Backcountry Pilot

[hotrod180 offline]

I made the move from Los Angeles (South Bay area) to Port Townsend in western Washington state about 16 years ago now-- best thing I ever did. As a lifelong union sheet metal worker, I worried also about being able to make a living here, but I've done OK. There's less work, but less workers also so it about evens out. I work at a little mom & pop outfit, as opposed to the bigger contractors I worked for in LA, but that has it's advantages too. Unfortunately it also has some disadvantages, but you gotta take the bad with the good.
I would say to go for it, might be tough sledding for a year or so until you kinda get established but in the long run you'll be glad you did it.

Eric

[Zzz]

I split the Owyhee Reservoir posts off, because they warrant their own thread:

http://www.backcountrypilot.org/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1993

[Rob offline]

Hey Wup, By the looks of all the current "latest pics" Dough nut makers are doing a-ok now a days

[Grassstrippilot offline]

I would say that 90 to 95 percent of major airline pilots have nothing to do with general aviation. They play golf . Boring! (A golf course is a perfectly wasted airstrip. ) Most are out of the military or aviation type colleges (first job in the right seat of a turboprop or RJ) and possess no real love for flying, just the money and days off.


IdahoSuperCub

I started flying in high school, went to an aviation college with the intent of flying with the forest service, did fly smoke jumpers for them for one season, then on to corporate to gain more experience. When the corporate gig went south, on to the airlines. Tried for years to get back on with the forest service, but competing with 5 point veterans made that tough. Finally offered a job flying for them the day I was leaving for a new airline gig. The wife and I decided that we couldn't pass the airline gig up, so long as I could keep flying the backcountry in the summer. So far, no regrets and loving the A320. I am very fortunate to have a wife who likes to fly, doesn't mind me spending money on it and enjoys being in the backcountry.

What is posted here is spot on. Those airline pilots that are still in GA are few and far in between, but the rest are fairly clueless to the user fee debate. When I fly with those that have never flown piston aircraft, I pull out my pictures of Cabin Creek, Big Creek, Upper Loon Creek, etc. Those that have a GA background think it is really cool, those without cringe at the thought of not having 10.000 ft of runway.

As for the user fee debate, I have been and always will be a GA pilot first. The airline job, although I enjoy the technical side of the flying, is a means to an end....the end being summer backcountry flying or any other GA flying. I can't afford my own aircraft for now, but am in a flying club with 4 aircraft. Hands down the best deal in aviation. In fact, we just picked up a 1999 C172SP that I flew from CT to UT. Our hourly rate is less than half of what the FBO charges on the field for theirs. It makes flying affordable.

As for a career choice, I have a hard time recommending it to anyone. I suggest that they go into a field that will produce the $$ and fly on the side. Although I'm happy now, it is a turbulent industry and can be pretty rough financially in the beginning. Thank goodness for the good paying job my wife had during my regional years and furlough. For now, though, life is good...knock on wood.

[AwolArn offline]

I have been on the forum here for about a year now. I was hoping to own my own plane by now but life's events have prevented me from that goal...for now. In the meantime, I have 2 jobs:

1. Navy Reserve King Air 200 (TC-12) instructor pilot teaching Navy, Marine, and Air Force students multi-engine flight. I did 13 years active duty flying HH-46Ds in No-foke VA, EP-3E reconaissance birds out of Whidbey Island WA, and been in Corpus Christi for 5-1/2 years doing the King Air thing. I will be leaving that job at the end of April and will run out my 20 years doing correspondence courses.

2. My full time job now is sitting right seat in a 737. I am based out of HOU. I love the job, the company, the plane, the flying, peeps I meet. Yeah, there are those 5%-ers. "Every squadron has one and we certainly have ours" as they say. But overall I couldn't be happier with my job. Everything else in my life kinda sucks right now, but I love my work so I work a lot! I agree with what's been said about airline pilots: most don't support user fees, and most don't fly on their off-time. They golf (yawnnn) or boat, or work hard to pay for the ex-wives, kids, and houses.

I'm saving my pennies and hope to have an airplane by this summer. In the meantime, I fly as much as I can. AFter April, I'll be flying more civilian piston planes. If my house ever sells, I'm gonna move to Chiacago so I can live in a domicile. Then I can work more, make more money, and get that plane!!! Cheers!

[YELLOWMAULE offline]

There's some funny stuff here. Some common paths too.
I was from a maritime family, Had to find flying for myself I guess. My intro to GA was @ 28 and had my ticket 2 years later.
Was self-employed in WA for 15 years doing soils (hydrology, erosion, storm water & septics) and environmental permiting. Leave at 6am, home by 9pm was the average. Had been coming up here for the better part of 15 years,was pushed off the edge made some big sacrafices and did it. My kids are 12 & 16, college looms, prices rise and so far, I can still eek out a couple of hours.
Life is what you choose to make of it. Whether you are aware of what you are doing or not. (Sounds good huh?, I copied it!) I look over my shoulder and see the mistakes and the good things too. I have a wife of 18 years who is one of the most patient people I know. Who has weathered the change with aplomb and spirit. I really owe her making a life change is very hard.
Trying to get to the cabin today to rebuild a burned piston on a snowmachine but it won't happen today. 12 degrees, snow showers and gusting 40. Good day to play with the kids. They won't be here too long either. Sometimes I feel like just an interloper, watching from outside the ball.
Iceman, wow, I'm humbled, thank you very much. The pictures always pale to what the eye sees though.
God, this sounds like I need to get out of the house!

