Featured Pilot - Shaun from Skydive Santa Barbara

Meet Shaun, a fellow Jump Pilot that I met a few years ago when I was hired to ferry a Caravan from Georgia to Illinois and then to Colorado. I am honored to have introduced him to the Caravan on that trip. He learned the airplane faster than anyone that I have ever taught. He now flies a Honeywell powered Grand Caravan for Skydive Santa Barbara. The perfect airplane for flying skydivers up to 13,000 and even 18,000 feet!

Age: 26

Total Time: 2600

Company: SkyDive Santa Barbara

Location: California

Years Flying the Caravan: 3 years

What do you like most about flying the Caravan?

I love the Caravan because it is a very well built airplane. It's durable, easy on the controls, and it's a work horse. The Garret TPE- 331 conversion (Texas Turbines) makes it a fast and efficient aircraft, especially for skydiving operations. Even though it is a single engine it feels very safe and has an outstanding glide ratio in engine out operations. All in all the Caravan is one of my favorite aircraft to fly. 

What are your career goals? 

To be perfectly honest I don't have a set path in aviation. I've never had one ultimate goal. Instead, I focus on the enjoyment of flying and the realization of how blessed I am to be able to do what I love. I do know I am going to stay away from the airlines for the short term at least. I've always been attracted to the "odd ball" jobs in aviation, like being a Jump Pilot and Air Attack, all the non mainstream forms of flying. Some would say the "skill gigs". Really though, I just want to make sure I'm always having fun and continue to love flying.

What is your advice to younger pilots? 

My advice to younger newer pilots is to keep a positive attitude towards flying. There are times where it can seem overwhelming, sometimes you may feel under appreciated. But the key is to maintain a positive outlook. Stick up for yourself but always remember why we do this, why we fly. When you get down and frustrated, take a deep breath, relax every muscle in your body and take a look outside your cockpit. Look and see how beautiful flying is. Remind yourself of why you love to fly. 


- CaravanPilot.com

Get your Cessna SET at IAS in their D-FUNK Caravan approved by the LBA of Germany

Caravan owned by IAS

In Europe a Class Rating is required to fly the Cessna Caravan. IAS of Germany can help you acquire this important rating.

Cessna Caravan D-FUNK is available as a training aircraft with an approved training program according to EASA.FCL for pilots who would like to get the class rating CessnaSET (Cessna Single Engine Turbine). In cooperation with ATO Ardex, Kyritz (DE.ATO.039) IAS has now received the training certification for the class rating CessnaSET on their Cessna 208 Caravan D-FUNK by the German Federal Aviation Authority Luftfahrtbundesamt (LBA).

For the class rating CessnaSET, IAS offers a very competitive package price. The training is accompanied by highly experienced and highly qualified instructors (CRI) and examiners (CRE). The training for CessnaSET Class Rating consists of 25 hours of theory and 8 hours of flight time. Please rate about 4 to 6 days (weather permitting) for the entire training.

Check Flights:

Also, IAS can now offer the Caravan D-FUNK for your next check flights. Two by LBA approved class rating examiners are available for your proficiency check in accordance with JAR-FCL.

For further information please contact them by mail info@d-funk.de or by phone +49 (0) 4826 - 3768-447

- CaravanNation.com

Air Tindi Caravan forced to land on frozen lake after flying into icing conditions

Recently I was contacted by CJCD Moose FM in Yellowknife Canada and was informed that "they had an incident in the area involving a Caravan making a forced landing on a frozen lake in bad weather."  The radio station also wanted me to comment on the "Caravan's capabilities, and describe how difficult it would be to pull off a task like landing on a frozen lake." 

Obviously the Caravan is more than capable of landing on non-standard runways and even in off runway situations. However, that is not what needs to be asked here. The much more important question is, why did this airplane take off with a freezing drizzle warning in effect for the Yellowknife area? I will refrain from belittling the pilot and simply use this incident as a learning lesson for my fellow Caravan pilots. Especially since we do not know all of the facts pertaining to this recent situation.

Here is what we do know according to Transport Canada. On Thursday November 20th at 6:44 AM an Air Tindi C208B Grand Caravan (C-FKAY) departed Yellowknife airport NT for Fort Simpson airport NT with a pilot and 5 passengers on board. Approximately 22 minutes later the pilot requested clearance to return to Yellowknife airport due to icing. Approximately 13 minutes later and 1 minute before landing on a frozen lake, the pilot made a distress call due to severe icing. The Caravan suffered substantial damage to its left main landing gear and its left wing. There were no serious injuries reported.

