day cruise copilot in the Twin Otter and he will get great experience flying with some very experienced captains out there. However that does not do a whole lot to prepare a person to hop in a 207 and do the same thing....something he will hopefully not have to find out..... The ERA deal is a great way to build time and then make the jump to Skywest or Horizon......

 

[ILStoMinimums]

I'm actually an employee at ERA. I don't work the ramp, used to, but hope to get on with these guys when I get my ratings finished up.

And yes, I believe it would be a wonderful opportunity to learn how to fly that country - my firends out there say the bush, in the plane built to fly it, makes you a better pilot, stick and rudder, etc..... Never been out there but I am sure you guys probably can confirm that?

I've talked to a couple of guys who fly out there, and they tell me what they get to fly in - amazing stuff. Some say direct x-winds at 45 kts - true?

Moving on is always an option, any of you guys know of anybody whos moved successfully to a better regional, any examples?

rchfi, do you fly out of HOM?

Thanks - very interesting thread.

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

Very good thread wwith lots of good info. I have always wanted to live in Alaska.

 

[cargodawg]

I often fly to SE Alaska. If you want a job get your @ss up there cause the spring and summer jobs are going now. (By the way if you show up with a resume and a headset and your paperwork that helps) Hope you love the rain though.

 

[rchcfi]

As far as Island Air goes, I have only briefly talked with one of their pilots on one of his stop-overs. He confirmed what I had been told. Expect lots of turbulence and low ceilings. They do have quite a fews days in a row in which they can't turn a prop. They fly both Saratogas and Islanders around Kodiak Island and a summer service thrice-weekly to Homer. They "prefer" quite a bit of Alaska time because of the unique terrain associated with the island.

I went down there on a charter about a month ago and got my a$$ kicked. Under the overcast at 2,000 with a direct 60 knot x-wind the whole way across the water. Once over Shuyak Island I started into the continuous moderate, occasional severe turbulence. I was 14 miles from landing at my destination of Port Lions and heard some Island Air guys chattering about the $hitty conditions there. I listened to one guy trying the approach in a 'toga and asked him to let me know about the conditions once on the ground. About 30 seconds later I heard a very stressful "goin' around...Screw this, I'm going home" I told him of my unfamiliarity with the area and he asked me what I was flying. I told him an Islander, and his response was "at least I have ailerons in the 'toga and it was blowin' something fierce down there below 500 AGL. Got a serious downdraft off the mountain just to the NW of the field and it was pretty severe." My mind being made up I immediately turned around and headed home as well. No need to even try! Not feeling like spending another 30 minutes getting thrown about the cockpit like a lottery ball, I decided to climb above the broken/overcast layer for the ride home. Once at 9,000 it calmed down to continuous light/occasional moderate but the temp went down to -20 F and then the worst thing happened. The heater broke and I was stuck up there for for what seemed like hours cursing the wind while trying to keep feeling in my toes. Sorry, off on a tangent there.....

Alaska flying is a lot of fun, but more so, challenging. Just take a look at one of the airports I fly into.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?...S0yMQ==&ODJ9dvCE=&O89Dcjdg=&static=yes&size=L

 

[YaMama]

Just take a look at one of the airports I fly into.

Wow! Is that one way, or do you ever take off / land on the other side?

 

[ILStoMinimums]

Rchcfi,

is this plane you fly: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/415608/L/ ? What kind of performance can you get out of it? TO/LND distances?