Looking to get my float rating, anybody trained with Tartan Air. I called them and it's end of season now so won't be able to start until next spring; emailed them and got no response; everybody's probably gone home by now...

Comments???

To sum it up, the best decision I ever made during my flight training was going to PEI and flying 50 hours with Tartan Air. Well kept airplane, amazing scenery, technical flying on the ocean and around Nova Scotia. Plus I couldn't find a better price for 50 hours on floats anywhere else in the country.

Come out to the West Coast and get your rating any time of the year.

nofixedaddress wrote:To sum it up, the best decision I ever made during my flight training was going to PEI and flying 50 hours with Tartan Air. Well kept airplane, amazing scenery, technical flying on the ocean and around Nova Scotia. Plus I couldn't find a better price for 50 hours on floats anywhere else in the country.

What year did you go to Tartan air. I've tried to email them but no answer, what's the best time to make contact?

Try giving Mark a call because e-mails don't always get answered right away. He also owns Tradewinds Flight Centre http://www.flytfc.com/. He's a great guy to deal with. I never flew with him but rented his 172 on wheels a couple of times. I've been throwing around the idea of taking the 50 hour course if it will help me become more employable to float operators.

I was there in the fall of 06, mid to late October. I suggest calling as well, Mark is a great guy and very busy so email can be replied to late. Last time I spoke with Mark he was still getting a lot of business on the plane and he tended to do 50 hour programs in the fall and spring, the summer is a lot of sight seeing and tour work around the island. The flying around Cape Breton, PEI and Bay of Fundy was out of this world, to all the guys that say 50 hour programs are useless I got my first job on a 172 float plane because of the program I did with Tartan. I did the program to build my hours for the commercial so I killed 2 birds with one stone and with the price Tartan had in 06 it worked out to the same as renting a 172 on wheels in Southern Ontario. Also Cape Breton comes with a lot of mountainous terrain that I think people forget or don't know about, nothing close to the west coast but your still getting coastal, mountain terrian and secluded interior lake work, you don't have to go to the west to find all of that, its also on the east coast.

nofixedaddress wrote:I was there in the fall of 06, mid to late October. I suggest calling as well, Mark is a great guy and very busy so email can be replied to late. Last time I spoke with Mark he was still getting a lot of business on the plane and he tended to do 50 hour programs in the fall and spring, the summer is a lot of sight seeing and tour work around the island. The flying around Cape Breton, PEI and Bay of Fundy was out of this world, to all the guys that say 50 hour programs are useless I got my first job on a 172 float plane because of the program I did with Tartan. I did the program to build my hours for the commercial so I killed 2 birds with one stone and with the price Tartan had in 06 it worked out to the same as renting a 172 on wheels in Southern Ontario. Also Cape Breton comes with a lot of mountainous terrain that I think people forget or don't know about, nothing close to the west coast but your still getting coastal, mountain terrian and secluded interior lake work, you don't have to go to the west to find all of that, its also on the east coast.

What kind of prices did you get for the 50 hour program. I currently have my cpl but just want to get my float rating for fun. Thinking of 20-25 hrs is my budget right now. Do you think this should be enough to be proficient on floats? Does he rent the 172 float for you to do solo time?

50 hours than was 8000 bucks, but it was also 1000 lower because the engine was going to be overhauled in the winter so a lower price to attract more business and hours to help with overhaul costs was why I got a cheaper price. I believe the price is around 9000 for 50 now but that was 06, things have changed I'm sure. That price included room and board, I was there for 12 days. If your looking for the rating the price I imagine will be around 1400 or so, I'd call. Your going to get a great price regardless of the hours and any amount of float time is very valuable, if you want to fly floats commercially you have to start somewhere so 7, 25, 50 or however many is all good at getting you started.

Jesus, think of the hookers and booze you could
have bought with $9000!!

You might check www.amigoairways.ca for a rating,and rentals as well.