Buliding time after float rating?

[Adam1100]

im looking at getting a basic float rating in the next couple of weeks, my question is if you cant rent a place with that how do you get enough hours to be able to do so, do you just have to pay for dual time until you get up there or is it meant for people who own their own aircraft? For the people who work on floats how did you get your hours up?

[Spokes]

The place where I did my rating rented the airplane out. C180 at around $280 or so about 5 or 6 years ago. (Courtenay Flight Center). So it can be done, but its pricey.

[FighterPilot]

im looking at getting a basic float rating in the next couple of weeks, my question is if you cant rent a place with that how do you get enough hours to be able to do so, do you just have to pay for dual time until you get up there or is it meant for people who own their own aircraft? For the people who work on floats how did you get your hours up?

Work a dock like the rest of Canada

[Adam1100]

Work a dock like the rest of Canada[/quote]

thanks for the sarcastic comment, very constructive. I live in fort mcmurray so there is no dock to be worked.




The place where I did my rating rented the airplane out. C180 at around $280 or so about 5 or 6 years ago. (Courtenay Flight Center). So it can be done, but its pricey.[/quote]

that is actually where i got my private licence so good to know, unfortunately its a bit out of the way for me at this point. thanks for the tip though.



I am building time toward my commercial licence and I was thinking that It would be nice to have. it is not likely to come in handy work wise due to my location(fort mac) but it seems then that unless you own your own aircraft or plan on doing many hours of dual, its not really worth getting the rating unless you can find a place that would rent to you. I guess that is what i needed to know. thanks

[L1011]

Work a dock like the rest of Canada

thanks for the sarcastic comment, very constructive. I live in fort mcmurray so there is no dock to be worked.

That was actually a helpful, and most likely serious, constructive comment. Different places have different arrangements for their dockhands, but usually you can build time supervised while you're working the dock. You don't have to spend any additional money and you're learning the trade as you go. There's A LOT more to flying floats than just flying the aircraft.

There are a few places that hire 7 hour float pilots off the bat, but they are very hard to come by. And if you're a new hire with low time then you're going to have to do time on the dock, so why pay for time if it isn't going to help you progress through that first job anyway?