Dallas to Detroit in 5 hours @ 10. That's nice. That's 160KTAS+. What altitude were you getting that true?

That's the one thing I don't like about my arrow II. The hershey wings can't glide worth a damn (I hate to the flare the thing compared to the semi-taper) and I would love the 74 useable gal for those bucket list type trips I could do non-stop. Which essentially for me it would have meant a NA Arrow III.

But like you said, the price was right, so I snatched the II and so far have taken the family everywhere around the South Central US where driving would have made weekend trips a non-starter. I find the PA-28 airframe very cheap to own and maintain, since its so simple and commonplace. I do prefer Lycos so the4 banger IO-360 keeps me pretty happy on the wallet.

 

Its interesting that in the earlier stages of our careers, we get sick of the sight of a Cessna and dream about flying a big jet IFR to big airports.
Then we get sick of the sight of the jet and dream about flying small planes VFR to small airports.

Seems like a part 91 / 135 gig in a King Air or something similar would be a happy compromise.
Doesn't look as cool on your myface page though, props n all. Gotta make sure you have the "Jet A" fuel truck in the background, and maybe don a uniform sporting 4 bars for the day, flight school style!

 

Let's keep this thread on topic

 

I don't think it's the size or type of the airplane so much as it's the ability to do what you want and go where you want with it, rather than, "cactus 329, descend via the mayer 6 arrival"...yay, I get to fly on autopilot on the exact same route again! The things that attract us to flight, the freedom, the awe of exploration, etc, just don't really exist when you do it as a job and can only do what you are told to.

 

In a Feb. 20 Business Journal article titled "How Miserly Airlines Created Their Own Pilot Shortage," columnist Joe Brancatelli makes the following observation:

"The nation's big airlines don't want you to know that their commuter carriers, which operate half of all the nation's commercial flights, often pay pilots so little that it's often financially wiser to drive a truck or flip burgers than to fly a plane. In case you missed the impossible-to-ignore, cut-to-the-chase conclusion, the pilot shortage is another nasty side effect of the airline's industry race to the bottom of everything from employee wages and benefits to passenger service and comfort. And the airlines bosses are shocked —shocked! — to find that potential aviators aren't flocking to an industry that offers minimum wages to new employees who've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to qualify for the job."

 

Im sitting at about 1750 hrs. ATP with DC-10, BE-400 and MU-300 types. CFI and II

Im currently flying for a reserve unit part time and working for a part 141 flight school on the side... I make more than I would at a regional

I do want to fly for an airline but only if paid right...not trying to be picky but with the current pay scales at the regionals Im just not interested. First year FO pay would have to double at least to get me interested and we all know thats not going to happen.

If it takes me a few years of bumming at my unit to get enough hours for a good paying airline to be interested, then so be it.

 

I'm just curious... Who gave you a DC-10 type with those hours?

 

Probably the military?? I see his signature says KC10.

 

Ok makes sense... Just thought there might be a cheap DC-10 sim outfit passing those around. One I wanted to have but never got (and probably won't have an opportunity anymore).

 

Although I'm not sure if the military gives out type ratings? I always thought you just "qualified" in the aircraft but could be wrong.