Caravan Time Useless

[bumffs]

Why is Caravan time useless?
Does not an airplane that is IFR certified time count?
Several companies are hiring piston twin DVFR pilot's with no real experience, over hardcore IFR Vandrivers .If only I had known this years agowould have taken that day vfr twin job and i would be light years aheadby now,
In the USA CAravan time is Respected up here it is just more single engine time to most employers.
Rant over

[flyinhigh]

Ah Caravan time is as good as a 152. haha, just kidding.
caravan time is good until you get to the point of to much (were your at around 2500 hours)all your time is single engine, alot of companies need a minimum # of multi to get you on as PIC or you have to sit right seat, well at 2500 hours, 90% PIC do you want to sit in the right seat of a HO now, I don't think so. anyway I lost what I was trying to say so yeah

[oldncold]

to those from the old school / float time etc work y'r way through
til the first turbine gig a caravan is a great transition a/c . especially
if the company doesn't over load the sum bitch so that you can hold a decent ifr alternate. It is fast a a ho' giver- take 7 knots and doesn't have to stop for fuel as often. You learn to think ifr and then the king air or the like is a smooth transition.

It can be a handful in nassssty weather ! ICE is and never will be its
strong suit. the wing can handle a big wack but that small tail is problematic.

after 2grand in the big cessna from the arctic 73degrees north lat to
the caribean I can say it never let me down . even helped out a king air
crew on a charter that could not get started at -43 with a 20 knt wind.

ALL PIC TIME IS GOOD PERIOD regardless and if your being paid 6000 a month why would u bitch?

[Luscombe]

Something I've noticed in the zillions of interviews I've had is that no matter what I had, it wasn't enough of the particular time they were looking for. I've come to the conclusion that any time is better than no time.

If you're wondering if you should turn down a caravan job because you think single engine turbine time is useless... think again. I was "pfo"d from another 727 job a few months ago because of my lack of turbine time (I was already type rated on 727's by the way) because they wanted 500 hrs turbine PIC time.... shit I already have more total time than some of the guys doing the interview have had hot meals.... but that's another story. Seems I lacked their minimums for turbine PIC time. I only had 300.

To make a long story short... if I had 500 hours of caravan time, I would have had the job, regardless of how much multi-ifr time I had flying into places that would make some guys piss their pants. But I'm not bitter.

I say take the job.... at least it's time..... any time.

[wallypilot]

it's not useless. it's what you make of it. maybe the insurance companies don't understand, but most of the caravan flying in canada is great experience. Transition to any other turbo prop is easier from caravan than from a twin piston because you are familiar with the more complex systems usually present in a turbine powered machine. I know of guys that have gone from van to B99 Cpt, B1900Cpt (with a few months in the right seat first) and 37 FO.

[planedriver]

What is so complex about a PT-6? You set it and forget it.

[Jet Set]

What is so complex about a PT-6? You set it and forget it.

Good for Cargo, bad for passengers..

[wallypilot]

it's not complex to operate the thing....the underlying systems are though. just 'cause the thing is easy to operate doesn't mean it is a simple system. however, it wasn't really the engine I was referring to, but rather the auxilliary systems that turbine machines tend to be outfitted with that many piston machines are not. I'm not saying it's rocket science. just making the point that 2 turbine engines are a lot more similar to one turbine engine than to 2 piston engines in terms of systems. that's all. IMHO, a good amount of piston twin time combined with a good amount of caravan time makes for a smooth transition to twin turbines.

[oldtimer]

When are you guys going to wise up to the fact that the job is either filled, they don't like you or they are surfing. Any pilot who has logged time in a Van has almost the same credentials as a twin driver, except possibally to the insurance provider.

[SkyKing]

What is so complex about a PT-6? You set it and forget it.

Good for Cargo, bad for passengers..

Just curious as to why you think the PT-6 is bad for passengers?


.

[captainsweaty]

Some people are worried about one lonelt engine out there in front however, you have a pretty good chance of survival mushing it into the ground at 50kts and full flap when the PT-6 conks out.........




then in planedriver wrote:
What is so complex about a PT-6? You set it and forget it.


