Aviation Technology Program at UAA - Questions (Bethel, Sunrise: campsites, living in)

[starlite9]

Well I was in the Coast Guard making about $500.00 a month stationed in Valdez Alaska in 1977 and the flying club at the time charged $27 an hoand or a 172 and I couldn't afford it! Instead I bought a used Cessna 150 and leased it to the flying club (was about 80 members then and the pipeline was still not operational yet) for $22 an hour. Not only did it pay for the plane, the Maintence, a tax write off and I got my license paid for from the plane as well!

There is always a path to your goal if you look around!

[Marty Van Diest]

My daughter is looking into the Aviation program at UAA. As far as I know its a good program. I know one local kid that took it and he is now flying rescue helicopters for the National Guard.

You can always get your cdl and go to North Dakota. Guaranteed a job

[AKStafford]

I had a friend in the UAA Aviation program last year. He liked it. I've heard good things about it.

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by RedJacket

We traveled down a similar path, Mr. Moose. My love was Biology and that was going to be my major until all the blah blah blah talk started telling me it was a waste of time.

So, like you, I went on to Computer Science. Well, after a year of dealing with Cobol, Fortran, and Basic, I felt like killing myself so I switched my major to Business because that was where all the jobs were. Uh-huh, sure.

Anyway, like you, I wished I'd pursued what I really liked most; Biology. Now I'm 49 years old and still wondering what I want to be when I grow up.

Yes, we could be brothers! Where did you go to school? I was UCLA class of '84.

And like you, I tried the business route too. My previous employer had one of those tuition reimbursement programs, so I did the MBA thing also. What a waste of time. I would have done better gouging out my eyes with a rusty butter knife! But I can't really complain either. I used that same reimbursement program to pay for my Instrument Rating and Aerobatics Endorsement as well!

[gobrien]

I wish that I had stuck to studying something that I enjoyed rather than what I thought would provide a better living for my family. I went to college after my divorce, so I had three kids, a part-time job and went to school full-time. What a blast it was! So my advice is to follow your gut and do something that won't bore you to tears after 20 years of doing the same thing.

[RedJacket]

Originally Posted by Moose Whisperer

Yes, we could be brothers! Where did you go to school? I was UCLA class of '84.

Well, that would certainly explain your liberal leanings. I went here State University of New York at Oswego -- the mistake on the lake as we liked to call it.

It was on the shores of Lake Ontario. Some of the worst lake effect snow storms I've ever encountered took place there. Almost 200 inches per year. Made for some fun walking going from one class to the next.

'84 as well.

[warptman]

A couple of friends who fly for Era Alaska went to flight school here...

Take Flight Alaska

[ShipOfFools42]

Moose, I didn't know you were a pilot! I don't think I've ever seen you talking about it on here, but that's awesome. See, we DO have some things in common after all! And Red... you lucky bastard, you. I have always wanted to go up to Oswego, and not just for the place... some very special memories are buried in the ground at the Oswego County Airport in Volney... Camp Oswego 1999, you can google it if you want. Plus all that beautiful, fluffy, lake effect goodness! Well, and it's a beautiful place too.

Everyone, I appreciate you giving your stories (and basically a consensus). Gobrien, I have been talking to you of course, so I know what you mean. And thanks for that link Warpt. That looks like a good place for flight instruction, but I'm thinking the UAA thing would be good since I would get full certification (everything that place offers) and a college degree. That way if I were to ever lose my medical ::knock on wood:: I could still work in the industry in some other capacity.

Well folks, I've just gotta get up there for a visit to confirm that I want to be there now. This is BY FAR the best idea I've had yet. When I moved up here, it was on a whim, and I didn't have any specific school plans. So as much as I have enjoyed living here and all the beauty surrounding me, it has been a flop as far as getting much accomplished school-wise. Plus, I kinda knew from the minute I got here that this wasn't where I wanted to spend the rest of my days. And hell, maybe Alaska won't be either, but what better place to have this experience of learning to fly, meeting new people, all the stuff that comes with this stage in life. So now I just need to go see it, and I'm thinking I might just be on my way.

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by ShipOfFools42

Moose, I didn't know you were a pilot! I don't think I've ever seen you talking about it on here, but that's awesome. .

Notice anything odd here?

[ShipOfFools42]

Haha, nice. That's a big cowl (from the look of it), what kind of plane is that? And I'm gonna make a guess here... are flying over southern CA? That's what that terrain looks like to me for some reason. Oh yeah, and nice aerobatic flying there! That would be something fun to get into. I love pulling G's. My uncle trained fighter pilots for the Air Force in T-38's, and I got to go up one time... holy cow that was something else. I didn't puke or pass out though, so I consider that a success!

Oh yeah, and this stuff here:

Originally Posted by warptman

Alaska Charter Flights - Alaska Air Taxi - Grant Aviation

Pilots (not currently hiring, but accepting resumes)
Applicants must be motivated and have a minimum of:

• 1,500 hours of total time
• 250 hours of Alaska time or equivalent
• 500 multi-engine hours (PIC Navajo)


Era Alaska has similar requirements.

Originally Posted by AKStafford

There's lots of flying outfits scattered across Alaska. I'll bet if you do enough digging, you might find something.
Here's the qualifications for a place out of Kodiak, Andrew's Airways:
Pilot

Qualifications:

• 2,500 Total Time
• 500 Alaska
• 500 Floats
• Seasons May - November

That's why I'm wanting to go to UAA to do this. Everyone requires a whole bunch of "Alaska hours", and if I train at UAA, every single one of my hours will be Alaska hours. That's gotta put me ahead of at least some of the competition, I would think. Plus they get you certified to do all types of flying, even helicopter if you pursue it I believe, which is one I hadn't really thought about until I started reading their site. Helicopters would be a lot of fun, and a useful skill for Alaska!

Oh yeah, and in general, when you see folks like John Ponts (I understand it's a reality show, and it's not all real, but the guy IS a real pilot), do you think most of those guys go through a flight school like UAA's and get their hours up and just start putting resumes in, or do you have to REALLY know people and all that in order to get a job as PIC for one of those small flying outfits? I'm interested in flying smaller planes like 208's and such, but will do any flying job I can get once I've made it that far.