The best company I've work so far is an aerial photography company San Jose, CA based called Aperture Aviation.
They fly C206, min tt used to be 500, I don't know how much is now, they may prefer an high performance check out but is not a deal breaker. They can provide all the training necessary.
The pay, the benefits, the schedule and planes are just the best out there for an aerial photography job.
Google aperture aviation in San Jose and you'll find it.
Good luck.

 

Lots of Skydiving operators fly 206's. Easy plane to fly, its just a big 182. I got hired at a drop zone while I was still towing banners and I had 0 hours in a 206 (I did have about 800 hours in High Performance, which is probably what really matters anyways). Also, to those saying go to the pilot job sites for employment...don't bother, they get 100's of resumes. Go to a few airports, and ask around, bring resumes, bring business cards, dress like you want the job, and can act professional (if its a skydiving gig, a suit is overkill.). Most jobs in the low-time aviation world are never listed. Good luck, the jobs ARE out there.

 

Now Accepting Resumes

Cessna 206 Aerial Photo Pilots

500 Hours Total Time

Job Opportunities

 

True in some ways, but not in others and a surprising number of people wash out of Part 135 Caravan training, some with ample twin turbine PIC already in hand. Many of the 135 Caravan companies require 1500+ hours because they see too many washouts with less hours. Basic IFR flying is similar to SE pistons, much of the same avionics are used. But the additional complexity of some Caravan systems plus the much higher gross weight plus the pressure of scheduled flying in bad weather/places/times make it a pretty challenging airplane the way it is actually used in the field. The number of Caravan crashes over the years bears this out as well as the hiring minimums of most companies that use it. It isn't any one thing, just a lot of lesser things combined. Be that as it may the Caravan is one of the easiest airplanes out there for professional flying and pilots generally love it.

 

Air Associates of Kansas and Aperture Aviation do not require previous C206 time, but 500TT still applies (insurance requirement).

 

About Aperture, I've seen the schedule. Whats the pay look like? How are they crewing two pilots per aircraft, i.e. one pilot and one equipment operator?

 

I am at AAK, but Aperture works exactly the same. There is no camera/equipment operator. The second pilot is there strictly for safety purposes. He/she in the right seat would take care of the radios and navigation, while the pilot in the left seat flies. Obviously, the time spent in the right seat is not legally loggable.

As for pay, I cannot say what Aperture is. I do know that their pay is higher than AAK because cost of living is higher in California.

 

So how does the second pilot log time? Is it on the good graces of the PIC? Or is this just away for observers to make some money while trying to get from 250TT to 500TT?

 

you dont live in cali at aperture. aak pays more over a longer period of time. aperture pays about 30k

 

Like I said, the pilot in the right seat cannot legally log the time they are in the right seat. The pilots take turns flying. So, for example, pilot A will fly on Thursday, pilot B on Friday, pilot A on Saturday, etc. Most of the pilots are fair about splitting the flight time while on rotation so that each pilot will end the trip with roughly the same amount of flight time spent in the left seat.