A spokesman for Yellowknife RCMP, Cpl. Todd Scaplen stated that "3 helicopters waited hours Thursday for the weather to improve enough for them to take off to help the Cessna's passengers." Was that fact #3 that it was too icy for the Caravan to depart?

According to Jock Williams, a safety officer with Transport Canada, "pilots aren't suppose to take off in icy conditions and they have an obligation to check the weather." He went on to say that "We simply stay on the ground when we're faced with those circumstances, because no aircraft is certified to handle it [heavy icing] or capable of handling it."

In 2006 the NTSB released recommendations that the Caravan should not be flown in anything greater than light icing. Flying into freezing drizzle (which is what the reported conditions were at the time) can definitely cause greater than light icing to form on your airplane, as experienced by the Air Tindi pilot in Yellowknife Canada.

If you are a Caravan pilot, I highly recommend that you complete some of Cessna's E-Learning courses on this topic. Courses such as "Caravan Cold Weather Ops" and "Caravan Vodcast Ground Icing Conditions". There are many other interesting courses available, most of which are free and are all available at cessnaelearning.com.

I am not aware if this pilot was pressured to depart into a dangerous situation but I know for a fact that it happens, and it happens more often than you would like to know. If you are ever pressured to fly when you know that it is not safe, it's time for you to start looking for another employer... immediately!


- CaravanPilot.com

Flying Skydivers in the C208B Grand Caravan

The Cessna 208A Caravan and 208B Grand Caravan are by far the most common turbine jump airplanes in the world. From Skydive Switzerland to Skydive Andes, from Skydive Sydney to Skydive Dubai and everything in between you will find Caravans hard at work flying skydivers.  Jump pilots love how fun and easy it is to fly, owners love its lower operating costs compared to other turbine aircraft and skydivers love the high wing and large exit door.  

There are many versions of the Caravan: 208A, 208B, 208B EX, Black Hawk upgrade and Texas Turbines upgrade.  The 208A Caravan climbs fair, the 208B Grand Caravan climbs good and the Black Hawk (850hp) and Texas Turbines (850hp) conversions climb great! The version that you will see at most drop zones around the world is the 208B Grand Caravan, and is why I will mostly refer to this model.

For most of the jump pilots that will transition from a piston to a turbine, this will be your airplane.  Most of us pilots did our training in a high wing single engine Cessna which makes the Caravan the easiest turbine to transition to and another reason why DZOs love it.

The Numbers:

• Capacity – 17 skydivers
• Empty Weight – 4570 lbs
• Maximum Take Off Weight – 8750 lbs
• Useful Load – 4180 lbs
• Fuel Capacity – 332 gallons / 2224 lbs
• Powerplant – Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A 675hp
• TBO – 3600 hrs
• Time to Climb – approx. 15 mins

 Before Take Off:

The loading of the Caravan is similar to most other turbine jump airplanes. There are 2 benches that the skydivers straddle and face the back of the airplane. Make sure that no one sits in the very back near the back wall, and trust me, they will try and sit there no matter how many times you tell them not to. It’s not quite as big of a deal if you have a light load. But I have definitely noticed some CG issues on that with heavier loads.

One of the most critical parts of any Caravan pilots day is avoiding a “hot start”. A hot start is when temperatures rise above 1090 degrees Celsius in the combustion section and cause internal damage to the engine on start up. You may have a hot start if you have a weak battery, if the emergency power lever is not stowed or if the bleed air switch was left on. Most hot starts are the fault of the pilot, it is very rare for a Caravan to have a true hot start. If you cause one, you more than likely will be looking for another job in the near future. The engine will need to be removed and tore down for a complete internal inspection at the very least.

After start up, be sure and check to see that you do not have a fuel imbalance greater than 200lbs. If you do, turn the lighter tank switch off, in order to burn off fuel from the heavier side. You should burn enough fuel during your taxi and run up to equal things out a little. Monitor that fuel imbalance in the air as well. I’ve flown a Caravan that liked to drink from one tank more than the other and I had to constantly monitor that.

