Caravan Endorsement/ Cost.

[novicef]

I am thinking of heading upto Cairns next month and was wondering if there would be a company up there that would be able to do a Caravan endorsement and what would be the cost?

[rmcdonal]

Did you get a bit bored of instructing?
I have been told before that you should be careful going to the caravan with less then 500MC as to get a twin turbine job afterwards would have you going back onto a twin piston first. But thats just what I was told :}

[TwoHundred]

Don't think you will find anywhere in CS to do an endorsement. Aerotropics and Hinterland are the only van operators apart from a couple of private machines.

200

[ga_trojan]

Wasting your time flying a Caravan; go buy a PA-31, Baron, 310, 402 endorsement instead.

Ask yourself this question, once I have 500 hours on a C208, who will I be able to apply to? How will flying a C208 further my career?

Even if you want to fly for the biggest ASEPTA operation in Australia (RFDS) you will have to fly piston twins to even get an interview.

Not saying it's logical just saying that's the way it is.

[Ejector]

Really, the way the industry is at the moment, I can't even imagine why you are concidering to pay for a C208, C402 training, companies need drivers right now.

[novicef]

It was a thought but after the postings here and the PM's I've received I think I'll let somebody else do the paying for a change.

[the wizard of auz]

Yeah?. good luck with that then.
There is still plenty of people out there needing drivers............ but unfortunately, there all still stuck in the old mindset that they're doing you a favor by employing you, and paying crappy money, and having unrealistic expectations of the pilots.

[Lefthanded_Rock_Thrower]

Wiz,

come on champ, let uncle rock chucker wipe those tears away.

H,h,h,h,h,h,h,harden up you blouse !!!!.

Whilst ever there is a stream of hopefulls willing to sell off their grandmothers ( say Hi to yours for me ), nothing will change.

[the wizard of auz]

Nah, I'm fine mate. I'm just pointing out the obvious for the new players. :eek:
Nana says "hi"....... mums a little jealous that your now seeing the whole bowling club, and nan's mates want your phone number. :}

[Roost]

Try St3v3 H3garty maitainance in Townsville. Last time I talked to him he was looking for a van driver for one of his customers. Only looking for 500TT and its a nice van.


I think its based near Toowoomba

Worth a call

[kiwiblue]

Well spoken RTG, my sentiments exactly.

With that in mind... can you recommend anyone on the E coast with whom to do a C208 endo?

[Roost]

I loved my GA time, but it in the whole is not a viable option. GA is only surviving because of budding airline pilot. The percentage of pilots that grow grow up draming of flying a Van is there but minor. GA should be thankful to the wannabe airline pilots coming through as the budding pilot should be thankful for GA. We are seeing now the proof of this as more cadetships open up and GA is skipped. You will have no asspiring airline pilots ripping of GA and treating it like a training ground, but you will also have few les pilots.

But glad you enjoy your job, I loved my time in Barons and pushing metros around.

[ga_trojan]

I am quite well versed on what a caravan can and can't do; I only have 2500 hours on type. If you want to spend your career in bugsmasher GA then the Van is an awesome, comfortable aeroplane to do it in. I was just make the point that the C208 will be the ONLY aeroplane you'll fly as it doesn't lead to anything else including the RFDS. If you're happy flying a van forever go for it.

Unless you have funds coming from another source I am not sure how anybody will do anything other than survive on Caravan wages. You'd be lucky to see more than $45000 a year. To get more money you need a bigger aircraft, and that's where you can get "stuck" on a caravan. If you're financially set though then flying a nice C208 around Cairns would probably be a great way to spend your time.

As for endorsements why not chat to the Cessna dealer. I'm sure they'd have endorsing approval or know someone who does.

[bushy]

There is a big shakeout happening. I flew for decades in GA and enjoyed most of it. I earned about what an experienced teacher earns. It was a viable and satisfying career.
Then a flood of airline wannabies came along and ruined everything. This developed to the extreme. I could never figure out why people who were smart enough to get a licence were not smart enough to research job prospects before they spent their money on training.
So we had a lot of unhappy jobhunters blaming the operators for not giving them good jobs, free endorsements and buying new aeroplanes for them to fly. The flood of wannabies actually killed most of the well paying jobs. It also undermined the long term GA pilots, and the dedicated flying instructors, so there are only low timers left.
They are now saying the same things about regional airlines, and some of the majors.(what happens in GA moves into the airlines) With the attitude often displayed I sometimes wonder if any airline would hire them.
The airlines are looking for the qualified endorsed, experienced pilots and they will try to pinch them from other airlines and the air force first, and from overseas, because that would be cheapest, and their attitude may be more suitable.
Lots of GA pilots will get better jobs but many will not. I wish them all well.
But my great hope is that GA will in furure NOT have a lot of impatient, disinterested airline wannabies. I hope the airlines recruit lots of the pilots who are waiting in GA, and after that from a number of GOOD flying schools and MCPL holders so the GA operators can rebuild their industry with dedicated GA pilots who get a decent wage again.
GA and regionals CAN be much better than they are now. Times are changing, and it is necessary for them to change.
Let's all help to make changes for the better and get rid of some of the bitchiness we see today.

[ga_trojan]

Bushy unfortunately the ideal that you speak of just won't occur again due the economics of GA. 20 years ago everything including housing, fuel etc was cheaper. GA aircraft were new(ish), and the boss could pay you enough money to be comfortable, the cost of living was reasonable and he made some money too. The cost of training was cheaper and wind back the clock to the 60's and flying training was basically free!

Today if you went and bought a license with the plan of being a GA driver forever you just will not get paid enough money to justify it. Even if we wipe out all the airline wannabes who you accuse of killing salaries you won't get much more than $45 000 a year for a C208, PA31 type aircraft. This is because the aircraft can't generate enough money to justify more. A private corporate job may get you a bit more but then that really relies on how much of a tax write off the boss needs. As said above unless you have another income stream bugsmasher GA won't pay the bills in this country.

I have heard this "I just want to be a GA pilot" line a few times in my career and ALL of those guys are not in GA anymore. Some quit because they could see financially they wouldn't be going anywhere and were never able to buy a house, others quit because their nostalgic view of what GA was didn't represent reality and it was all to hard for them, others wound up in airlines, regional and major funnily enough.

[Muffinman]

Geeez ga_trojan didn't you learn anything clocking up all those hours - it's ASETPA. I thought we fixed up your mixed up t's and p's while I was scaring the bejesus out you when we went into YHAA many moons ago:ok: Now go back to the AOCM 7.23 - I'll be asking questions later:E

[Muffinman]

mate - if you go ahead with your C208 plans try to have a read of the CASA document I mentioned earlier, and AAC 1-116, Form 1044,1045 to name BUT just a few to get you going. All adds to being better informed and educated about other issues that surround the steed of your interest :ok: