Here we gooo.....

[DanWEC]

The time has come to hit the pavement looking for work. The car is being packed up and I'm hitting the road on Tuesday, Feb 21st.
Trip starts in Toronto, North through Ontario, bit of a zigzag through MB and SK, and will essentially terminate in the Knife. Have some friends in Calgary I'll stay with for a week or so at the midway point before I retrace the steps and repeat the trip in reverse, back to Toronto.
These last 8 days will be spent burning up the phone (as if I haven't already.. sheesh!) and planning the logistics of where to drive. Many camps aren't yet open, but I'll be spending time around places like YRL, YXL, YMM, YZF, etc etc...

There are plenty of good suggestions and helpful tips on here from others who have done the trip before, (Always open to more of course, but there are enough road trip threads!) and it should be a nice little adventure in itself,
I'm looking forward to a few weeks away from Hogtown- Not trying to take a somber note, but on Saturday my grandmother passed quietly, after turning 100 last month. She spent most of her life in SWO. I'm reminded that I'm 32 and have regrettably been more places in the States and down south than in Canada. She'll be in my thoughts.

Anyhow, primarily I'd just like to extend the offer to meet anyone from this forum as I travel. It'll be two weeks of hotel rooms and driving, and I'll always be up for a wobbly pop at the end of the day! Have a few friends already I'll be stopping in to see, but I'd love to be able to put a face with more of the names here. Beer is so much better when it has a buddy

Cheers,

Dan Cockerham
dan@blackinkaviation.com

[GGCC]

Hi Dan;

All the best on your job hunt odyssey....sorry about your Grandmother but 100 is a great milestone.

I've done that proposed trip of yours a few times myself, in pursuit of construction jobs, years ago....

If you get to Calgary have a look at C-FAKA in Airdrie.....Remember you are on my crew list when i win the Lotto and we head to Poland to find an AN-2

All the Best;
Dave

[Magnetron]

Hey Dan,

Keep us posted will ya? I've heard about this glorious trip many times and I may be working up the courage to do it as well!


GGCC
Is that were FAKA resides now? Always saw her in YKZ before and once took off right behind her.

[JMACK]

Good luck out there Dan from a fellow UoW alumni and WFC bum........Jim MacKinnon class of 86.

[GGCC]

Hey Dan,
GGCC
Is that were FAKA resides now? Always saw her in YKZ before and once took off right behind her.

Thanks for asking, yup! to the best of my latest info, she was sold to Airdrie...
Have you seen this thread on here?
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=78940

[JVader]

Good luck on your trip man...hoping to be doing mine by summer time....As for FAKA, I was out at airdrie today and didnt see the AN-2, either hangered or gone!

[DanWEC]

Thanks for the encouragement guys! I'll be updating the trip on here as often as I can. I'll be logging it on my own as it will make a nice read to look back on someday.... hopefully.
Jim, nice to hear from a fellow Windsorite. Did you fly with Karl by any chance? He was the first person who ever brought me up in a plane, at 16. He was probably only about 95 then.

[ybwflyguy]

I was chatting to some guys out at Airdrie last week and the AN2 is gone...it's now at a private strip in the Calgary area.

Good luck Dan!

[Rowdy]

Good Luck Dan! Be sure to make the rounds in Alberta, Lots of ops will most likely need guys this spring. I did my first 'tour' back in '05. Quite an adventure!

[KAG]

Dan I wish you all the best.
I remember the fist day I graduated flight school driving back home and thinking tomorrow is the first day I don't know what I'm doing. 2 weeks later I was heading to YPL. The next 10 years were a blur of jobs, moving, PPC, hangovers, friends made, More moving.
Honestly man I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did, and try to live a little outside aviation.
Good luck.

[Cat Driver]

Dan you are starting out on your first road trip to begin your journey in aviation.

My wish for you is that one day your career will have earned you the privilege of going on more road trips like I am doing.

My road trips now are in a new Tiffin Allegro motor home and I go where I want when I want in true comfort......

Aviation can with time become a well paying career, the secret is be the best you can be and never disappoint an employer by not looking after their business and never go back on your word.

As your career progresses your success will be determined by referrals to better and better jobs.

Know your abilities and the safe limits of your abilities and have the courage to say no when needed.....then you my live as long as I have.

[trey kule]

Good luck and have a safe journey. Let us know how it works out as I am interested if this type of venture works often

Now , to much more serious stuff:

If you get to Calgary have a look at C-FAKA in Airdrie.....Remember you are on my crew list when i win the Lotto and we head to Poland to find an AN-2

You have a crew list? Do you require a formal application or would simply sending a bottle of resume suffice to get the no. 1 slot?

[GGCC]

Hey Dan take it from this old timer, Cat Driver gave you excellent advice.......

Dave

You have a crew list? Do you require a formal application or would simply sending a bottle of resume suffice to get the no. 1 slot?

Hi trey, don't want to get Dan's travel post off track here, my remark was a bit factitious but we have had fun with the AN-2 thread on page 2 this board....I have the boys down east here checking out the one thats in Westville, N.S ....read all about it in the thread....(Vodka is fine)

[Jastapilot]

Man, the memories. My trip was yyc-prince rupert-whitehorse-yellowknife, where I found out I had an interview for a job in Regina... in 2 days! Lots of fun! Take a ton of pics and pull over when you see something interesting!

[DanWEC]

Anything that can be labelled "The worst airplane I've ever flown" by any pilot sounds like a blast to me!

Have the first 2 days planned now. Not much for the first 7 hrs of driving north of Toronto besides hitting a drop zone (NOT SKydive TO), then on way up to North of Huron. Will make my first stop that night at a generous member's couch. (Thanks!)
I planned ahead financially, don't have to sleep in a car, drink from a used hobo Mcd's cup or anything, BUT it took 6 months of saving, and don't want to blow it all on hotels when I could be blowing it all on burgers and scotch for my hosts instead.
Now planning on how to snake through Northern Ont. As mentioned might have to just hit the airports and hubs since camps aren't yet open.

Hope I have as memorable of a time as you guys, Cat, GGCC, Jasta, KAG- I'll start a keep things chronicled daily. Should be fun!

PS- Tips for others on a trip: If you buy an emergency roadside kit from Crappy Tire, it includes a 1 year roadside assistance plan. It's $70 bucks if you buy just the plan, or it's included FREE in a $29 kit! Nice deal.
There is also a 300w Eliminator jumper box/Inverter with AC plugs on sale 60% off for $70 bucks.

[ea306]

Good luck DanWEC!

Good advice from everyone. CAT as always has nailed it. He gave me some very good advice many years ago and I am happy to tell you it has done me well. May I also add that it pays to be good to the people around you (your coworkers) on your way up because you meet them again on the way down when aviation catches you in a down cycle. In this business it does have its ups and downs for sure. For me personally it has all been very worthwhile. It takes personal sacrifices, but anything worthwhile requires the effort to get there. I have also made some amazing friends over the years and it amazes me how small this business is globally. I am grateful that there are still many more years ahead for me, but I just cannot believe how quickly the time passes by. Savour every moment and do take the time to enjoy the journey and remember that the best job you will ever have in aviation is probably the first job as it is that job which will get you to the next one and the next one as you build your experience and your career.

Wishing you the very best!

[KAG]

Dan having driven across northern Ont more times then I care to remember two things come to mind, carry extra windshield washer fluid (the lack almost ended my life) and don't drive at night- lots of moose (not sure about winter).
Have fun

[DanWEC]

Good call on the washer fluid. I have an extra jug in the trunk, along with a full jerry can of gas and a jug of coolant (not premix, I'm carrying h20 as well), and gorilla tape + tool kit.

Just an update- I've decided to delay the trip by a week. It's expensive and I only have one shot at it right now. Don't want to be off the mark on timing and I feel it might be a tad early (as others have suggested as well). This way, by the time I'm back in Ontario from out west, things will be starting to open up a bit more here as it will be mid march.

[rapid602]

Just what you need is more travel advice. However .... I have Northern Ontario experience and lots of it( Lived there 30 years.) The ride between CYAM & CYQT is some of the roughest terrain in Canada outside of the Rookies. ( Please don't start a discussion about what road is MORE slippery er ) Winter travel must's are ... a sleeping bag in case someone runs into your car and you loose your rad, extra coolent won't help you. A container of Kitty Litter, in case you slide off the road and you need traction. Get the plastic containers .... good for next year too.... And a box of your favorite cookies so you have a snack until help comes. A night that could be awhile. Oreo's make you thirsty but go best with milk. Keep a log of everyone you talk to, and some little fact that about each person. Take one of those little garden guy's from Walmart ( GARDEN NOME ??? ) ( SPELLING ) with you and take his picture in every city by a sign, or the Goose in Wawa. Kinda like Wilson the ball from Castaway with Tom Hanks. He will be good company for you and make your trip memorable. I would like to see some of the pics if you do.