I know a lot of us jump pilots fly from rough airstrips, so be sure and make use of the Inertial Separator while taxiing. It will minimize ingestion of foreign matter into the compressor. Just be sure and stow it before take off or you will notice a great reduction in take off power and it is very hard to stow with full throttle.

Take Off:

As part of your takeoff check, add 20 degrees of flaps for take off. Advance the throttle slow and steady. As with most airplanes, it will let you know when its ready to rotate, but it’s usually around 70 KIAS because we’re usually heavy. Obviously, when we’re lighter, it will want to get off the ground sooner or at a lower airspeed. Climb out initially at around 90 KIAS and then lower the nose to 100 KIAS, which is slightly less than Vy (104 KIAS). That speed seems to work the best for the C208B. As with any jump plane you fly, initially you should experiment with different airspeeds while timing yourself. Your torque should be Max. until ITT or Ng limit. Retract flaps 10 degrees at a time starting at 1000 ft AGL. Check in with ATC.

Jump Run:

Once on jump run your airspeed should be at 85 KIAS, your flaps at 10 degrees, torque between 600-900ft-lbs and prop RPM at 1850. It will be possible to lower that airspeed and RPM slightly as you get more comfortable flying this airplane. At about 2 miles out turn the red door light on. Make your 2 minute call to ATC and then a 1 minute call on CTAF. Turn on the green jump light. While the jumpers are exiting, make sure that your tail never gets low. I have personally never had a skydiver strike the horizontal stabilizer of the Caravan, but I have heard of it happening.

It is important to note that a lot of Grand Vans have a front float step and you will notice that if someone is on it they will be very close to the left flap trailing edge. I have had inexperienced jumpers on that front float step bend the corner of the flap with their rig. Brief your video and fun jumpers not to lean up against the flap. Luckily most DZs will only allow experienced jumpers to use the front float step but even some of them do not realize how easily they can bend it.

Descent:

We jump pilots are basically doing an emergency descent on every flight. As soon as the last skydiver exits, put the flaps up, power to idle and jump light off while simultaniously lowering the nose. Constantly scan for other air traffic that might be in the area and/or any skydivers that might have pulled high. The maximum cargo door open airspeed is 155 KIAS. Your descent rate will be around 5000 ft/min. If it’s your last load of the day, be sure and thank ATC for all their help. They appreciate it and it’s the least we can do, considering that they look out for us every day. For landing, use full flaps unless it’s windy. After landing, again, if you’re on a dirt or similar airstrip, use the inertial separator.

If you’re a new turbine pilot be sure and read the book The Turbine Pilot’s Flight Manual. Most pilot’s that have moved up to the turbine world have read it and highly recommend it. Also, for the new Caravan pilots, be sure and read Caravan – Cessna’s Swiss Army Knife with Wings.  If you have any questions about this article, feel free to email me chris@caravannation.com

~ Chris Rosenfelt

*This narrative was written by a knowledgeable pilot with many years of jump pilot experience and many, many hours in type. It is not intended to teach you how to fly this aircraft in initial checkout, but rather to give you direction for how to fly this aircraft with skydivers.

Featured Caravan Pilot - Lewis from Army Parachute Association

Meet Lewis, a pilot that I met in our Caravan Pilot group on Facebook. He is a British Caravan pilot flying skydivers in Germany for Army Parachute Association. A company that has a contract in Germany to fly British servicemen for Sport Parachuting at Rhine Army Parachute Association.

Age: 23

Total Time: 1100

Company: Army Parachute Association, United Kingdom

Location: Bad Lippspringe, Germany

Years flying the Caravan: 2 years

What do you like most about flying the Caravan?

From flying a DA42 in your Instrument Rating onto a commercial operating aircraft with people trusting their lives in you, the Caravan beats all other aircraft in helping you take that step. The caravan is an amazing aircraft to fly, with forgive ability to a low hour pilot. The caravan allows me to take all my theory and student studies into actual practical experience for example IFR approaches and airway work. Understanding how the CoG affects each aspect of flight, especially when your passengers are on the camera step! Knowing that once you start flying a turbine aircraft, its awareness for temperature, temperature, temperature! The caravan has very comfortable seats, with arm rests to allow long days as a jump pilot. There is no better single engine turbine aircraft available and no aircraft which is more enjoyable.

