Dropping Parachutists?

[mysector?]

Hi there,

A quick question...

I have a soon to be de-frosted JAA ATPL and fly Airbus' for a living.

What I would like to do is fly sky divers for fun...

What CAA loop holes do I need to jump through? And do any of your Ppruners that might do this sort of thing want to let me know how best to go about it?

Thanks all,

MS?

[Hampster]

Hi mysector,

I did about 80 hours parachute dropping last year.

I was fortunate enough to know the owner of the C206 that was used on the drops.

As far as requirements I am trying to remember. I had at the time a frozen ATPL/IR with around 300 hours. In order to get the BPA license I was required to carry out around 10 hours of drops with an authorised instructor and then I was signed off by an authorised jump master.

Unless you have a contact already, the best way to get in is to make a personal visit to a number of drop zones and have a chat with whoever is in charge with regard to taking on pilots.

I found the flying really good fun although some days it could be extremely tiring as you can be flying up to 8/9 hours without much of a break.

Regards
Hampster

[BarajasGuy]

Good evening mysector?

Don't you think parachute jumping would benefit much more someone who’s trying to get the experience to join an airline?

In these days, being so hard to obtain those precious flying hours, I would think twice before getting a second flying position when there’s people without even one.

I just think it's not very ethical. That’s just my humble opinion.

[Artificial Horizon]

B.G.

Surely you are joking, I am about to start instructing again on my days off from airline flying, are you saying that I shouldn't do this as it may be depriving someone lower down the chain!!

Well my answer is 'TOUGH', welcome to the real world. If you want the job do exactly as has been suggested, visit the drop zones, make some contacts and go from there.

Your comments that the job should be left for someone so they can get experience to join an airline is the exact reason that some small operators would prefer someone already with an airline job, they don't want to train someone for them to jump ship as soon as possible.

[PPRuNe Towers]

No CAA hoops as long as you're light aircraft (SEP) current whether by Cert of Experience on your last LPC/OPC or biennial flight.

British Parachute Association looks after the rest. Time on type is down to the insurers. Don't suprised if they insist on 10 hours or so before allowing on the job training putting out first jumpers. Our search engine (night shift only) at the moment will bring up several threads on engine management and protection.

They might get keen on you if there's regular ferrying to do but what you know and they don't know is that your instrument rating is type and multi crew specific - don't let their doe eyed expectations of having a 'pro' pilot dig a deep and very embarassing hole for you at which point the CAA will get involved.

Regards from the Towers
Rob Lloyd
BPA Pilot No. 15

[gdnhalley]

Hi MS
I have done a bit of paradropping over the last 10 years, but have stopped now that I have an airline job, as I am led to believe, that any time paradropping could count against my hours available, to work for the airline.
Of course it depends on the deal that you are on.
It is fun flying most of the time, but I would agree with Hampster that it can be tiring sometimes.
good luck
gdn

[PPRuNe Towers]

Good point gdn,

Most likely Ops manual or company notices will set down rules on outside flying. Popular cut of points in UK companies are the reporting of any flying abover 1100 kgs or 1600 kgs.

This may well rapidly change in the light of the Crossair Jumbolina report.

Regards
rob

[Sky Goose]

A.H.

So how did you build your hours ?

Whould you have appreciated some heavy jet dude puttering around in a 206 dropping meat bombs, while you watched from the sidelines with 240 hours fATPL and loads of PFO letters telling you to get more hours ?

Personally I would not feel too good about it, TOUGH life or not.

[Artificial Horizon]

Sky Goose,

I built my hours over two years of instructing and during that time I worked with quite a few other instructors who were airline pilots full time and instructing on days off. To be honest it never entered my mind that these guys were taking jobs from low houred people like me.

What you have to realise is airline flying is very regimented and at times boring. After a while all you want to do is to get back to flying something like a PA28 or 206 whenever you can to give a bit of variety. I just don't see why you shouldn't do this. If you have a problem with this then it is 'your problem', you need to deal with it, don't try and guilt these guys into not doing something that they love doing.

Thats just my view anyway.

[Penworth]

AH, why don't you just fly for fun then? Take a PA28 and go into nice little grass strips wherever takes your fancy? Surely that would be far less regimented or boring than going up and down all day ferrying parachutists, or flying endless circuits with a student? Obviously you have to pay for it, but still. Not trying to make you feel guilty or anything, I just would have thought it would be greatly preferable to trying to get a second job. Just my thoughts.

PW

[Sky Goose]

ARTIFICAL HORIZON

OK, I'll keep my problems to myself, and send out some more CV's.
Who knows one day I might too want to instruct to break the monotony of my dream job !

[Gassbag]

I like Hampster spent 75 odd hours during the weekends last summer in a 206 having muchus funnus. It is damn tiring and well worth the effort and probably the only way a low hour guy like me will get a decent amount of hours in my log book. I was lucky enough to be asked back this season and without hesitation I accepted.

[winch launch]

All the PC-6 pilots (used for para drops) in the aeroclub where I work are all people that have been in the club for a long time and have shown an interest in paradroping because it s fun (but very exhausting). One is an airline pilote, and two of them are just PPL that had a lot of hours before starting there PC-6 TR. The para club owner told me that he doesn t want pilots that would come here just to raise there turboprop hours, and go away as soon as they get a place in an airline. He wants people that wanna do para drop because the PC-6 is one of the sexiest and wildest machine I have ever seen flying. I think it s good that this airline pilot is flying it. He is just a very nice guy that wants a lot of flying and new experiences. I know that it feels unfaire that he gets precious hours that he doesn t even need to log. But if i have the chance to be an airline pilot in the future, I seriously intend to do instruction or para drop rather than watching TV and loosing my skills in light aviation. He doesn t want to rent a PA 28 to let someone else fly his PC-6. Simply because he loves diving at 7000 ft/min, and starting base leg at 3000 ft to then land on a 800 meters field with a tail drager turbo prop.....