Good Luck on the trip.

[FICU]

I remember mine fondly. February of 1999 which became known to my friend and I as the "shit sandwich tour". Edmonton through to Thunder Bay with visits throughout Saskatchewan and Manitoba including Flin Flon, and Thompson. He had 1300 hours and I had 250. We had a Coleman camping stove and frozen cans of Chunky soup in the trunk and slept in cheap hotels. We met as many Chief Pilots we could by setting up appointments as we traveled and some were decent and others were complete dicks.

It was an enlightening trip to see what Canadian aviation was about and we both were left with a feeling of doubt about the prospects of finding that elusive first job. After all those visits to airlines and charter operators I got a job in Winnipeg in and he was hired by a company in Peace River. My buddy and I are now working at the same company, both of us in the left seat of a Boeing so ultimately we are both very fortunate that things worked out for us.

What we learned was to call ahead and set up appointments and hand deliver resumes. Back then times were tough and the idea of faxing resumes was out of the question. Either of us had float ratings and the float operators were the ones who treated us the worst even after telling them we planned on getting the ratings for the upcoming season. I would recommend going earlier and not waiting because if you wait for spring there will be much more competition from other road warriors. Keep your chin up and stay positive even when you feel like it's hopeless because you never know!

If you get to Edmonton PM me and I'll have a beer with you.

Best of luck Dan and drive safe!

[The Mole]

Road trips, i remember those. Lots money wasted.. I did meet lots of nice chief pilots. But truth be told i never got a job from a road trip. Send a resume and follow up. Or hound the company that does hire low time guys. Better yet move close to there operation, if its yellowknife. We'll sucks to be you.

It feels good years later, when you have experience to have a company call you. And you can tell the owner to F*ck off cause they tossed you out of there hanger when you where just a low time pilot.

[DanWEC]

Thanks for the words FICU. Just picked up a stove the other day actually, more so for coffee in the morning. And mid-morning. And lunch. And afternoon. And mid-afternoon. and between mid afternoon and afternoon.... you get the picture....

I sent you a PM with my info. I'll give you shout when I get to Edmonton.

Cheers,
Dan

Oh, and Rapid: Garden Gnome? Brilliant.... thinking about using a full size cardboard cutout of David Hasselhoff though...not that I have one though. I'll have to borrow cdnpilot77's.

[Colonel Sanders]

Free advice: driving any distance in winter, get:

- 4 new snow tires, deep tread
- new battery
- new windshield wiper blades
- change oil and filter, get full synthetic 0W20 oil

The 4 new snow tires will keep you out of the ditch. The new
battery and the hi-tech oil will get you started in the morning
when it's -30C (or colder).

You can change the windshield wiper yourself in the Canadian
Tire parking lot - no tools required. Heck, I've changed batteries
in the CT parking lot - all I needed was a 10mm wrench I keep
in the glove compartment.

Get yourself a nice long pair of jumper cables, and a nice light
aluminum shovel, and keep them in the trunk with a pair of
work gloves. Make sure your spare is pumped up and that
all the bits and pieces of your jack and tire wrench are there.

I might suggest a toolbox in the trunk with a few hand tools -
screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, sockets, pry bar, hammer,
and some rags.

Bring warm work boots, and a warm winter jacket that you
don't mind getting dirty. A 12VDC to USB converter is a must
as is a kick-ass cell phone plan with no long distance or roaming
charges with an awesome data plan. Get an HSPA+ or LTE (4G)
phone that can act as a wifi access point for you laptop or pad.

And take pictures of your adventure!

[Beefitarian]

Best of luck. Could you consider another cast member off Bay Watch?

[cdnpilot77]

Sorry Dan, you totally ruined the Hoff the last 8 times you "borrowed him" in the past 2 weeks. All I have left is the Liberace bust .