Well finally the advanced bush flying training program I have been thinking about is avaliable.

It is a new start up owned by one of Canadas most experienced sea plane pilots.

It is not a cookie cutter puppy mill kind of program so prevelent in aviation.

Sea plane pilots are becomming sought after and as a career it has a lot of positive things going for it.

If you are interested in knowing more just PM me.

. ..

Where's it available at?

Nanaimo B.C.

What makes it different from the "cookie cutter" courses and if float pilots are becoming sought after, why should one spend their money on such training as opposed to the basic 7 hour float rating. Also, if it is truly a bush flying training course will it include ski flying and off strip training?

Good luck with that .. It sounds like a 'community service' / 'give-back' type program and worth doing.

While limiting your market probably isn't a good thing, I would think that if the students already had say 500 hrs (1 season either on wheels or floats) they would get more from the 'advanced' part and would be in a very good spot for getting employment and doing a good job after that.

How does this course differ from the others, and the ones with very good reputations such as Air-Heart in Kelowna BC?
Just curious as to what you offer that puts you above the "cookie cutters" as you say...

How does this course differ from the others, and the ones with very good reputations such as Air-Heart in Kelowna BC?

Well first off I agree that Air-Heart has a good reputation.

The course I am describing is different in that it is structured on the students ability to meet a standard and not on a specific number of hours.

Passing the course is based on the pilot training record, once competent you will receive the training record and a certificate of competency.

Also you should inquire about doing PPC with this company.

Just curious as to what you offer that puts you above the "cookie cutters" as you say...

The course is not structured like a lot of FTU courses and the instructor is not a low time Flight Instructor with little or no experience in commercial sea plane flying.

And last of all I am quite involved in the structure of the course and in an advisory capacity.

Therefore you have the opportunity to learn from two of the highest time sea plane pilots in the industry.

Anymore things you are curious about, if so just ask and I will do my best to give you an answer.

. ..

About time there is a new place to get a float endorsement/ or additional training. the Airhart gig has gone downhill in the last while. I do not believe float flying should be taught by a low time float pilot. What can he teach and pass along. While everyone is stuck on the 50 hrs of float time, I as an operator would rather see less hours , but better quality training. You get what you pay for.

Anymore things you are curious about, if so just ask and I will do my best to give you an answer.

. ..[/quote]


Had I known that you are Cat Driver I wouldn't have asked (in such a way), My apologies, I just read the thread on the other forum. From what I have read, you have more knowledge in aviation than most anyone on here. If I can ever find the time to come train with you I will, sadly I can barely find the time to keep current.

Had I known that you are Cat Driver I wouldn't have asked (in such a way), My apologies, I just read the thread on the other forum. From what I have read, you have more knowledge in aviation than most anyone on here. If I can ever find the time to come train with you I will, sadly I can barely find the time to keep current.

No problem.

The real problem is using an assumed name no one knows who you are.

I am interested in asking for details but because I just signed up I can't use the PM feature. Is there a website or email I can refer to? Thank you!

Jonnyboy wrote:I am interested in asking for details but because I just signed up I can't use the PM feature. Is there a website or email I can refer to? Thank you!

Same boat.

WEBSITE ANYONE...?

Is this new school Island Air...?

He is referring to Pacific Seaplanes Inc located in Nanaimo BC
with site address of www.pacificseaplanes.biz or FB pacificseaplanesinc

Cheers
Randy

., Might I suggest getting someone to run over your site and "modernize" it a bit.

A lot of people rely on first impressions of a site as silly as it is.

There's a few good template website companies out there that can make making a new site very very easy.

Independence wrote:Good luck with that .. It sounds like a 'community service' / 'give-back' type program and worth doing.

While limiting your market probably isn't a good thing, I would think that if the students already had say 500 hrs (1 season either on wheels or floats) they would get more from the 'advanced' part and would be in a very good spot for getting employment and doing a good job after that.

I did my initial float rating with a chap who wouldn't take a look at anyone with less than 500hrs. (in NZ though). In my opinion you have to learn to crawl before you walk. Get the wheels semi down pact, then add to it. Congrats ., the more guys with actual experience teaching the better!

If you want to be a bush pilot then do your initial on floats. Since there is no actual "BUSH PILOT" rating it just sounds like your cert of competency is a cash grab. Good pilots aren't just trained, it comes from experience.

Hi .,

Don't know how to PM (or maybe not allowed to as just signed up). Would you be willing to send me a message regarding the syllabus and who the instructors are? Thanks very much. We met many years ago. Thanks.

