C208 Pilot with AK Experience

I'm flying seasonally out of Juneau at the moment. I need new employment beginning late September or October.

Currently have about:

1400tt
100 PIC Caravan
200+ hours AK time.
4 Year Degree

By the end of my season, I should have approximately 100 to 200 more hours between C208s and C207s.

Ratings:
CSEL
CMEL
CFI
CFII

I learn VERY quickly.

I WILL NOT CONSIDER FLIGHT INSTRUCTION JOBS.

PM for resume.

Thanks for considering!

Just curious, who did you fly for in AK?

He's a Wings of Alaska guy.

Wow.. I remember when those times wouldn't even get you in the 207... guys waited for years to get into 31 & 32.

I know right? I heard their competition hired a guy into the Cherokee with only like 800 a few years back...

Freight is hiring, regionals are hiring. If you want something more niche than that you'll probably have to go do some knocking on doors.

Does this count? And if it does... I gotta wonder what kind of flying we're talking about here! Hope it comes with a good life insurance policy...

Our 135 company requires pilots to flight instruct new hires when they come in, re-currency training, and IOE. That leaves you out of the picture.

Not that were hiring, but If we was and I seen the above post, there would not be a chance I would hire you based just off this post. It also leaves an impression that you dont work well in a crew environment.

Just a suggestion...

What about me????? LOL ....I have Alaska Experience

Im just basing it off the fact that he is dead set on not flight instructing. It has nothing to do with his Alaska experience.

Like I said, Im not hiring, but generally its a good idea during an interview (or first post wanting a job) to not make demands what your not going to do.

Yes, I work for Wings of Alaska. It's a good job but is sadly temporary. I'm pretty sure my enthusiasm for it got me both the job and the training for Caravan.

There are the occasional issues that hit any workplace, but I have never had such low stress levels over this length of time. The flying can be challenging or relaxing, the coordination with everyone to get a flight out is very rewarding, and I learn new things about myself and about decision making every week.

The advice is appreciated. I don't think you understood what I meant. I should have worded it another way. I don't want to be a full-time flight instructor at a flight school. If it's part of a 135 job, I'll be more than happy to teach as a part of my duties; but my experience as a full-time CFI is not something I want to repeat.

I don't want to dive into the details. I can simply say all the instructors where I worked were miserable because of working conditions, very low and inconsistent pay*, and constant liability for the students. I know not all schools are like the one I taught at, but I can't take the gamble.

The problem with my instruction time, aside from what is listed above, is a lot of 135 operators don't seem to care about it. A lot of people view flight school instructors in a negative way ("newbies teaching newbies" is the popular thing to say). Banner towing is said to be more valuable.

In one online interview I listened to about an Alaskan operation, the chief pilot said that instruction time doesn't make you competitive for hire at his company. Chief pilots and DOs I've had conversations with have implied that my instruction time is not something they weigh favorably, that I am being considered strictly because I have Alaska 135 and 207/208 time. I'll have to wait until September or October to see if I'll still have a shot considering how experienced most other applicants are.

I'm looking for time that will allow me to stay relevant in the industry. I'm looking for something that could be a career that's in line with my ambitions. I can't have a former job title carrying negative connotations, and I can't focus on work with the pay that flight instructors get these days. I know there's good work to be found that doesn't include the constant threats of poverty, losing my certificates, losing a student, or losing my life. I'm confident that a vocal conversation with me will leave a positive impression on a possible employer, despite how my post above can be interpreted. I'll suffer through damn near anything to work for anyone who has openings beginning soon, but I don't believe I can move forward if I go back to a flight school, especially with the opportunities that are out there.

I hope my intentions are more clear now.

Remember that I don't view instructors negatively, but my interactions with the industry lead me to believe that employers have that opinion. The employers' opinions, as you demonstrated, are the ones that I have to satisfy.

*(The skydiving picture is from a time long before I started instructing. I was in a school club, which made it dirt cheap to do. I also had a good job).

You might check out western Alaska operators. All have been hiring quite a bit.

yeah, that's just a bunch of Alaska OGs trying to make themselves sound like gods gift to aviation because they were born flying 135 and clearly anyone who didn't do it their way can't be any good. I think you'll find that that attitude toward instructing is unique to Alaska... I would guess that probably 90% of 135 freight doggies down south come from a CFI background.

When it comes down to it a day flying air taxi is shockingly similar to a day flight instructing. More similar than different, actually.

I know Ben, I was just joking with you