How many airline guys still fly GA

BTD · Post by **BTD** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 9:19 am

Just curious how many people who are employed by the airlines, regional and majors, still fly General Aviation? Either just for fun or instructing or something like that?

Thanks

Panama Jack · Post by **Panama Jack** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 9:51 am

You can't afford to fly recreationally on a Canadian airline salary!!!

W5 · Post by W5 » Tue Mar 29, 2005 5:33 pm

And you hardly can do it anymore as a sideline because of the flight & duty time restrictions.

Switchfoot · Post by **Switchfoot** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 6:48 pm

Well I'm not an airline guy, but I do know several who fly GA aircraft all the time.

Just two weeks ago, a fellow flew a C-185 to my part of the world who is a captain flying 747's for JAL. His wife flies for an airline too!
I've also completed check-out flights on light aircraft with those guys/gals who regularly fly 767's across the pond. They enjoy the thrill of actually hand-flying a Citabria or Cessna. It keeps them sane I suppose....

Switch.

BTD · Post by **BTD** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 8:18 pm

Yeah I know of one airline pilot who is into GA pretty big time.. which I think is good.

Just curious how many there actually are out there.

Airtids · Post by **Airtids** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 8:53 pm

W5, Clarify for me please: Time logged in a personal aircraft, non-rev, counts towards your flight and duty time?? I was under the impression you could do whatever you like on your own time, even if that meant flying.

ODA · Post by **ODA** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 9:03 pm

Doesn't matter if you have a commercial or a private license when its all said and done you can only fly 1200 hours a year.

ahramin · Post by **ahramin** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 9:04 pm

TC is actually quite clear and quite consistent on this. While most will agree that duty times are not affected by anything not work related, they are totally adamant that the total 30 day, 90 day and 1 year flight times include all flying. Ultralights, gliders, whatever. If you fly 1000 hours with work, you cannot go for the odd weekend flight in your glider.

As i do not come close to these numbers i have not made an issue of it yet. If the time comes that i am flying that much, i plan on applying to the Minister for an exemption. If that fails well, we all know the bit about rules and fools.

Giver eh! · Post by **Giver eh!** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:15 pm

Private flying does not count towards duty time.

grouchy · Post by **grouchy** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 5:31 am

Ahramin: "If the time comes that i am flying that much, i plan on applying to the Minister for an exemption. If that fails well, we all know the bit about rules and fools."

If you get an exemption to that, it would mean 1 less pilot working.

Exemptions are easy to come by, they must be, there's so many of them.
Pay yer money and show it's in the public interest. ( depending on what area of the country you're in, yyz might be different than a northern area.)
Up to the ministers discretion.

ahramin · Post by **ahramin** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 2:05 pm

grouchy wrote:If you get an exemption to that, it would mean 1 less pilot working. Sad

Uh, how would that mean 1 less pilot working grouchy?

Blue Yonder · Post by **Blue Yonder** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 3:15 pm

What if you just forget to log you flying time on the weekends? Don't ask, don't tell......right?

-Blue

grouchy · Post by **grouchy** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 4:44 pm

Ahramin, if you get an exemption that allowed you to fly in excess of what you are legally allowed for the year, then I think hours that were in excess could have been flown by someone else.
If the duty day was dropped down to 12 hrs instead of 14 hrs then there would be a need for more pilots to fill in the extra time. I've tried to get discussion on this going but nobody wants to bite. What would the ramifications to the industry be?

ahramin · Post by **ahramin** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 11:01 am

Grouchy, an exemption would not mean that i was flying more hours commercially. It would just mean that i would not have to give up recreational aviation.

As for changing the current restrictions,
http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopic.php?t=6808

ZLIN 142C · Post by **ZLIN 142C** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 11:19 am

How about all those low-time FOs in the smaller operators who need PIC time to move to the left seat? I can think of several I've met who spend a lot of their free time in a Cessna.

This is the best part. When you reach that stage, all the flying you do in a GA aircraft can just be for fun. The "work" is reserved for the company ship. Personally, I'm really looking forward to it.