Steve

I got my bush flying training when I got a job. Now I'm a bush pilot.

Easy, and free...

upintheair_ wrote:I got my bush flying training when I got a job. Now I'm a bush pilot.

Easy, and free...

Dude! You are sitting in the right seat of a Piper Navaho in Red Lake, forgive me but you are NOT a "bushpilot"!

Unless I am misinformed....

-How many camps have you flown into?
-Do you know what a tindi ramp is?
-Have you ever "dropped" drums of fuel using only ropes?
-External loads?
-Have you ever been in command of a ski or float equipped aircraft and flown over a site where you know the people trapping/staking a claim and stopped to give them your news paper or to check that all was ok/needed anything even though your company didn't ask you too do it... You made the landing and taxied in as close to camp as you could because doing so is... "The right thing to do in the North and wanted to ensure that your fellow man was OK?"

Sir, with all due respect, you might live and operate out of YXL, but ARE NOT A TRUE "BUSHPILOT"

All the best and fly safe,
TPC

PS: If you ever have the privilege of running into J.S.G at the Lakeview, please tell him I say "hello" and call yourself "humble Navaho right seat pie" and not "a northern bushpilot"!

Holy crap, I thought it was a job, not a title.

I've been flying floats and skis for over twenty years, and I'll be fucked if I know what a "Tindi ramp" is either... unless you are referring to that place in Yellowknife where King Air co-pilots in orange vests get in and out of their planes. Are they these "bush pilots" you speak of?

Meatservo wrote:Holy crap, I thought it was a job, not a title.

I've been flying floats and skis for over twenty years, and I'll be fucked if I know what a "Tindi ramp" is either... unless you are referring to that place in Yellowknife where King Air co-pilots in orange vests get in and out of their planes. Are they these "bush pilots" you speak of?

Meatservo,

I've always enjoyed reading your posts and your no non sense at calling things as they are.
With that said, dont be coy and admit it... Those of us that do the kind of work we do, completely unassisted, far from any form of civilisation are what we are. Flying a "Ho into to a gravel strip with an MTO building near by might be considered by some as "bush flying" I would politely beg to differ.

All the best,
TPC

Meatservo wrote:Holy crap, I thought it was a job, not a title.

I've been flying floats and skis for over twenty years, and I'll be fucked if I know what a "Tindi ramp" is either... unless you are referring to that place in Yellowknife where King Air co-pilots in orange vests get in and out of their planes. Are they these "bush pilots" you speak of?

While I've only been at it for 10 years, I have no idea either.

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Come on guys, would someone please tell us what a "Tindi ramp" is? Is it just another word for a barrel ramp? Is it some special invention that Air Tindi invented?

I'll tell you what I think should be in a pilot's repertoire if you want to start calling yourself a "bush" pilot:

-How to bring a floatplane to shore in the absence of a dock
-How to tie the most common sailors' knots, and when to use them
-How to whack down a couple of trees and make yourself a dock, or at least a little platform from which to load and unload
-How to properly "sail" a floatplane
-How to taxi in a current, and come to shore in said current
-How to dig out a stuck skiplane, or how to turn one around if you've run up on shore and don't have enough turning radius left to taxi in a circle without hitting something
-How to build a little shelter, and light a fire
-How to judge from above whether a landing surface is adequate... not just to get in, but get out again with a load. I'm not just talking about a lake, I mean tundra, snow, or mud on the riverbank.
-How to "safely" hand-prop your piston-driven plane
-How to temporarily repair a hole in your float to get it pumped out enough that you can take off
-How to figure out the sun's true bearing
-Heck, how to read a map, and use it if your GPS goes tits-up and you drop your phone in the water while "texting"
-How to load and shoot a rifle or shotgun. Bears are real and they are assholes.
-How to tie stuff safely to the outside of your plane. I don't mean a "transport Canada approved" boat rack.
-and, at the risk of sounding sanctimonious, try to learn to respect and admire First Nations and Inuit people. I know sometimes it's hard, but they are not really the way they seem at first.

Well, these are just a few of my favourite things. Listen to the old ones. Watch for the signs. Learn to do everything without help. Don't pat yourself on the back too much. Don't pat yourself on the back not enough.

Flying is a craft. A "Bush pilot" knows this. Knowing how to operate an aeroplane is just part of the picture. You need to be able to fully manipulate your environment, yet also be able to understand when to go with the flow and not to fight circumstance. For the right person, it's a life-long acquisition of skills, and when your theories and things you've learned start to become muscle memory and intuition, then you might actually be a genuine "Bush Pilot".