First Pilot job 2024 Fresh CPL

[7ECA]

Some of my best ferry flying has been on very cold winter days - I like those days you can see for hundreds of miles. Some of my more worrisome trips have been in the summer, where thunderstorms and unstable air masses were a concern.

Isn't that the truth, and in most parts of Canada as well.

I've had the most amazing experiences flying in cold winter weather, with snowcapped mountains, frozen lakes and rivers and trees encased in snow below me.

On the other hand, some of the most mundane as well as uncomfortable flying has been in dreary, smoggy, hazy, turbulent and unstable summer.

Between the two, I'd take a cold dry winter's day, over a warm summer's day in a heartbeat.

[Tbayer2021]

So you were a brand new CPL when you did this ?


In any case your experience has not been my experience when ferrying airplanes. The airplanes I ended up ferrying all had issues and there was always time constraints. One was such a shyte show I abandoned it at the first stop and flew home on my own dime.

And I don't doubt you one bit. My point was that not all ferry flying is difficult and dangerous. I know why ferrying has such reputation, but its not all like that and plenty of it is quite easy and manageable by lower experienced pilots. Hell, a 300NM trip can be a ferry job and a CPL student has to demonstrate that.

Of course it could be easy and fun, but that I would suggest is very much the exception because the plane is, in my experience very unlikely to be as nice as the one you described and winter weather is likely going to be a challenge on at least part of the route.

The last ferry flight I was involved in was mentoring a 200 hr PPL in getting his airplane from Calgary to the West Coast in the middle of winter. It took 2 months to get a weather window I was happy enough with to tell him to go get the airplane he just bought. If he had a fresh CPL my recommendation would not have been any different. His flight was easy and fun, but you don’t get 2 months to wait for weather suitable for a low time pilot in very many ferry jobs….

Not at all, and this just further highlights my point about every trip being different. YYC to YVR (or anywhere on the coast) is a different beast than Toronto to Vernon. I don't understand how saying not every ferry job means taking your life in your hands is a controversial statement.

I don't necessarily agree that it's the exception. It depends on what type of ferrying you do, after all. If one ferries brand new aircraft from a dealer to their owner, you could say it's a bit different than getting a car from random Joe to fly his bonanza that he hasn't even turned on in a year to its new owner.

[Tbayer2021]

I ferried an aircraft too, as a new CPL, and also in winter, and also most of the way across the country. Winnipeg to Salt Lake city. VFR all the way, did it in one long day. Tired old 172. No Gps, we had a little portable thing with us. Got out of the Idaho mountains just as darkness started to fall.

Difference was, the airplane was “known” cause I had a far more experienced pilot (responsible for the plane, and knew its maintenance well) with me, he had flown the route before, and mentoring me while I flew.

Was a really cool experience, weather was fine, but the mountains were intimidating— never flown in them before that day. Not a chance I would have done that flight alone at that point.

This is a great way to build experience, you knew your limit and respected it. Something every pilot needs to learn and the earlier the better. I had also not flown in the mountains prior to that point and made sure the owner was aware. I explained that for me to attempt the crossing, it would have to be severe VFR with light winds and it may mean waiting a few days in YYC. I also wasn't going to attempt the crossing at night or any time near it, so that meant spending the night in YYC after I got there on the 2nd day. I told him that I understood if he wanted me to leave the aircraft in YYC if he had a more experienced pilot available there. After all, he was paying $400 a day plus expenses over 10 years ago. He was happy with every explanation and asked me to complete the trip. Luck was on our side, the weather cooperated the whole way and only took 2.5 days. Day 1 YKZ-YAM-YQT, day 2, YQT-YWG-YQR-YYC, day 3, YYC-YVE.

[Sulako]

Wow, I was moving stuff yesterday otherwise I'd have deleted most of this furball as it occurred.

I have given a time-out to a poster in this thread who made personal attacks. Those aren't cool.

Let's focus on the orginal question, mmmkay?

Safe flights out there!