What are your career goals?

My career goals are that whenever I am flying an aircraft, it should be hand flown. In the future, I wish to go onto multi turbine aircraft where I can hand fly; whether this be parachuting, ferrying or bush flying. I would also like to advance onto business jets or the airline route.

What is your advice for younger pilots?

Never give up sending CVs, never give up networking, never give up visiting airfields and never give up trying! Always try and revise some form of aviation, whether it’s POF or OPS at least once a week. If you ever get a chance to fly, even if its safety pilot on a ferry flight, grab it! Employer’s always like to see that young pilots are involved in this hard industry. If you are a young student, give a company an email to say where you are. After a few emails they will remember your name and how you are progressing in your pilot career. If you have just got your commercial licence then look at building your hours at companies like parachuting, ferrying, instructing and gliding towing. I was very lucky, where I emailed the Chief Pilot of the company the day he needed a pilot.

CaravanPilot.com

New T-Shirts available from CaravanPilot.com!

We have new t-shirts available from our site, CaravanPilot.com! The logo is on the back and on the front upper left chest. These shirts are 100% cotton and come in all sizes. To order your t-shirt, send $20 via PayPal to chris@caravanpilot.com  Please include your size and the quantity of shirts that you want when submitting payment. Thank you for all of your continued support!

SeaPort Airlines starting Burbank - San Diego service on October 1st

Portland Oregon based SeaPort Airlines has announced that it will begin a new California route between Burbank (BUR) and San Diego (SAN) starting October 1st 2014. 

The airline will be using C208B Grand Caravans for the 65 minute flights between the two cities and will begin the service with four roundtrip flights per weekday, one roundtrip on Saturday and two on Sunday.

SeaPort, which is short for Seattle-Portland, also announced that it is awaiting approval from U.S. and Mexico governments to begin service between San Diego and San Felipe. If approved, that route will start November 1st 2014.

Caravan Pilots - Featured Pilot of the Month - Kathleen from SkyLink Express

This is the first in a series titled "Featured Caravan Pilot". It will start out here on the Caravan Pilots blog and will eventually move over to my site CaravanPilot.com after it has been relaunched. 

Meet Kathleen, our very first Featured Caravan Pilot! She is the only female and the youngest out of 40 pilots that her company employs.

Name: Kathleen

Age: 22

Total Time: 1500 hrs
Company: SkyLink Express (Canada's largest cargo feeder airline!)

Location: Halifax, NS Canada

Years flying the Caravan: 2 years this fall

What do you like most about flying the Caravan? 

The list of what I like most about the Caravan is lengthy as I've spent the majority of my professional life flying it. As a young pilot who began flying the 208 with relatively low time, I couldn't have chose a more forgiving aircraft to learn on. The Cessna Caravan is incredibly capable and unbelievably versatile. For me, learning IFR, SOPs & turbine theory was a steep learning curve. 

The C208 has been an excellent starter aircraft for many reasons! In learning all of these areas, the 208 was fast enough to challenge my abilities yet slow enough to teach me the basic skillset that I'll carry with me throughout my career. I learned everything from hand-flying an NDB approach to power and system management in challenging (and sometimes slightly scary) icing conditions. 

Along with the learning curve, I can honestly say that I doubt I'll ever have as much fun flying another airplane as I have with the Van. It handles well, it responds to pilot inputs very well, and has wildly impressive performance numbers (when it comes to takeoff and landing distances). I'm proud to call the Scare-a-Van "My First Turbine".

What are your goals? 

Throughout my career, I hope to spend some time in various capacities of the industry, including MEDIVAC operations, Corporate (Jet) flying, and eventually either large passenger airlines or large cargo operations.

What is your advice for younger pilots? 

Advice I could give to younger pilots is limited, in that I'm fairly young myself (or so I've been told). What I'd pass along to future hopefuls, is to seize (and make) every opportunity possible. Talk to pilots you meet, explore different aircraft, network as best you can, and NEVER burn bridges; the industry is FAR too small to make enemies. Keep your nose to the grind, and see every flight as a learning experience. Pilots log hours, aviators log lessons.

