Yute Air -Spring 2011
 

Second class medical and 500TT min with a commercial or ATP.

Preferred 1200 and ATP and a second class or better.



Although "Yute" only makes me think of Joe Pesci from "My Cousin Vinny." "Yutes? I'm sorry.... YOUTHS"

I can hear the ground controller "follow the two Yutes" to runway 33...the job posting reads Pilots are paid a daily wage based on experience. Enlighten me?

Clipper,
Don't know anything about them other than they fly Cessna 207's. I've never flown out in Western AK.
Daily wage in my experience is the way to go rather than hourly. You're gonna probably be working a 14 hr duty day during long daylight hours, or close to it. It's pretty lame to be working all hourly flight pay on super crummy weather days and making little to no money.

Hopefully some western AK pilots will chime in. Things that I'd be interested in regarding them would be their safety record, mx, if their a/c are equipped with the Capstone avionics system, schedule (2 weeks on/off?), jumpseating priveliges, housing, and possibility for winter work too.

Good luck.
Stay safe whatever you end up doing.

I think everybody has capstone equipment. They are probably 2 on 2 off because almost everybody else is, but they might not be. Not sure about jumpseating on Alaska, but they might be CASS. Pretty much like all the other carriers out of Bethel is about all I know. Their safety record is average (capstone brought down accidents rate dramatically) and don't know about mx. If you get a job there, you could leave in a few months and go to any other carrier hiring in AK and get a job.

holy camoly... looks neat

I flew in Southeastern AK last summer and would highly recommend it to any pilot in the 500-1000 hour range who is looking to build good experiance. You will learn a lot about good decision making. Not sure about what its like up in Bethel, but from my experience, most of the AC in Alaska who are on a 135 certificate have the Capstone system.

I currently work at Yute Air. It is a decent place to work, however it is all ASEL time. Nothing to upgrade into.

We have 12 207's and a 172. Everyone is based out of Bethel where the company provides pilot housing and transportation. Everyone rides to and from work together.

The payscale is a bit complex but in a nutshell new guys get $180 per day with a $200 bonus per shift if you work hard. With former AK time and 135 experience comes higher payscales. Most work 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off but other schedules are considered.

Maint is great, I have been very happy with the mechanics. If something is wrong with your plane you bring it in and jump in another plane. If there are no other planes (never had the problem) you collect your day rate.

Safety is what you make of it. In ground school they will say "You will never be punished for turning around." After the first hundred times they say it you will get the idea that we want you to do the right thing and keep yourself and your passengers safe. Anyone can be a yes man, I get paid to do the hard thing and tell people no.

We do not have CASS, we do have a cabin only agreement with Alaska Airlines and most of the in state airlines.

The flying is great. With the exception of Bethel everything is gravel, short and narrow. While many people would consider that anything but great I love it.

Due Dilligence, brothers. Do your homework. Always look at your prospective employers as hard as they look at you. In the 135 world, that's imperative, especially in Alaska. Find out what your prospective employer's safety record is. Have they lost their Director of Maintenance or Chief pilot recently? Why? Have they had any fatalities? How many aircraft pieces decorate the tundra? Look for violations or fines against them. Beyond your own safety, protecting that license you worked so hard to get is important. "Yes" answers usually mean others have already lost their certificates, or had certificate actions while under their employ. Be careful.

Look around... there's lots of operators up here. Just 'cuz someone offers you the job doesn't mean you should take it. Know what you're getting into.

On the plus side, working up here is amazing, and should be required boot camp for all fresh aviators. If the fit was really hitting the sham, and I had my family in a plane, I'd take a Bethel pilot over a military guy any day. No offense to the military guys. We see plenty of military guys come up after retirement.... they know what I'm talking about. You will gain skills and confidence that will serve you well through out the rest of your career.

Happy hunting,
Ronin

Has anyone applied and heard back? Do they typically have a lot more summer season pilots than they do during the winter months?