As was said, I do not work for Lakes. I quit flying the Caravan when it looked like the company was going to be sold. I could have stayed on, but on a resume 2000 hours of turbine SEL isn't worth any more than 1000 Turbine SEL. In the seven years I worked for the air ambulance company flying a C421, we went from 7 fixed wing and 13 helo bases down to just two. I left about 6-8 months before my base closed, and I would have been unemployed.


This year I will finally make as much as I did in the 421 (four years ago), and things seem to be improving. That said, I do keep an eye on Mountain Air, Skydive Deland, Vintage Props and Jets (forgot, they went belly up ), and a couple others (nothing against Wiggins, but they fly where it is COLD!). You never know when things will change like a terrorist attack, speculators doubling the price of oil, or the mainlines miraculously taking back ALL of their flying. So you gotta have a contingency plan.