Ramp Wait

[UB6IB9]

Hey Guys,

I’m aware of a bunch of companies that hire low timers from the ramp, but I was wondering if any of you guys know of companies that bring guys over in less than a year. From some of the companies I’ve been looking into (ie. Perimeter, Tindi, Arctic Sunwest, CMA) it’s more like a year and a half up to two years on the ramp. I’d pretty much go anywhere, even to fly a 172. Any insight would be great.

Thanks

[doubleremix]

The ramp sucks (I know because I did it).
Try to find a flying job before taking something on a ramp...you should be able to come up with something in today's industry.

If you do end up working the ramp, choose your company carefully. Make sure you go somewhere that has a good track record of taking rampies consistently and in a decent amount of time.

Good luck!

[UB6IB9]

Thanks for the input. Still debating between doing a FI rating, or doing my time on the ramp.

Cheers

[sepia]

I did both. The ramp was the far better option. You don't learn a whole lot by teaching percautionary landings. I learnt more in my first week online up north than I did in a year instructing.

[dss3000]

Sepia

As an instructor you were supposed to be TEACHING!! yes you should have learned a few things over time as you watched your students perform their maneuvres, all the while building valuable PIC time. Now I wonder what you could learn from being on the ramp loading an aircraft and watching it takeoff?

ps: there is no column in your log book for ramp time!!

Cheers,

[UB6IB9]

hey sepia, you got any tips about where to go up north?

cheers

[sepia]

As an instructor you were supposed to be TEACHING!! yes you should have learned a few things over time as you watched your students perform their maneuvres, all the while building valuable PIC time. Now I wonder what you could learn from being on the ramp loading an aircraft and watching it takeoff?
ps: there is no column in your log book for ramp time!!
Cheers,


Exactly, you're too busy teaching to be learning. As a 250hr instructor, you're not proficient at starting the bloody plane, let alone teaching.

What do you learn while working on the ramp?

How about real world weight and balance calculations. Every flight is going out at gross weight, every flight is going out on min fuel to maximize payload.

While instructing you debate whether to take full tanks this time, or do one more flight to drain them down to half tanks before the fill up. Instructing you debate if you're gonna have the 4000' ceiling you need to air work.

There's no comparision.

What else do you learn on the ramp? You ride along with high time pilots and learn from them. I used to be the crewman on a 705 turboprop. You can't fathom how much you have to learn at 250hrs until you sit inbetween a combined 30,000hrs of experience.


You are right in the fact that you say you can't log ramp time. However once you DO get flying, you fly much more.

If you and I were to both start today with a fresh CPL. By the time a year was passed instructing you would have logged what 500hrs if it was a busy year, maybe 600 if you worked at a super busy school? After year one you'd certianly be ahead. Year two I'd start flying. If i flew 1000hrs in that second year I'd almost have caught you. In the third year I'd become a light twin captain, or a SE turbine captain. In that third year you'd be begging for the job that I had. You would not be hiried for it because you wouldn't know the first thing about flying a plane outside of an instructing environment.

How many instructors fly actual IFR? How many instructors deal with icing conditions? How many instructors go flying when weather is 200 and 1/2sm?



UB6IB9:

I would suggest North American Charters, Wasaya, Perimeter, Courtesy Air, Commercial Aviation, transwest (only if they get the cameco contract back), north wright.

There are many others, those are a few off the top of my head.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

I think the real decision is what type of person you are. Many can't handle the thought of leaving what they know to experience something new and exciting. While Thompson or Pickle Lake won't have the nightlife that Toronto or Calgary has, it truly is what you make of it. I had more fun when I was up north than I do now down south.

[atrflyguy]

Well said sepia. I would add do both. Instruct for a year or so then join a ramp and wait your turn. I completely agree with what you said, although there is stuff to learn being an instructor, it is no comparison to working for an airline. The downside is unless you can get PIC on something like a Caravan fast all F/O time only counts as 1/2 time to your ATPL.

I say this because if a Cpt spot comes up on a King Air (er does it need an ATPL? I can't remember and would have to look it up.) or something like it that does and you could do the job you might not be able as it can take a few years to build up almost 3000 hours of F/O time to get the ATPL issued.

Sometimes what might seem like a waist of your time isn't in the long run.
Second don't be in a hurry, things always work out in the end.

Cheers all

[UB6IB9]

thanks for all the info. it's a little fustrating trying to decide which way i'm going to go..so all the input you're giving me is much appreciated.

cheers

[skudrunner]

Tindi is die'n for ramp guys...no resumes...the wait is long but you will get flying.