Am I deranged?

[Richard]

The thread about how many hours this year got me thinking about how often I have thought the ideal flying job for me would be single pilot IFR in a Part 135 op. It appeals to me in so many ways. What do you think about that?

 

[HPNFlyGirl]

Hey if its what you want....GO FOR IT!!!!!

 

[Richard]

Hey if its what you want....GO FOR IT!!!!!

Merry Christmas, girl. Well, for starters, right after I think how cool it would be I start thinking about the dismal pay, the horror stories of bosses telling you to go or be fired when you know that to go would mean breaking every rule in the book and that I am probably romanticizing landing with a load of ice. And countless unpaid hours of sleepless night after night not being paid to do the two week update to the plates for the entire fleet. A bonus would be the uncomfortable dog eared couch under buzzing flourescent lights to be used as a cot. To counter that I have spent many a night fast asleep in some very fine (as in plush) pilot lounges.

 

[Michael]

Merry Christmas, girl. Well, for starters, right after I think how cool it would be I start thinking about the dismal pay, the horror stories of bosses telling you to go or be fired when you know that to go would mean breaking every rule in the book and that I am probably romanticizing landing with a load of ice. And countless unpaid hours of sleepless night after night not being paid to do the two week update to the plates for the entire fleet. A bonus would be the uncomfortable dog eared couch under buzzing flourescent lights to be used as a cot. To counter that I have spent many a night fast asleep in some very fine (as in plush) pilot lounges.

Richard, That sounds like a blast! Get er done!

 

[Everskyward]

I have thought the ideal flying job for me would be single pilot IFR in a Part 135 op. It appeals to me in so many ways. What do you think about that?

Think about your best fantasy and your worst nightmare and it's somewhere in between.

Really, "single pilot IFR Part 135" covers so much territory that it's hard to comment.

I read your list of negatives. Now I'm curious what appeals to you.

 

[Richard]

Think about your best fantasy and your worst nightmare and it's somewhere in between.

Really, "single pilot IFR Part 135" covers so much territory that it's hard to comment.

I read your list of negatives. Now I'm curious what appeals to you.

Solitude, flying in adverse wx, the requirement for a 'can do' attitude, the challenge to one's ability, the opportunity, on someone else's dime, to expand your skills, the demand of using all your skills and some of your luck. And I guess the appeal that comes of being a bona fide freight dog. In a word, challenge. Besides, I like flying at night.

 

[Everskyward]

Solitude, flying in adverse wx, the requirement for a 'can do' attitude, the challenge to one's ability, the opportunity, on someone else's dime, to expand your skills, the demand of using all your skills and some of your luck. And I guess the appeal that comes of being a bona fide freight dog. In a word, challenge. Besides, I like flying at night.

Someone else is going to have to answer your question here because I've never flown freight, only passenger charter and air ambulance. That's what I mean about Part 135 covering lots of things!

I like flying at night too, but I can't say I enjoy adverse weather. I'm on the lazy side, though, and I like things to be as painless as possible.

As far as training on someone else's dime, that's something that's really nice. I could never have paid for the training I've gotten since I've been here especially since I've moved on from the single pilot stuff to a couple different crewed airplanes and I have a reasonable idea how much it cost.

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

Yes Richard, as you question, you do seem to be considerably deranged but, there are no negative effects !

 

[Henning]

Yes.

The thread about how many hours this year got me thinking about how often I have thought the ideal flying job for me would be single pilot IFR in a Part 135 op. It appeals to me in so many ways. What do you think about that?

Can you afford to do it? One of the kinda crappy things about 'ideal jobs' is that they're a bunch of peoples ideal jobs, therefore don't pay enough to make anything but a subsistance income. Now, if you have a good client base and leased a SP bizjet, you might make a living, as the only way to make anything in the biz is to be manager, pilot, sales rep, bottlewasher all in one whack. With a lease inclusive of all maint and repairs, preferably including a loaner during repairs and maint, at least you'll be able to acurately predict expenses so you know what you'll have to bill, you can even buy fuel on the futures market. If you can get contractual commitments for the business, you can do it. I'd be looking at the "just in time delivery" freight market pretty closely as well. Connie Kalita did pretty well with it. If you really have your s**t together, are a good salesman and are willing to work your a$$ off, you can do it. I think leasing the aircraft would be the way to go at least for the first few years, predictability is the key to surviving a start up in this kind of industry. What kills you is the surprises and the downtime. When you have a contract to have something somewhere on time, there are usually some pretty dang steep non- fulfillment penalties, especially when you are dealing with automotive and other major manufacturers, when they shut down an assembly line waiting on the parts you are carrying, well, the penalties can run into the millions of dollars per minute late after they shut the line down, which could be as little as 10 minutes late. This kind of stuff can pay you very well as long as you have the dispatch reliability that the companies require.

If you are thinking about doing it as a pilot for someone else, you might make a nice little retirement job out of it to supplement whatever pensions and whatnot you may have, but not much more.

 

[fgcason]

The thread about how many hours this year got me thinking about how often I have thought the ideal flying job for me would be single pilot IFR in a Part 135 op. It appeals to me in so many ways. What do you think about that?

If you think it's something you would like to do and accept the actual reality of doing it (good, bad etc).... If after considering the bad there is enough good to want to step through the door anyway, then you should at least consider looking into it further and maybe even start even if you change your mind later. (If you try; Remember that the worst an employer can do is fire you and leave you stranded somewhere annoying, however unlike crashing, that's a temporary problem)

Deranged - def: 1. Waking up at 3am and realizing what you're currently doing is completely stupid idiotic and you should have done that something else that you wanted to do ten years ago that you didn't do then for whatever reason.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

There was an article in a recent av rag, maybe AOPA, in which a dentist(?) took about a year off work and 'went for it' meaning he found a full time job freight-dogging. Try to find that article, for a glimpse of what it is like. They do fly in conditions that would cause most of us ga pilots to be shocked. Our local UPS pilot doesn't hardly perk up unless vis is measured in RVR anymore. Many of them become geniuses at dealing with ice.

