Entry level C206 jobs?
 

Just wondering if there are any operators which offer C206 time without time in type?

Haha, are their jobs out there that do? That seems pretty pointless to me. "Oh you have only flown the 172 as the closest similar aircraft? Yeah sorry thats not good enough experience for us to employ you in a 206" lol. Hell even a caravan with a wet ink commercial wouldnt be all that of a stretch. Haha

Many of the 206/207 operators require at least 1000 PIC and as little as 20 Hrs in type or sometimes time any 200 series, (For VFR 135 the FAA only requires 500 Hrs.) The reason these operators have these minimums and are fairly picky about who is flying them is primarily do to the nature of their operations. Many of these operations require the aircraft to be flown under demanding conditions which often requires the aircraft to be operated at or near its limits and with precision. So basically don't let the fact that it's a SE Cessna fool you. Many of the missions these aircraft fly on a daily basis would curl the hair of at least most city pilots...

Not true...those types of jobs are out there but you have to find them. A buddy of mine just got on with Cape Air with less than 300tt CFI CFII. You can also check out Great Lakes which is running a 135 until you get time in type. Lakes from what I heard doesn't pay that much but if you are looking for some turbine then there you go. And not to forget about SeaPort in Memphis that flies the C-208 Caravan which has hired guys with less than 300tt and I personally know this for a fact. Those jobs are still there but from my research fall into the 135 rules. I have also known guys who were low time guys that flew for Lakes and SeaPort that are now flying with Travel Management, Flexjet and Netjets as well. So please don't listen to people who laugh. You don't want to be in a cockpit with them anyway. Keep your head up man!!!! Don't give up.... Before I forget look into pipeline patro. I think they are called Northern States out of Alabama I think. They fly Cessna 172's and I have also seen Planes that Fly for Google as well doing Mapping. These jobs are still there. I also saw a job flying a Phenom 300 sic contract for 200 a day. Keep your head up man...Don't give up...

There are some people who want 500tt but you will be surprised who doesn't require that. A friend of mine flew a Caravan in Hawaii for a year and is now in a Lear 45. When he left for Hawaii he had less than 300tt. Anything can be achieved!!!!!!!!!!!!

Air Associates of Kansas used to be 500TT to fly aerial photography in the 206 but I think they dropped that as well.

I would suggest visiting climb to 350. Pilot Jobs, Aviation Jobs, Aviation Employment, Job Fairs, Career Fairs. They call it the orange site because of their orange lay out. I find some good stuff on there from time to time. Good cfi jobs from Florida to California always and banner flying in Florida. You can fly banners for bars and clubs and maybe a few restaurants and eat and drink for free because you fly banners advertising for them and met pretty women at the same time. I have heard of this happening as will. I knew of a guy I went to college with who went to Florida during summer break to fly banners and all he took with him was cargo shorts and swim trunks along with the bare necessities of course. He got laid while down there and met some cool pilots and built some good time. Aviation doesn't always have to be stressful.

Check out some local skydiving clubs. The 206 is a popular jump plane. Dropzone.com - The single best source for skydiving information should get you headed in the right direction.

The 206 is just a slightly longer 182, same cabin width, some 182s have 540s, so same engine, except rated for more HP. If you really understand how to fly a 172, how to stop yaw with the rudder, how the airplane should roll into turns, how to not shock-cool the engine, you'll be fine. If you get away flying a 172 on rote and don't exactly understand how to pull off a good landing, even if it happens every once and a while and if you don't know what should be happening visually during any landing, a plane like that can bite you. I was led to believe that planes like the 206 and slightly bigger were going to "bite back", but the weight counters the extra power most of the time. It's likely that a 206 outfit may be maximizing performance in some way, so that means you usually have to be on your game.

I fly with pilots all the time that I would feel comfortable with in ANY size plane. I also fly with pilots that perform poorly with bad habits that won't get away with that performance in any airplane, usually defending said performance by claiming that if it was "the plane they know" it would be alright. It always comes back to the experience vs. ability, but it REALLY comes down to cost. It costs a lot to examine whether everyone that applies has the ability, so it's easier to set arbitrary hours to weed out a group with a higher percentage of those that don't quite have it down yet...

Thanks...flight time isn't an issue. I was just looking to pick up some 206/207 time and maybe move into aerial mapping long term.

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.

C-206 time
 

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.:cool:

Precision Aerial Recon
 

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.

With Aperture do you still have to live within 2hrs of San Jose? I'm thinking about applying with AAK (if they're still looking for pilots), just to start traveling a bit and instructing on the side. I'm just crossing 500TT and averaging about 30-35hrs a week currently.

I'm not sure of our hiring situation, but I can say if you expect to get 30-35 hours/week with this job, you will be extremely disappointed. I average 20-25 hours/MONTH! In no way is our operation a "time-building" job.

I'm already instructing getting 30-35hrs a week currently, I love it, I just want to travel a little more or a lot. Not in a rush to go from zero to hero.

I'm leaning more towards AAK honestly. Sounds like a good gig