IlliniPilot99

awesome thanks for the info, although you were never in rome?? what do you mean?

ounds like pretty basic stuff that I was thinking about. This may be a stupid question but I did get a laptop for the job (wanted one anyway) what exactly will be using it for as pertains to the job (bob and simone sending us projects....?)

flyingreasemnky

so about how much weight do we have to work with?? also, what do you guys do as far as laundry is concerned (just take it to a local laundromat??)

WmuGrad07

You will be in Rome for training, and that's pretty much it. You'll get sent all over the east coast, move your way south as winter comes and maybe a little west. You'll be away from Rome 99% of the time after training. You may be back in Rome for maintenance if you're close when you need an oil change or something else. Everyday you will send an email to landcare letting them know what you did for the day. You need Excel for this email, so microsoft office is a must. You also need a computer to download the projects off the internet onto a jump drive, then take the jumpdrive to your airplane and upload the projects on the computer in the plane everyday.

All my stuff probably weighed 90 lbs or so. You'll do a weight n' balance at the beginning of the season and find what you have to work with based on your plane. The M models can take less than the N and P i'm pretty sure, so you'll figure it out. Laundry... well you've probably always wanted to know what the washer and dryer was for at the hotels, they're for you, the strange people who LIVE out of hotels. If the hotel doesn't have a washer and dryer then you'll have to find a laundromat. I recommend Best Westerns, quality inns, they usually have breakfasts in the morning, pools, laundry area's.

Time2Fly

Does anyone join the reward clubs for the hotels or anything else? The company pays but you get the free nights to use some other time?

TallFlyer

WMU,

Thanks for the info. I've already spent about three years traveling on a tour bus in every state in the lower 48, so I'm well acquainted with the art of packing light. Seriously people, for the new Landcare guys reading this, pack light! Mainly I just wanted to see if there's anything specific that I might have been missing.

Did you find you needed something pretty heacy to keep warm when the panels for the camera were off?

As far as the GPS, having been a tour bus driver I can tell you that Delorme Street Atlas (whatever the latest version is) is a sweet thing. I'll have the installation CD with me in Rome so if anyone wants it, you can get it.

I plan on doing my best to find hotels with laundry, which usually isn't too hard. I'm hoping our hotel budget will allow for something along the lines of an extended stay or at least something with a little more than a microwave in the room. Eating out all the time can seriously kill a budget. And free breakfast is a good thing......

Definately planning on having a little personal library of instrument material, gotta keep the brain sharp! If anyone is bringing an xBox and I'm paired with you, make sure you have Halo3.

As far as logistics in Rome, if anyone is bringing a car or plans to rent one I'm definitely game for splitting some of that cost with you. I'll be in Boston for about week prior to the first day then making my way over. I *may* have access to a vehicle I could bring from Boston but I can't commit to that yet. Worst case scenario I can take Amtrak over which would take about 8 hours from Boston.

Let the conversation continue......

Sherwood80

My boy, up top, is extremely accurate. You prolly have room in your plane for two suitcases. We did. I would recommend a little bit of winter clothes. When it snows, they send you South. Then when it gets warm again, you go back North. Also, PM me if you have any questions. I am positive that I am more intelligent that WmuGrad07. hahaha j/k bud, but seriously, I am cooler. =)

kalyx522

I was in NY only during the short training portion and after I got "dispatched," came back once or twice (for an oil change, since I was at a semi-nearby project location) during the entire season. You REALLY don't spend much time at Rome, so I think bringing a car is useless. unless you dont mind it sitting in a parking lot all winter.

Laptop is extremely useful... esp. for checking weather every morning and doing the daily report, among other things.

There is actually a lot of space for luggage. I had 5 bags.. a small roll-aboard, a duffel, a flightbag, a large tote, and a laundry bag of clothes. Looking back, I don't think I needed half the stuff I lugged around with me... just a packrat habit I guess. I had an M model, and the weight was fine (it probably helped too that I weight only 130 lbs.)

oh yeah if you're into gaming... a system of your choice comes in handy during some of those weather days.

Most hotels have a washer and dryer, if not there is usually a laundromat in town. I'd get one of those small "ultra" detergents in the beginning of the season.

Also a MUST in my opinion... GLOVES/hat/scarf/other winter gear. esp. if you get assigned in the NE during the winter. I was in the NE from Oct - Jan and having good gloves, scarf and jacket made a huge difference. Screwing/unscrewing all the camera ports take time, and sometimes when you have to clean them too. You get miserable real quick if you're doing this out in -10 degrees with no gloves on. Some guys also used an electric screwdriver to save time.

Another must-have... an ipod. Once you get used to flying the lines, you're gonna get bored real quick, as it is pretty tedious to fly straight lines for 4-8 hrs a day. My ipod really helped pass the time. I knew a guy who downloaded Family Guy into his ipod and watched it while flying his lines! lol.

as for reward points... it's one of the best perks of this job! Two of the nights I spent in Hawaii earlier this year were with those free points. SIGN UP NOW and make sure you get points for every night you stay in every hotel! enroll in Best Western crown club, Hilton HHonors, Wyndham rewards, Choice hotels, Mariott, Holiday Inn Priority Club, goldpointsplus, etc. etc. The company is paying but you can still get points because you get a credit card in your own name. I accrued tens of thousands of points on several different hotel chains in the course of one season. If possible, try to stay within 2 or 3 chains at most so your points arent scattered all over the place - for reward purposes, it's better to have 100,000 points with one hotel chain than 20,000 points each with 5 different hotel chains. oh and DONT FORGET... these rewards clubs often have promotions like, "stay between 12/1-12/30 and get triple points" or something like that. you usually have to check each hotel's reward website for that, because the reward programs dont give it out automatically.

ImperialxRat

Everything posted above is pretty good =) The laptop is a must. Sitting around on rainy and cloudy days would get extremely boring without a laptop. Also, the iPod was the best investment I made while flying for DWAS. After being in the air for 6 hours with another 2 to go, you throw on some techno or Offspring and all of a sudden your back in action!

I also started dipping and eating a lot of sunflower seeds =)

Unfortunately, being a pack rat or not, you will accumulate a lot of crap. When I first started we stayed in an extended stay hotel, so I went and bought a pot so I could make soup and spaghetti... We never stayed in another extended stay my whole time at DWAS (mostly because they were really crappy). DWAS did the hotel and rental car pay differently though.

But I flew around for the next year with this pot sitting on the computer stack... it actually was great to hold things in it... screws, camera panels, etc.

Enjoy the job... it's an amazing experience and you will learn sooooo much. Just remember that if your persistent enough, ATC will let you work anywhere =)

Former DWAS
Former XJT

IlliniPilot99

Everyone thanks for the hints/tips I'm really excited to start this job and get out of my parents house (yes I moved back in with my parents when AE classes were cancelled)

TallFlyer I'm totally down with going in a rental car we'll have to see whats goin on and I might just use my brothers car if its only for about 2 weeks (we get there the 26th start the 27th and the former pilots get there on Nov. 4th.)

I do not have a game system (sucks) but I will provide my own controller on whoever would like to bring one.

question: is there anyway for us knowing where we might go or is just finding out when we find out?

please ke 'em coming

Sherwood80

You will know where you are going as soon as Bob and Simon know, which is almost 100% of the time, the night before you leave, or the morning of the day you leave. Projects come and go, and some get priority over others are random times. There were times that within a matter of a few days, my location changed a couple times.

But this early in the season, you will prolly know where you will be going a few days before you actually leave.

Sometimes it frustrates you, if you are like me and like to plan ahead, but that is the nature of this business.