Hey, welcome to my channel. You'll find a collection of videos both new and old. Pretty much a reflection of my life and all the the cool things that have happened. I look forward to using new technology to capture life like I would've never thought possible.
It's Never too late. If this is the kind of flying you want to do then you'll only be limited to how long your health allows you to hold a second class medical.
I was chief pilot of this operation. Out of 40 pilots I would say half were older, semi retired who had been doing this for 15-20 years. The rest were either content doing this for the rest of their career or headed up the ladder. I’m still in contact with a few of them from 10 years ago and they now fly for major airlines.
The FedEx feeder pilots were not FedEx employees, they were employed by Mountain Air and other outfits. I flew for FedEx (big jets) for 26 years and never understood why the Caravan guys were not on a pipeline to be hired by FedEx.
I’ve got 1200 hours in a caravan doing the same FedEx feeder job. It was a golden handcuffs, and I had a love-hate relationship with it while I was there and I was very focused on career progression. 4000 hours in the left seat of a 737 I miss flying the caravan “alone” and not dealing with all the Airline BS. Funny how things come full circle. That being said, I wouldn’t trade the salary of a 73 for the caravan.
I was CP and just filled in whenever I felt like flying. I remember VIS being my least favorite but it’s how I would get to OAK to do my favorite which was OAK-MRY.
That’s normal for busy airspace. Too many airplanes and a lot of information to give. As you gain experience as a pilot you get used to it and know what information they’re trying to give you and what to listen for. It’s usually pretty standard and in the same order most of the time.
Do you have to load and unload your own plane? Also can you go from flying the caravan to passengers? Meaning would companies actually hire you if you don’t follow a specific program?
Yea, if you meet the minimum requirements for whatever company, you are golden. I got friends who got their cfi rating, instructed, joined a cadet program and now fly for skywest, and others who took jobs as charter pilots and then just joined up with a regional, once they hit there 1500 hour mark.
I would suggest flying as close as possible to the cliff faces and look for more petroglyphs or pictographs. There are at least thousands along the Columbia
I believe that particular PC-12 was the testing by platform that KCAC in Olathe KS was using to get the STC for the Universal system. I watched the work being done and even got to do a little bit of it when I worked there. Great to see it flying.
Didn't Pilatus switch to the 5 blade prop a few years ago? 67P has been around on the NG forever now, right? I flew older pre-NGs ten years ago for a 135 operation.
The answer would actually be FAA regulations and whether or not the operation is approved for an EFB program. Even then, depending on what you’re approved for, you may still be required to have the paper charts onboard.
You should be in Pusher Ice Mode, and stall speed will be higher, AOA, should be followed to prevent pusher/shaker activation. Great upgrade, wish we had it on our PC12-45 series 9.
Looking to do this as a first pilot job in 4-5 years. Starting at Purdue in 2 weeks, currently 100 hr PPL and plan on graduating Purdue close to 1000 hr RATP mins. Would you recommend trying to fly the caravan/ATR to start if my ultimate goal is to fly for FedEx? Would this be more advantageous than flying part 135 jets or for a regional? Thx!
I flew the "feeders" for over 5 years, loved it! I only left to take a corporate G-4 job which i have been at for the past 10 years! If you like flying nights (like I do) and you aren't "weather shy" flying the feeders is a good gig. But, don't look at it as a stepping stone to Express.
haha when the video started i looked up the airport for foreflight and checked out the remarks. one was basically "Watch out for the sprinklers on the runway" Now i see why, haha
do you fly this for your own business or are you employeed by another company. I'm looking into cargo flying and was wondering about the viability of starting my own business with, say, a 206.
ryancrazy1 I flew for a company under FAR part 135. This was only one of the many things this airplane was used for. It’s a lengthy process to start a 135 on demand service even if it’s just a single pilot certificate. Margins are tight and the work can come and go. Some people are successful and a lot of people are not. Most people have better success through buying an already established part 135 operation/certificate. That’s actually what happened to the company that owned this airplane.
@@ThatPilotDude and i see this was in Idaho. I figure an operation like this is only really viable in the backwoods. I'm currently in the North East. Not much reason to play to ship something via a 206 when you can throw it on a pickup truck and take one of 100 highways.
I'm hoping to be doing the same around the Colorado area in a years time. do you have any other videos or planning to make more. Like to know more about the typical day flying Fedex feeder.
That was pretty stressful for the viewer because we were flying blind due to the light shinning into the window but I new you had everything under control great job Sir!!
seriously, love watching these kind of vids, thanks for the great radio audio as well. I’m a student working on my commercial , have an instrument rating ...loved the thought of flying the ce caravan ever since I ‘ flew’ it in flight sim when I was a teen ... flying out of LVK ...where were you based out of flying into OAK here? I’ve seen some fedex caravans fly into and out of BFL ...know of any feeder options flying caravans near OAK? anyways, thanks for the vids !
It's been 5 years since I left the Chief Pilot position at a Fedex feeder so things may have changed. I was based out of FAT and on that particular day I believe I departed VIS. There are options out of OAK because that's a hub. BFL is an outstation where the airplane sits all day and flies back to the hub at ONT for the night. When you have Part 135 IFR minimums per 135.243(c) give WestAir a call. Good luck on your continued training.
B. G. Three thanks for your input sir ! Yeah I’d expect a bit to change in 5 years, but thanks for that info anyways. I will definitely check out WestAir when I meet those minimums. Appreciate the feedback!
Well unfortunately that's how a lot of Part 135 flying works. These are not complicated airplanes and these particular airplanes are equipped with an autopilot that works almost all the time. If you're carrying passengers while flying single pilot IFR then a functioning AP is required. The AP is used to reduce the workload during critical phases of flight or during emergencies, not to compensate for poor piloting.
Talked to a FedEx caravan pilot at an air show. He was flying a cargo of roses for Valentine's day. He learned the hard way that he was allergic to roses. He made it to his destination with a severely swollen face. It was a close call!
