GumpAir wrote:Hell, if you want lots of hours join the blue collar air taxi boys and girls up north. There it's 1,400 hours a year max, and we always had to pace ourselves so we didn't time out in November. And that doesn't count a whole shitload of un-logged time in our own airplanes out goofing around on our off-duty days.
Your butt and that left seat really get to know one another...
Gump
Yep....
When I was a lad working my way up in the world I flew 5 days a week pipeline patrol, in a Citabria: five nights a week in a Twin Beech or the Turbo-Prop Vopar Turboliner.... hauling mail. I also worked alternate weekends as a charter pilot/flight instructor. Had 4 days off each month. Flew more hours than I slept during the week.
In a span of two years I logged over 3,600 hours. Every minute of it stick and rudder, tons of night/IFR. Loaded and unloaded 1,800 lbs. of mail on the Beech and 3,000 pound of of mail on the Turboliner... at each of the nightly 6 stops. Finally got a break flying a corporate jet and lived a "normal' life for 9 months. Then....
....during my airline interview the chief pilot was thumbing through my logbook. "Over 3,600 hours in less than two years?" "Weren't you breaking some kind of FAA duty/flight regulations?"
I could see my potential career going down the tubes. So I mumbled something about "..the pipeline was part 91...uh...er the regs. didn't apply." He gave me a look of amused disbelief and hired me that very day.
Bob
