Flight Express

No doubt it's serious stuff, but some of it, IMO, is Cessna trying to sell parts. What we need in the US is a category like Canada's owner maintained category.


Anyway, Flight Express question. How would someone fair trying to get on there with a bunch of airship time?

If you have 135 mins and can fly on instruments, you'll probably get on just fine.

That's what I figured. Probably be another couple months until I'm 135 minimums, probably 6 to ATP minimums. Too bad I'm stuck for another 25 months on a training contract.

What's wrong with your current job? I was seriously considering going into airships when I finish my flight training.

Probably has something to do with three years straight of living on the road and rarely seeing 50 KIAS. Having lived on a tour bus on tour for that amount of time I can relate.

And Total Hijack, but today I was /U, no slaved HSI, and had an unexpected iPad fail. It was dual VOR and DG all the way.

I can haz 210 job now?

It's not a career destination for me, I've always wanted to fly 121 and very much still want to fly 121. I took the job as a means to possibly avoid flight instructing and paying off college loans, both of which I've done or are near completing. Living in hotels 340 days a year isn't a life I want to deal with. I'd like to have something where I can at least have a home and enjoy it. A car, where I can go where I want to go. Days off that are mine to do what I want with, rather than doing more company work and being told I can only go so far from the aircraft. A job where I don't have to trust my pilot certificate with a bunch of people who make McDonald's money. The flying is awesome. There is no quality of life. At this point, I'd gladly take a pay cut to get some quality of life back. Let this be a lesson, money ain't everything. But, I'm stuck with a training contract with 25 months left on it, or be willing to pay it off.

KS,

I'm curious: I assume you know or know about guys who've transitioned away from that kind of flying back into fixed wing. How is that time perceived and where have folks gone to?

Don't know honestly. Not anybody I know of went that route. Most went fixed to airship or fixed to airship to not flying at all. When I cross that bridge, I'll for sure let people know.

What kind of times are people flying on average per month?

I don't know about everyone, but I'm doing about 65/mo, and the other guy I'm around is doing about the same. We have a run or two that pilots have to be rotated on and off so they don't run out of time at the end of the year.

Ran across this on barnstormers...did these Barons leave recently? They said there are 5 in all.

http://flaglerairexchange.com

Flight Express did sell some of their older Barons. It was my understanding that these planes had timed out engines and had been out of annual for a couple of years. There are still a number (although I don't know how many) of Barons still flying.

FLX is not the place to come to get twin time like it used to be, but some opportunities still exist if you're willing to be flexible and move to the opportunity. Of course, that was always true to a degree.