How to break into the float business??

[Idriveplane]

I hear the usual way is to work the dock. However I've looked into the operators and many of then want around 250 hrs PIC float. SO that rules out working the dock and the flying dead legs back dual. How do guys get left seat onto a beaver or whatnot?? I mean I hear many dock hands have their own planes to get to the insurance PIC Mins. However there is no way I can afford an aircraft or renting one to get that many hrs. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

[185_guy]

if you want to fly floats, go work the dock, get some dual, and before you know it, you'll be flying. Insurance is a bitch, but it can be beat. Some guys get flying in less than a season, others never do. Some get flying with less than 250 hours, or whatever the rumours are insurance wants.
If you work hard, are patient, and have a good attitude, you'll make it.
If all your worried about is how fast you'll get your time to go fly a jet or at AC, then forget it and stay in town.

[phillyfan]

Like 185 Guy said, you will hear the usual 250 float, but at the same time you will see and hear all about guys and girls who went from 5hrs to 250hrs. You will wonder. How the hell did that happen.
What happens is the person works there ass off on the dock and proves there value to the operation. This part of aviation is a fair bit different then what the private flying schools and college courses teach you. The operator won't care about your cross country planning and understanding of range and endurance. This will be a 6 month crash course in 15 hour days pounding nails and cutting firewood. Along with just about any shitty task you can imagine.
The operator then goes to bat for the newbie. Sucking up the higher insurance costs as well as finding ways for the pilot to build time in empty airplanes. Those that feel this is unfair need not apply. Those that feel it is. Say goodbye to friends and family as well as any piece of normality in your life and head for the nearest shithole. It's usually found by driving down some pot hole riddled secondary highway until it ends then turning down some tree lined gravel road until it hits a lake. Then pick up a shovel and start nignogging your way down aviations gold paved streets.

[. .]

philly hit the nail on the head

[neechi]

The operator won't care about your understanding of range and endurance.

Not sure I want to be a passenger with those outfits philly

[phillyfan]

Dock Boys only need to know how to swing various hammers and dig holes of various sizes. There knowledge of anything to do with flying will be of little use.
In fact explaining range and endurance will almost certainly hurt your chances of your boss going to bat for you.
I'm not saying that a good understanding of the basics of flight training is not important (especially the walkaround part where you check the fuel and oil). Just that it ain't important to any end of the road bush operator. They'll be quick to reprogram the 200 hour pilots they feel have good a good back and a good knowledge of small engine repair.
The first thing a newly licensed commercial pilot needs to figure out is that they are not part of a high class, educated professional group of folks. Alot of us like to pretend we are. (hell, some of the lucky ones will even become educated professionals over time.) but lets be realistic. This business is full of guys who came out of high school as virgins. Anyone with 20 grand and a hard on for airplanes could do what were all doing. The only thing that seperates the winners from the losers is the willingness to swallow your pride and pick up some implement of sadness and start labouring. That's the lesson they don't have in your PTR.

[. .]

implement of sadness.

I swear i'm gonna steal that one and use it from now on.

[just clearing the trees]

Phillyfan couldn't be more right. Whether your brain is overflowing with knowledge is of no real consequence to a bush operator. Book smarts mean little in the bush. It's not a bad thing, it's just that you will have to forget some of what you think you know. Common sense is king. You are there to exercise common sense as it relates to your job, but primarily you are a collection of muscles that need only be concerned with moving object 'X' from point 'A' to point 'B'. There will be shitty tasks for you to do. There will be moments when you hate your job, your boss, your life and yourself for choosing to do this. Like philly said, if you look wistfully to the sky everytime a multi-turbine flies overhead and daydream about the day you'll be able to let the flight director tell you where to steer until you get lazy and turn on the autopilot, this job probably isn't for you. There's a whole other shitty wannabe pilot culture out there for you and it's called ramp-rat.
But working on the dock in the bush is not all doom and gloom. Some of my funnest memories and a couple of my best friends are from my days working the dock. There's something to be said for the comraderie that happens when a bunch of guys are all stuck in the same shitty situation together and alcohol abuse reigns supreme. You learn how to squeeze every last bit of fun out of a less-than-fun situation.
"Paying your dues" sucks, but it's what you gotta do if you want the best job in the world.

[scubasteve]

From my very humble experience of one dock interview...well I wont say I disagree b/c you're probably right but I was asked for the wind direction and speed with only the windsock and runway numbers to go on. Shouldnt have been too difficult a question but little things like that leave your memory after 2 years of not flying. Oh and the weight of fuel but I'll admit I should have been more prepared for the interview.