Good for Cargo, bad for passengers..

[2R]

PT6 to quite ,Stick a Garret on it if you want to make some real noise.

USA regionals 1500 tt 500 multi 2000 tt 1000 single turbine for the interview.
Canada ?????? no rules they are still making them up as they stumble .

The Caravan is a great aircraft and can do what it was designed to do really well. Some people would be suprised that it can fly more than just the great northern diet( pop and chips )

Passengers love the room in the van and on short hopps not requiring a bathroom no complaints from the back.

As for what the airlines want I am sure they know and are keeping it a secret from the rest of us peasants.

[flex temp]

Caravan time useless...I think not, as a former van driver myself I can say I gained a wealth of experience on the machine. Flying single pilot IFR operations in known icing in a plane which doesn't really get along with ice to well certainly forces you to look at weather closely developing your skills and decision making. The plane offers you a very wide range of operations flying into remote unprepared strips to high density airports. Some of the greatest times I ever had.

[Brint]

I think in general the Caravan, and Caravan pilots are under appreciated. Those who haven't flown it view it as a giant 172. I'm not saying it is overly complex- but single pilot IFR, under 10 000', in the great white north can be interesting.
As mentioned earlier, it's a great transition a/c. I came from a Beaver, and the 'van taught me a lot and helped me get used to planes built within the past couple decades.

[PT6-114A]

aaaaaaahhhh this one again . I went from the caravan to on with two PT6's with no problem

[gelbisch]

Well here's my two cents:

You might as well pick a job that appeals to you as enjoyable rather than what seems the best experience, 'cause as 2R pointed out, the rules in the country are made up as the employers go. You chase around one qualification -- twin time, turbine time, 500 turbine multi PIC, ATP, jet time... whatever -- and as soon as you have it there's suddenly something else you're lacking.

You make yourself crazy running after the next hoop and stressing over why what you do have is suddenly not good enough. Just have fun and try not to worry about it...

An airplane's an airplane and sitting in it, operating it, is worthwhile in some shape or form.

*Edited to add: I thought I'd mention... I know a PC-12 captain who went to AC and an F/O that went to WestJet. And what's a Pilatus but a pressurized C208? It's my opinion that anyone worth his salt would not discount this time.

[Frostbite]

Mr. -114A, I would not say no problems. You did have to get over looking for a best glide speed when one engine failed!

208 time is a wonderful way to build turbine time as well as learn how to handle an airplane in IMC. In our company the caravan is the first step to a multi command position and rarely will a pilot skip this step due to the experience to be had from flying a season IMC on it.

[yak driver]

I wouldn't knock caravan time, take it if you get it. I got to fly it for a couple years, had some good experiences and some very bad ones (ice over large body of cold water isn't fun). Survived it all, and had a good time. Now I get to fly an airplane with 4 PT-6's on it.

When it all comes down to it, it really doesn't matter what you fly. Learn the airplane and all of it's systems, learn company SOP's and follow them, and fly the airplane in a professional manner. Then when the oportunity comes up for another type, you just do the same thing over again.

[bumffs]

Thanks yak driver sometimes this tunnel vision thing gets bad and I lose sight of the fact that there are many companies out there.Not just the ones that require 500 multi before they even look at you .
I could understand it if they wanted 500 instrument and I know what a Capable versitle aircraft the van is but unlike the USA Canadian companies do not place the same value on the single-engine turbine time.

[BobzYurUnkl]

flyinhigh You are correct with the statement "caravan time is good until you get to the point of to much " can be applied to almost any A/C. You become somewhat of a specialist on the type, you get paid better and better (relatively) and you become the person they call on. That can be good, also bad. I am quite sure there are guys with thousands of hours on the 757/320/737 , but when they try to get a job on a wide-body, they don't have enough experience!

Luscombe "...no matter what I had, it wasn't enough of the particular time they were looking for." This being the catch-all for any operator that may thing you are not their ideal candidate.

Make a choice, get the experience, and enjoy it. The job is what you make it.