Floridian thinking of becoming a bush pilot - advice please!

AirFL · Post by **AirFL** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 2:00 am

Now before you guys out there write me off as a crazy yank who's lost his mind, let me explain: First of all, I spent half my youth in Europe, so I'm not your typical "USA's the best, f*** the rest" type of guy and second, the fact that I live in Florida doesn't mean I wouldn't dare move up north.

I graduated from High School last year and am currently working to save money for the pilot's licenses. I've been looking into the different areas of aviation and have come to the conclusion that I don't want to become an airline pilot, and I don't really see myself in corporate aviation either, but like the idea of flying smaller airplanes in more 'outback' locations including flying seaplanes. The thing is that I don't know much about the lifestyle, the type of people, the hardships, the positives, etc. involved in this kind of flying. For example, I'd like to know whether someone like me who comes from a totally different background compared to the local population, would be accepted or made fun of. Would I be taken seriously if I go visit Bob's Air Service asking what job prospects there are for a never-before-seen-foreign-sounding guy?

Since I'm a US citizen, I'm looking at Alaska as the place to go because of work permit reasons, even if I'd love to work in Canada, but I couldn't find an Alaskan bush flying forum so I'm writing here. I guess there are not too many differences between Alaskan and Canadian bush flying anyway, correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyway, another thing I'd like to know is what international opportunities there are in the bush flying field. For example, would it be possible to fly in Alaska during the summer and fly seaplanes in the caribbean during the winter, or is this an unrealistic dreamer's wish? I like to travel and saw that some companies like Kenn Borek Air exist that operate worldwide. Are these positions hard to get or in little demand? If anyone out there has experience in flying overseas I'd appreciate some general info.

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post!

EDIT: I forgot to ask what pay is like for a bush pilot. I know that you won't get rich flying, and don't expect to, but is the pay enough to live relatively worry free (financially) or are you constantly struggling to survive?

glorifiedtaxidriver · Post by **glorifiedtaxidriver** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 9:00 am

Well, you'll need a Canadian license and a float rating to start off with if you plan to fly in Canada. Around $40,000 now I think. Someone could correct me here, I did mine about ten years ago. You'll start working on the dock more than likely and work yourself into a flying job. For the first few years everything you own will fit in the back of your hatchback, and you'll probably only work from may through october at which point you'll go on Employment Insurance or get a job doing something else for the winter. There are a few companies overseas that hire floatplane pilots. A couple in Fiji, one in Thailand. Kenn Borek has planes in the Maldives. Only some of them are open to a rotational schedule. You will live in anything from a tent to a motel to a crew house, all of which kind of suck. Eventually you will work your way up to a place where you can make 60 - 70 k a year flying floatplanes for a company like Harbour Air in Vancouver or Borek. The most important thing is to enjoy the ride. There ar so many guys that want to go right into an airline job that feel like they're just putting in their time flying in the bush. Employers notice that attitude. When its all said and done, I wouldn't trade my time flying floats for anything. I've lived in the Arctic and the tropics and they both have their disadvantages, but I would never have lived in either of those places - or many other parts of canada that no-one really gets to see - if I didn't have the job I did. Ask many old airline guys and they don't fondly remember that time they flew the ILS down to minimums in Hawaii, they remember flying a 185 or a beaver over the Arctic in the middle of the night with the sun shining in their eyes.

Rudder Bug · Post by **Rudder Bug** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 1:14 pm

Right on, glorifiedtaxidriver, excellent description of our lives!

Cheers

1000 HP · Post by **1000 HP** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 9:25 am

Hey AirFL, nobody will make fun of you. Most of us flying in the bush are off our rockers anyways. Have at 'er! I think you can change your US licence over to a Canadian just by writing the written test. Call Transport Canada licencing on that. Hope you like bugs, annoying tourists, dark haired women, and limping...

snoopy · Post by **snoopy** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:32 am

Alaska would be an excellent choice, and you will likely be paid on a higher scale (with experience) than if you were eligible to be employed doing the same work in Canada.

I've heard it is tough to break into bush flying up there too, but you have an advantage in that your average pilot doesn't want to live up there.

Bush flying is great fun - both challenging and rewarding - plus you get to fly lots of neat vintage aircraft. It will be some of the toughest, thankless, and most memorable experience in your flying career.

If you get sick of it, you can always go get a "real" job and wear a pretty uniform.

Check out this site: http://www.flyalaska.com/ You used to have to pay around $20 US for a membership to the employment directories, but it was worth the donation to the site.

Another great resource is here: http://travelalaska.com/ Ask them to send you the free tourist guide - it is full of really great information (and nice pictures too!).

If you have questions about bush flying in Canada, or in general, I would be happy to answer them - just send me a pm.

Cheers,
snoopy

AirFL · Post by **AirFL** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 2:32 am

Thanks for your replies

First of all to 1000 HP: Well, being in Florida, I'm used to bugs and annoying tourists, but I didn't really get what you mean with dark haired women and limping

Could you explain? Speaking of women, how's the situation up in the bush? Do women even exist north of the arctic circle?

Thanks for the links Snoopy! Check your PMs.

Anyone else have any info/tips they could share?

Radial · Post by **Radial** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:25 am

Pay? From my calculations over the last few years, it works out to around $15/hr for the pleasure of transporting unappreciative, fat tourists, digging outhouse holes, cleaning boats, wondering what happened to the outboard motor, and then there's the unpleasant stuff.

1000 HP · Post by **1000 HP** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:44 am

Sorry AirFL, that was a bit vague.. Dark haired women are the natives. About 27 to 30,000 years ago (depending on which books you read), the north american indians arrived, likely crossing the land bridge from asia. They are morphologically identical to the extinct Joman tribe from what is now Japan. (This from the leading skull morphologist in the world, who resides in Michigan or maybe Minnisota). Their decendants have dark hair and are found in abundance all over the north country. They are not to be confused with the Inuit who are much more recently arrived decendants of the mongolian tribes.

As far as the limp goes, fly an otter, or Beech 18, or Caravan for a few years, and your pinched ciatic nerve will give you a limp. Note: If you are short, (really short), you've got it made, as you will have to bend over less while loading ridiculously heavy objects like 4-stroke 90HP outboards...

Good Luck!