Potential 185 Float Pilot Required

mudflap · Post by **mudflap** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 3:22 pm

If you have 500 TT and 200+ on floats, a position may materialize in the next couple days. Camp work a must. A seasons flying is usually around 300hrs May to Oct. Pm me if you're interested.

bizjet_mania · Post by **bizjet_mania** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 3:36 pm

Perhaps you would be a good person to ask this question. Every float operator wants 200hours float. Even if a person was to do his time building for commercial on float he wouldn't ven have half of that. So my question is... If everyone wants 200Hr Float, where does one get 200hours float?

w squared · Post by **w squared** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 4:55 pm

There's a flight school in Sudbury (drawing a blank for the name) that will do ab initio training completely on floats. Yes, it's a bit more expensive that doing it all in a C172 on wheels, but if you want to fly floats for a living, it strikes me as a really good idea.

Just my $0.02.

The other method (I may be out to lunch here, but this is what I've gathered from other posters who know a lot more than me) is to get hired on as a dock hand by an operator. You then pick up a few hours here and there. The 200 hours is usually an insurance requirement, and the operator needs to go to bat for you if he wants to get around it. What are the odds of that happening if you're some schmoe off the street that he's considering hiring? Obviously the odds are better if you've already worked for him for a season (or even two), and demonstrated a solid work ethic, a high degree of responsibility, and some good decision making skills.

I guess the answer is that there's no easy answer.

Highflyinpilot · Post by **Highflyinpilot** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 5:08 pm

I got about 30 hours on floats, yyyyyeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhh.
Would you consider me

RVR12 · Post by **RVR12** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 8:29 pm

Really it is a mystery to many of us... the "insurance" requirements are getting harder and harder to meet for us young pilots who want to break into the industry. I myself am trying to get into bush flying and the float time is nearly impossible to build up. Just about everyone and their dogs are offering 50 hour "professional float pilot training"; which costs between about 8-12 grand. Than one must start the usualy long and hard task of trying to market onself with 50 hours of float. Usualy we end up on docks and having to log hours on dead leg trips and all those grey areas that even Transport doesnt seem to have any true answer to whether or not it is legal to log due insurance or any other weird factor. Usualy, it comes down to having to work a "non-flying" position for about two years in order to build up the time to be able to fly as an official crew member. What ever happend to the good 'ol days? Now most people take the instructing route, but sometimes even that one is over fished... and you dont ever get to be in the best sector of aviation... floats!

Does anyone know of any other ways to get 200 hours on floats??

hz2p · Post by **hz2p** » Wed Apr 27, 2005 6:50 am

Yes. Buy an inexpensive, certified or homebuilt float plane - NOT an ultralight. Something tube and fabric, with a long wing and light weight - you don't need a huge engine with a big fuel burn and an expensive constant-speed prop.

Fly the heck out of it one summer and sell it to the next guy. 200 hours of that will cost you a lot less than a 50 hour city-boy "package".

just clearing the trees · Wed Apr 27, 2005 8:17 am

mudflap, check your pm's

RVR12 · Post by **RVR12** » Wed Apr 27, 2005 12:59 pm

Smart idea! building time is always been kind of a good way if you buy a plane for a fair enough price. One problem that id have would be chipping out the money to pay for it (even though one should get most of it back when they resell it) One of my freinds said that he asked a cheif pilot if that was practical to buy an old 150 or somthing similar, run about a thousand hours outta her than sell her. He said that since he would not have gained "commercial operations experiance" that he would not consider his hours all that much, i donno... just playing devil's advocate... not that i would be opposed to buying one to learn on!

Pilot_18 · Post by **Pilot_18** » Thu May 19, 2005 11:22 pm

Sudbury Aviation Ltd is the name of the flight school in Sudz that'll train you on floats. They rent dual for 169$ an hour on one of two 172's or a 139$ an hour solo after a ten hour bush course and ten hours where the only take offs and landing are on WhiteWater Lake. Pretty good since the local flying clubs charge 129$ an hour for wheeled aircraft

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Fri May 20, 2005 8:50 am

The logical question has to be what will happen as all the high time seaplane pilots retire or move on?

Cat

Boss Hawg · Post by **Boss Hawg** » Fri May 20, 2005 5:44 pm

Cat Driver wrote:The logical question has to be what will happen as all the high time seaplane pilots retire or move on?

Cat

The long anticipated pilot shortage will have begun, at least for bush guys. Those of us who just have a foot in the door now will benefit the most, as the talent pool shrinks more and more we'll be worth more and more, and driving dirty beavers and otters will become a respectable profession.

Or, operators will not be able to absorb the extra costs and close up shop, bringing supply back in line with demand, and we will continue on with our meager existence.

Of course this is all assuming that gas prices, exchange rates, border issues etc don't kill the industry first. Interesting times ahead.