[iceman offline]

Iceman, wow, I'm humbled, thank you very much. The pictures always pale to what the eye sees though.
God, this sounds like I need to get out of the house!

Yeah get out and take more pictures If you can shovel your way to the Maule.

[DC 6er Fixer offline]

My user name says what I do.

Only can afford to fly since I can do my own maintenance.

[mtbowhunter offline]

Life is what you choose to make of it.

Whether YellowMaule copied that from someone else or not, that's probably the truest statement in this whole thread.

Joe.

[flynfish offline]

Been wanting to fly since I was a kid but never had the funds and time together until about 6 years ago. After talking about it and wanting to, just stopped by the airport (Pearson in Vanc. Wa) and signed up. I just fly for fun and commute daily, in the summer and as weather allows in winter, to work (50mi away by car 35 by air). Best way to start the day there is. Right now I'm flying a PA-38 so I don't know what I'm doing on a Backcountry flying website but well someday I'll have a plane capable of the backcountry. Lived in AK over half of my life but was outside for several years as well. Electrical Engineer by education but have done Software, Mechanical and controls engineering to put food on the table and fuel in the tank. Currently, I'm designing Fire and Gas detection/suppression systems which is something new yet again.

[Diana offline]

I'm gonna pass on yet another awesome opportunity from Mrs. Hammer to make a inappropriate joke. Only because the ladies around here are scarce.

Are there any other ladies here? Seems like Christina responded to one of my posts about grass strips back east.

...a poor farmer and an average pipeline pilot.

Well, you have a pretty farm, and you're a VERY good pilot from what I could tell from the back seat. I can't believe some of the places you landed at! What a fun day that was!

I'm an RN and work occasionally to fill in (PRN) for a few different places. One is a cancer clinic, and the other is a home health agency where I make home health visits in rural America.

I soloed on my 16th birthday a l-o-n-g time ago and ran out of money and quit. Started up again several years ago when I met my husband who was my CFI. Married him a few years later and moved to his farm, where we have two grass runways. Don't know if we qualify for backcountry, but we are out in the country.

[patrol guy offline]

Diana
Speaking of the farm and the two grass runways, how are they doing? I see SW Missourie is flooded.

Bushy and I had to evacuate our hangars yesterday, due to floods.
John

[Diana offline]

Diana
Speaking of the farm and the two grass runways, how are they doing? I see SW Missourie is flooded.

Well, Lightening Creek, which is normally two pastures over, became a river and came up to the fence next to the house, but it's back to being a creek again. The short runway would work OK, but we have to cross a little ditch (now a swamp) to get to it. I was thinking of flying tomorrow, so Tom offered to pull the Citabria across the ditch with the tractor so that I can go. We've had to suck a little water out of the hangar, but it didn't get into the hangar apartment.

Bushy and I had to evacuate our hangars yesterday, due to floods.
John

Wow! Where did you take the Scout? Did the water get into your hangars?

[z3skybolt offline]

Poor farmboy,......worked my way through college and flight school. Lineboy, flight instructor, pipeline patrol, flying the mail, corporate pilot, 35+ years major airline.....retired 11 mos. ago at age 60, with 30,300 hours in the logbook and full retirement pay.

Spent the last years of my career flying a B-767, nine days a month, "out and back." Home every night. Lots of days off and generous vacation time with the airline. On vacation for the rest of my life. What a blessing to have had my vocation and advocation all in the same package!

Miss the airline flying.... but grateful for the career and comfortable retirement which has allowed me to own and continue to enjoy various airplanes for 24 years. Coming to Montana and Idaho in the Maule this summer.

Living in rural Missouri for 36 years, where the air is clean, the nights quiet and the cost of living modest.

By the way.....I am one of those 5% airline captains who loved general aviation and airplanes in general. Of course I am of a generation passing from the scene and was apprenticed to captains of the WW-2 generation who loved to talk airplanes...... and the three S's. "Sex, Seniority and Salary!"

Ahh...."hootin with the owls and soaring with the eagles!"

Oh....did I mention a loving, supportive, wife who still works as a flight attendant:which allows me to absorb the stratosphereic(??) cost of 100LL ?

Go for your dreams man......life is too short to do otherwise!!

Bob

[txmaule offline]

i'm new to posting here but have been checking out this forum for about a year now. live in the flatlands near houston but crave the backcountry.

work as a container crane operator at the port of houston--31 years now at port----"just" 10 more to go

me and the bank own a maule m5-235 and love it but am still learning to fly it

jc & iceman------I, also have a history w/ stormville. lived on the field the summer of 76 as a skydiving bum. there used to be quite a fleet of j-3"s there. We jumped out of a loadstar which was quite a thrill on hot days. heard that the field is now a flee market. what a shame

txmaule skip k.

[stich offline]

Longtime lurker and sometime poster. OK, I get to fly around to different airports and do aircraft upholstery. I use my C-175 for transporting. I can stuff all the upholstery out of a 210 or Bonanza if I place it just right. I'm located near Jackson CA so most of my work comes out of N. CA but I do a lot of Skywagon interiors for Stacil Aviation in Placerville. Soooo..... anyone needs their interior done.............