 

[Richard]

There was an article in a recent av rag, maybe AOPA, in which a dentist(?) took about a year off work and 'went for it' meaning he found a full time job freight-dogging. Try to find that article, for a glimpse of what it is like. They do fly in conditions that would cause most of us ga pilots to be shocked. Our local UPS pilot doesn't hardly perk up unless vis is measured in RVR anymore. Many of them become geniuses at dealing with ice.

It was in AOPA Pilot. I read that story and thought how fortunate that guy could get on like he did.

I realize the Part 135 world is very broad. Freight came to mind because it was the first 135 op I was familiar with. Boxes don't talk back so it has that going for it. J-I-T as mentioned by Henning is appealing but it would have to be on someone elses 135 cert, I don't have it in me to go through that process.

Henning, or others. How in the heck could I get someone to agree to a lease contract containing all that Henning stipulated in his post? I'd probably have to pull someone in to negotiate that for me. The ball is getting big and we're not even in the air yet. Yikes!

I didn't mean to imply that I would look forward to flying in adverse wx but that the challenge it presents is what floats my boat. Compare that to the uneventful flight and imagine the post flight briefs of each flight. What's the use of acquiring knowledge if you aint gonna use it? 135 ops would put it all to use. I just have to get myself to a place where is, uh, okay to have a $20K annual income. Actually, I have to convince my wife to go that route, with a few manipulations of current assets, I'm there.

Either that or be so well off that my only job is making mercy flights. I'd do that full time.

 

[Henning]

Henning, or others. How in the heck could I get someone to agree to a lease contract containing all that Henning stipulated in his post? I'd probably have to pull someone in to negotiate that for me. The ball is getting big and we're not even in the air yet. Yikes!

The lease contract is simple, the manufacturer will typically arrainge any lease terms you like, you just have to pay it. The tricky one is the delivery contract. BTW, I am available for negotiations.

 

[John J]

Richard;

Your note brings back many memoies of flying single pilot charters. I got into it for a while before it was part 135. The early 60's is when I got started with a commercial and instrument. It was a real learning experince for me. The equipment was well interesting to say the least.

The best experience I had was flying copilot with a wonderful grey beard flying mail. He had worked at United and just could not retire. He taught me so much. We flew 6 nights a week and got to see all kinds of WX. The pay was not good plus no social life for a 20 year old. The couches and vending machines that gave out those very dried up peanut butter crackers was the normal meal. I gave up and packed food and water for the trips

Henning says it very well for to start your own 135 operations you have to where so many hats and have a lot of up front resources to help you get started. It may take quite some time before you see the "light of day".
It would be your business and yours alone which would be great.
It was much simpler when I was flying charters. All you needed was a plane and customers. Now it is very complicated.

I would try to learn on someone elses dime for there you get to see what works well and what does not.Plus less risk on your part. Some of the best operators were started by folks who had worked for others and felt they could manage and run a better operation.

Let us know what you do

John

 

[Richard]

Thanks everyone for your insights, wisdom, and knowledge. John, I really appreciate your comments. Henning, I'll keep you mind but I really should go under someone before I go it alone in these sharky waters. Anyone want to adopt an older 19 year old know nothing kid in their flying gig?

 

[Everskyward]

I really should go under someone before I go it alone in these sharky waters.

No kidding! I think you would fall way further into the deranged category by starting a business in a field where you have no experience, especially 135.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

The thread about how many hours this year got me thinking about how often I have thought the ideal flying job for me would be single pilot IFR in a Part 135 op. It appeals to me in so many ways. What do you think about that?

Richard,

Are you deranged?! Perhaps!!

Watch Freight Dog's videos, flying in the ice on Part 135 ops in the midwest for Central Air Southwest... CAS was the first air-cargo operation to self-certify a TKS system on the Aero Commander 500, so they'd have 'go-anywhere' capability.

Watch all the videos... they're serious pucker factor on film!!

Freight Dog flying in ice

 

[woodstock]

The thread about how many hours this year got me thinking about how often I have thought the ideal flying job for me would be single pilot IFR in a Part 135 op. It appeals to me in so many ways. What do you think about that?

are you independently wealthy already?

 

[Eamon]

I have a 135 job working 5 night a week hauling DHL boxes. I am 10 months in & have yet to be asked to break a rule. Ice I have to go. Freezing rain, I stay on the ground. 200 ft fog at destination I have to go. 800 RVR & I cannot start the approach. T-Storms.. You just get used to em

The FAA has strict guidelines for every operation & if you break em you loose you licence. If your employer keeps making pilots break rules, He will prolly be out of business soon.

I work for 1 hr in the evening & 1 hr in the morning 5 days out of the week...... It doesn't get any better than that

 

[HPNFlyGirl]

.
I work for 1 hr in the evening & 1 hr in the morning 5 days out of the week...... It doesn't get any better than that

Hey Eamon,

Someday's I work more in one day than you work all week.

The need to make a shirt, with an airplane on it, that says LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!

Richard, listen to Eamon, he know's what he is talking about.

 

[Richard]

Deranged - def: 1. Waking up at 3am and realizing what you're currently doing is completely stupid idiotic and you should have done that something else that you wanted to do ten years ago that you didn't do then for whatever reason.

If gonna' ****ing cry.