Becoming a bushpilot

Not a bush pilot but one day id love to be. I just want a floatplane i could land anywhere and fish

>>838874
Airline pilot here,
Did the bush pilot thing for about 10 years. What would you like to know?

>>838978
>where
Australia, the Northern Territory - Arnhemland, and Western Australia (the Kimberly region). Basically all over 'top end' Australia.
> Pay
Pretty bad to start with, basically took home 12K my first year, worked pretty damn hard too. Finished off (in bush flying) earning roughly 65-70K per year flying larger piston twins (Basically all 400 series Cessna's, Barons, Chieftains etc.)
> Did you like it?
I did, I was pretty young and I got to see and do some pretty cool shit. It was the Wild West out there some days. Basically I started off flying blackfellas to remote camps, delivering supplies, fishing charters to remote spots, all that kind of thing. I wanted to get into the airlines (good pay, job security etc) so I always saw a light at the end of the tunnel when I was having shit days.
>Future in bush flying?
It's hard to say. Most guys do the bush flying thing to build hours for the airlines, but most airlines now offer cadetships (direct entry, they train you and to some extent pay for your training) so it's dying off a little in that respect. The pay for bush flying in general is pretty ordinary, so young guys aren't really prepared to dump a shit tonne of money on flight training only to make meagre earnings in bush flying. There are some niche jobs like fire bombing which pay okay I hear.
The other problem I see is the age and condition of bush aircraft getting around. Most are beat to shit and ending the end of their frame life, and not many manufactures seem to be continuing and replacing models that are truly suited for bush bashing.

>>838986
OP here, thanks a bunch for the detailed response. Basically answered all my questions. Best of luck!

>>838874
Some guy on /trv/ had awesome stories about flying in 3 world countries. Had an Indiana Jones like story about African spear chuckers.

>>838874
Not a bush pilot, buy live in Alaska and have family friends who are. I can't speak for the rest of the world or give detailed info like >>838986 but up here they do pretty well for themselves on the panhandle and up in the interior.

Alaska is also one of the cheapest places to learn to fly. You can get your single engine private license with tail dragger endorsement for $5k or less at some air fields

I'd pilot your bush if you get my drift.

>>839469
Nope

>>839485
Okay then.
I'd cross your winds if you get my drift.

>>839489
Nope

>>839495
I'd enrich your mixture if you get my drift.

>>839523
Nope

>>839665
I'd open your flaps if you get my drift

>>839678
rrauw take me now

>>839678
Nope

>>839701
Nope

Military pilot with backcountry civi experience here. I fly into the bush for fun. I fly warplanes for a living. What else do you want to know.

>>840390
What's the quickest way to get to fly multiroles?

>>840390
If serious how lucrative was bush piloting in comparison.

>>841032
It isn't. I make about 80 grand a year. Most bush pilots never make that much.

>>840400
Go to ENJJPT and don't suck. Or see if the marines need hornet drivers.

>>841128
>Flying marine hornets
I'd just take a header out the window, it's faster that way.

>>841132
Why? Not really familiar with marine aviation. Other than offloading fuel to them

>>841138
I always hear stories about Marine Hornets crashing, since they're all ancient and have a million hours on them.
Are you that KC-135 guy from the last thread?

>>841154
Yeah that's me.

>>841174
i will start my private piot lessons next month
i want to become an agricultural pilot
how lucrative is it? do you have any tips?

>>841697
Depends. E.g Crop dusting in NC and similar rural areas pays shit loads if you're contracted

>>838986
Thanks for your input. I'm in Katherine , NT. your info is close to home for me and am looking into a carrier in flying, not airline just flying. It is info like yours that makes me think defence force is the way to go

>>841127
great to know, for what the job is it's severely underpaid

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43KB, 1080x1080px

>>838986
Interesting. American pilot anon here, I'd like to see how an American bush pilot's experience compares to this.

Also there are some manufacturers who are doing the bush plane thing, Kodiak being the first one that comes to mind. However alot of the "bush" planes nowadays are high powered light weight/low wing loading toys for cool old guys looking for something to do while retired.

>>841697
to become an ag guy you should really think about being a line guy (refueling/hopper filler) in the beginning because otherwise no one really seems to get handed jobs. The ag industry is ALL about who you know, and this is simply what I've been told by every pilot/refueler/operator I've met out there.

>>842112
I was actually based in Katherine for about 12 months with a small GA operator there. flew 206's and 210's and Barons doing mail runs to the stations and a no communities all around the NT and WA. I lived in the airbase at Tindal in the old abandoned post office, right off the threshold of the runway. Fun times.

>>842710
*abbo communities

>>842710
How was the $

>>841697

Spend years on the ground as a fueler/ loader, work inconsistent hours, never home, exposed to hazardous chemicals, tough flying, living out of motels, no work for third of the year, pilots must be A&P mechanics
If you stick with it and own your own applicator company.... die at 50 with lung cancer and millions in the bank.


Unless one of your pilots hot starts that million dollar airplane or drills it into the ground when he passes out from heat exhaustion. Then you're fucked

>>839678
This one made me snicker kek
>>841174
Does it spook you knowing you're flying a giant gas tank? And have you had the B2 fill up from you?

>>845012
Nah. Worrying wouldn't help. I'll still blow the fuck up. I haven't refueled a spirit yet but I'm sure I will.

>>846334
Yeah, I'm sure we'll be invading another country in the next decade.

>>847233
Yeah but that's mostly BUFFS and Bones. They don't use many B-2s

>>847702
Not sure what those are. I was going to put something in there about initial airspace penetration of a country with at least a minimal functioning radar system like Iraq originally had. After that was gone we had free reign of the skies.

hmmm, let's see, who meets that requirement. Oh, Iran. If dubs we invade Iran within the next decade.

>>849020
Not him but BUFF = Big Ugly Fat Fucker = B52

>>849020
Yeah BUFF is a B-52 and a Bone is a B-1. Get it? A B-One. Also they don't risk B-2's for anything short of a full up IADS. They would rather use the legacy bombers supported by Navy Growlers or EC-130s

>>849044
>>849590
Thanks anons