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LAfrequentflyer 10-22-2005 08:44 AM

Planesense
 
Anyone heard anything good/bad about these guys??

www.planesense.aero

thanks,
LA

FuelJetA 10-29-2005 03:04 PM


Originally Posted by LAfrequentflyer
Anyone heard anything good/bad about these guys??

www.planesense.aero

thanks,
LA

I know a bit about these guys as I was involved in a PC-12 frax that never made it. I flew with an ex-Alpha Flying (Plane Sense) pilot and learned a bit about them.

Here are a few insights:

They seem to treat their guys well enough and he didn't complain about working there. However, he was related to the chief pilot...

He logged time that I KNOW FOR SURE could not be logged as anything. You can't sit in the right seat of a single engine turboprop requiring one pilot and expect that time to be worth diddly! He had 2000 total and had something like 1700 PIC turbine. Give me a fricking break! They made him a capt. at 300 hrs? I think not.

The time flying the aircraft is not really all that quality. It counts for total time and turbine, kind of, b/c it's not ME time. The pay, last I checked was in the 40K range to start, which is not quite enough to live in Manchester, NH.

The aircraft, however new they may be, are relatively neglected and always very dirty.

The clients are definitely on the low end of the income scale, so don't expect to make a whole lot of networking connections that will actually go anywhere as far as leading to greener pastures.

If you need a paycheck and have 2500 total with some turbine in there, it is a good way to get paid, but it is not necessarily a good career move.

The company is solid and you could make a career out of it as I believe they are there to stay. If you could be happy flying a PC-12 for a long time, then go for it!

Hope that helps!

Shanon

TankerDriver 10-30-2005 05:45 PM

Slightly off subject, but there's something about flying a big, single-engine turbo prop that gives me the creeps. I did it for a while, but I had an ejection seat, which made me feel abit better (T-6 Texan II). How does that thing glide? The Texan uses the same engine. Great engine, very reliable, but there's always a chance...

FuelJetA 10-30-2005 08:08 PM

It has an AMAZING glide. Seriously amazing like 17:1. Hit the top of the ILS at 5000 feet and 170 indicated and a feathered prop and you will not only make the airport, but you'll crash the fence on the other side. You can do the teardrop return safely from 5-600 feet, no kidding.

Speaking of which...my PC-12 currency is going to lapse at the end of this month...you reminded me. Oh well.

It's a nice airplane, it's just not worth flying it from the right and hardly the left seat as people look at it like a caravan.

SkyHigh 10-31-2005 04:24 AM

This indusrty
 
This industry is unbelievable. Caravan and PC-12 time is almost worthless. I seems like just a few years ago that such a thing didn't exist. Now you have to have PIC in a multi-turbine to get a second look. By the way things are going with RJ's soon we will have to have a few thousand hours of PIC Jet time to be noticed by employers. I remember back in the late 80's all it took was 1000 hours of PIC in a piston twin and you were a hot prospect. The smaller stuff is more difficult to fly anyway. I don't get the logic.

SkyHigh

TankerDriver 10-31-2005 07:47 AM

Supply and demand maybe?

FuelJetA 10-31-2005 09:08 AM


Originally Posted by SkyHigh
This industry is unbelievable. Caravan and PC-12 time is almost worthless. I seems like just a few years ago that such a thing didn't exist. Now you have to have PIC in a multi-turbine to get a second look. By the way things are going with RJ's soon we will have to have a few thousand hours of PIC Jet time to be noticed by employers. I remember back in the late 80's all it took was 1000 hours of PIC in a piston twin and you were a hot prospect. The smaller stuff is more difficult to fly anyway. I don't get the logic.

SkyHigh

I totally agree with you. It is a bit frustration but now you need 1000 PIC Jet it seems to get ahead in the industry and you need some jet SIC to just get a fricking job as an FO. This industry is really hard.

I have personal experience with this PC-12 thing. I have a good friend who has literally 8000 hours in single engine turbines and 13,000 total and he is about 6 months ahead of me (with 3000 hours total) on getting an upgrade in the Lear. That tells you that single turbine time is just about on par with Cessna 152 time. Unless you want to fly the PC-12 all your life, do yourself a favor and just skip it.

LAfrequentflyer 10-31-2005 09:27 AM

I should stay away from all SE jobs? CFI / night freight in a light twin and build or pay for ME then make a move directly to a regional to build jet time first as SIC then PIC? After 1,000+ PIC jet time start sending resumes to majors/LCC?



Did i miss anything?

-LA

FuelJetA 10-31-2005 09:39 AM


Originally Posted by LAfrequentflyer
I should stay away from all SE jobs? CFI / night freight in a light twin and build or pay for ME then make a move directly to a regional to build jet time first as SIC then PIC? After 1,000+ PIC jet time start sending resumes to majors/LCC?



Did i miss anything?

-LA

I think you got it. Although, on little note is that a PC-12 job MAY MAY lead to a King Air job or a C-421 job. That is the only reason to do the PC-12. In my opinion. I would try to work out ways NOT to pay for multi time though.

Work as an MEI in FL and get the multi. Try www.parisair.com I built 500 ME flying Senecas there.

Good luck!

LAfrequentflyer 10-31-2005 10:01 AM

I'm going to...I'd rather CFI to build the time, it will be more productive than being a paying PIC and waiting to run the clock down...In this case up to the desired level for that regional job...


-LA


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