HotDogSonicBoom

Haha... nap time? I’m jk. You’re gonna wish it is cause you go back and forth to King Salmon to unload 4000lbs out of the back of a 1900 about 4 times a day.

No... there is no nap time unless you get a weather delay due to morning fog. It’s best to set up a spot to sleep in your car on those mornings. When you’re doing a turn in Anchorage, you have exactly enough time to fuel up the plane and wash your hands. Then you are straight back in. It’s a go go go operation

But average summer was 13-13.5 hour duty days while getting about 100-120 block hours per month. Great way to build time, but all the box throwing destroys the pilots

Arturito

Mhmm, that's barely tolerable even without all the cargo handling. Yikes, how do they not fly into a mountain by day 4...

stang

Pretty much any Alaska flying job. I loved my time in AK, will go back if hiring opens up for lower 48 based pilots. Its definitely not for everyone and hard rewarding work.

ZippyNH

That's even cargo 135 in the lower 48 in some cases...some have gone no-touch for ups/FedEx, but it's not the general rule.
Back in 99 when I flew for SCA (SouthCentral air), the copilots even got to fuel the airplane at the end/start of the day....and would often do interline baggage pickup in ANC.
Yup, was 121 passengers and 135 cargo in the be,-1900. AK is hard blue color work, regardless... be read to work.
​Would regularly talk to the ACE guys, and taxi by their facility by Lake hood in ANC....was a decent operator, but remember back then the guys said it was boom-bust based on demand and contracts...

HotDogSonicBoom

Yeah I think they’re doing alright these days. Multiple contracts, well designed business plan, and good pilots that know how and when to say no. I can’t say it was always fun, but I treasure the time I did there at ACE. The crews were a tight bunch and the flying was tough but rewarding. When guys in my regional ground talked only about how “they made their students do it” as a way of demonstrating what kind of pilots they are, I was able to get down and dirty in ground and study.

Those same instructors didn’t believe me about memorizing limitations and memory items, so it was no surprise that they all got less than 15% on the first limitations exam. Only me and an AF Academy grad nailed it. I owe that to ACE as the first week of indoc we had a limitations and memory items test and anything less than 100% was... “thanks for coming but you don’t have what it takes so goodbye.”

I know this comes off as me waxing my own pole, but since you flew up there you know the responsibility they placed on FOs and CAs up there. Additionally, how competitive the pilot pool up north is, they aren’t facing a pilot shortage... cause everyone is a pilot!

One of the captains I used to fly with went to Atlas, and he still misses the Ace days. one of my last flights was with a captain who left Ace to go to OMNI, and then quit to go back to Ace. Heck, one guy in my class had a class date with Alaska even but chose Ace cause he wanted to be in Anchorage every night... he looks really smart now considering the upcoming furloughs.

Fly safe out there

tengssuuciurta

No, he doesn't.

jvice

Would having a 1900 single pilot type rating help get in the door for a captain? I'm under 2500 TT (1850 or so) but blow away the other requirements listed on the website, currently over 350 solo twin turbine single pilot IFR

HotDogSonicBoom

Honestly, it probably will. It looks like ACE bought from of the Hageland assets. I hear a lot of street captains are coming into the doors. If you can, just fly up to ANC and see if you can talk to Robbie. You may get a chance to fly the sim. Their OpSpecs require 2 crew on each flight so I don't know how that affects the single seat rating, but it is worth a shot. They are a decent place

jvice

good stuff. I have my atp-Ctp and atp written completed as well. Been flying single pilot in The Rockies in Colorado too and already knocked out a winter.

I’ll throw in an app tomorrow and try to get in touch with someone up there. I have no problem making a trip up to walk in the door either

Skyehog

Doe's Mike M still work at ACE?