Chief pilot experience waiver

[Hudson]

I've heard rumour that there is a waiver to the '250 hrs flight time in the previous 3 years' requirement to be able to be a chief pilot. I have done some looking at the Chief pilot requirements for 703 but I can't see anything about a waiver. Can anyone confirm this?

[cncpc]

I've heard rumour that there is a waiver to the '250 hrs flight time in the previous 3 years' requirement to be able to be a chief pilot. I have done some looking at the Chief pilot requirements for 703 but I can't see anything about a waiver. Can anyone confirm this?

You have to apply for an exemption to the requirements of the Standard. It's a bit of a process and it costs $475, I think it is. You need to do a risk assessment, and some other things.

The process for applying for an exemption, and the form, is buried somewhere on the TC site. Best to contact your POI and he or she will tell you where to find it.

[Hudson]

Thanks cncpc! I thought it might be one of those things that would get buried in the regs. Have you been involved in this process before?

[cncpc]

Thanks cncpc! I thought it might be one of those things that would get buried in the regs. Have you been involved in this process before?

Yes. But I was told I'd be approved before applying and then the outfit that wanted me to be chief pilot just leased their airplane to an existing carrier and I flew it as a line pilot. Next job I didn't need the waiver.

It's all about risk, and in some cases, there is obviously no risk because the 250 weren't in the last three years. However, if you don't even HAVE 250, then its a different story.

If you have 5000 hours and say, it's multi 703 CP, and you have 1000 ME and have been a chief pilot before, you'd have no problem. That was my situation. If you have 505 hours and 15 ME, they won't allow it, unless its say, an operation where you are the only pilot. Then they would have to approve whoever trained you. Still might not grant the waiver.

I think in most cases, common sense prevails in these things, but it can depend on your inspector. I think its handled through Ottawa, but based on the regional recommendation.

[Hudson]

Thanks again cncpc. I'll have to look into it then. The outfit is a float operation that I've flown for before with me having close to 2000 hours. I've never been a chief pilot before though and I haven't flown 250 hours in 10 years. We'll see what happens.

[Meatservo]

If I was looking to hire a chief pilot, I might consider hiring one who has averaged a bit more than 25 hours a year for the last ten years, especially if he only has 2000 hours to begin with. Do you sincerely believe the candidate in question has the ability to mentor the other pilots in the organisation?

Not trying to be a jerk. Being the chief pilot is a serious responsibility. Even if it's a one-man show, should someone with that experience profile be carrying passengers without any supervision? No, seriously. Flame me if you want, I can take it.

[cncpc]

If I was looking to hire a chief pilot, I might consider hiring one who has averaged a bit more than 25 hours a year for the last ten years, especially if he only has 2000 hours to begin with. Do you sincerely believe the candidate in question has the ability to mentor the other pilots in the organisation?

Not trying to be a jerk. Being the chief pilot is a serious responsibility. Even if it's a one-man show, should someone with that experience profile be carrying passengers without any supervision? No, seriously. Flame me if you want, I can take it.

This isn't about being hired as Chief Pilot. It appears he already is. It's about whether he can get a waiver. I don't know why a guy with 2000 hours on floats has to have supervision to carry passengers. People with 10 hours on floats can.

As for the waiver, it isn't your float time that matters. Floats aren't a "category" of aircraft. The category is single engine airplanes. You have to have 250 hours in single engine airplanes in the last 3 years. It could all have been on wheels, and none of it has to be with a 703 operator. When I went for the waiver, I hadn't flown multi for nine years, and only a few hours single engine airplanes. I had about 300 hours of PIC rotary in the last five years. I was told I would be approved if I applied. I had been a chief pilot for four similar outfits, and an approved outside trainer.

I can't say for sure about less than 250 hours in 10 years. You do have 4 times the total time required. I think it would have a lot to do with what went on in the organization, what type of aircraft, what type of ops, and really whether you could carry out the duties of the chief pilot. Lots of people who meet the requirements can't. Finally, there is this process of quantifying risk, which is pretty speculative stuff from what I can see. It involves the consequences if the risk actually happened, and the probability of the risk happening. That all leads up to what can happen if the chief pilot hasn't had 250 hours on single engine airplanes in the last three years. There are a number of scenarios in which that could be true, and no reason to suspect undue risk. And there are some in which there could be unacceptable risk.

I do make the observation that it is best if the chief pilot is someone seriously involved in aviation and not coming back into it after a long period of not being all that involved. As Meat says, the Chief Pilot's job should always be taken seriously.

I have to disagree with Meat about only 2000 hours. 2000 hours is a fair whack of time. The standard only requires 500 hours.

[Meatservo]

It's not the 2000 hours so much as the 250 in ten years. Ten years is also a fair whack of time, much longer than it would take a regular working pilot to accumulate 2000 hours. I personally would consider 2000 hours a bare minimum, regardless of what Transport Canada thinks.