Thank you Kathleen for your great answers and advice! If anyone knows of a Caravan Pilot that you feel should be spotlighted send me an email chris@caravanpilot.com

Former Penta Airlines Caravans at Santarem Brazil

I was upset to see these ex- Penta Airlines Grand Caravans: PT-MPB, PT-MPD and PT-MPG piled up in a field in Santarem Brazil, seen in the photo below. They should be in a hangar or at least properly tied down on a ramp. It obviously was not a pilot that ordered them to be tossed into the weeds like that. According to my friend Gustavo Bonato these "Caravans are waiting for a court decision before being sold. That decision has been delayed for at least 7 years and there's no perspective of it happening soon."

Photo by Michael Rodrigues da Silva

Penta Airlines was a Brazilian airline that operated from 1995-2005. They offered domestic flights all over Brazil and to neighboring French Guiana. It started out as an air taxi company named Pena Taxi Aereo and is where it derived its name Penta from. At its peak in 1998, it was servicing 34 cities and flew 235,000 passengers in: 7 Cessna Grand Caravans, 3 Embraer Brasilias, 2 Embraer Bandeirantes and 2 Bombardier Dash 8s.

Photo by Ricardo Hebmuller

The airline went out of business because of two main reasons. A currency exchange devaluation crisis that occurred in 1999 and then a year later the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency temporarily suspended their operational license because of supposed maintenance issues.

Airframe icing and 600 lbs of excess weight led to C208B Caravan crash

Caravan C-GAGP operated by Gogal Air Services

On 18 November 2012 the Caravan pictured above crashed after loss of control due to an accumulation of Rime Ice on its wing surfaces. Accidents like this should serve as a reminder to us pilots that we need to be extra vigilant while operating in icing conditions. 

The Grand Caravan, operated by Gogal Air Services, was headed to Winnipeg when it crashed into a wooded area soon after take off. The crash killed the pilot and seriously injured the seven passengers on board. The 600lbs of excess weight and airframe ice increased the aircraft's stall speed and reduced its take off and climb performance.

According to the Canadian Transportation Safety Board:

"Although the pilot made an attempt to remove the ice before [the final] flight, a significant amount of it remained on the aircraft. No de-icing or anti-icing fluids were applied to the wing or horizontal stabilizer and no tactile inspection of the upper wing or tail surfaces was observed. The ice on the leading edges of aircraft's wings and tail would have reduced available lift, added extra weight, increased aerodynamic drag and thereby reduced its take-off and climb performance, increased its stall speed and impaired the protection afforded by its stall warning system, which is activated at a pre-set angle of attack based on a clean wing."

Caravan C-GAGP

After reading this, I encourage my readers to review the AFM or POH for the specific aircraft that they fly (difference between AFM and POH), specifically the sections pertaining to Icing and the Emergency Procedures - Icing. As far as the Caravan, you can also find this information in the Pilots' Abbreviated Checklist. But remember that the AFM or POH takes precedence over the PAC.

If you are a Caravan pilot, I also highly recommend that you complete some of Cessna's E-Learning courses on this topic. Courses such as "Caravan Cold Weather Ops" and "Caravan Vodcast Ground Icing Conditions". There are many other interesting courses available, most of which are free and are all available at cessnaelearning.com.

My fellow pilots, please remember to Review Often and Fly Safe so that you can continue to Have Fun!

- CaravanPilot.com

New Grand Caravans and routes for Mokulele Airlines

Last month Mokulele Airlines began its expansion plans for 2014 by offering nonstop flights between Kahului, Maui and Honolulu, O'ahu. Mokulele will also start offering service between Kalaeloa Airport/ John Rodgers Field (formerly Naval Air Station Barbers Point) and Kahului, Maui starting July 1st.

Route map Mokulele Airlines

According to Mokulele, "Kalaeloa, will provide hassle free commuting between O'ahu and the rest of the Hawaiian Islands. This includes: avoiding heavy traffic on the H1, no TSA screening and free parking with a valid permit. Kalaeloa will also provide an easier access to the Aulani Disney Resort & Spa on the southwestern coast of O'ahu."

The airline is also reminding its customers that they are not part of Go! Airlines, a company that stopped operating on April 1st. TransPac Aviation, Mokulele's parent company purchased the turbo prop division of Mesa Air Group, the operator of Go! Airlines.

Mokulele has added 3 new Grand Caravans to its fleet to accommodate the new routes.

Cessna Aircraft sells its 100th Grand Caravan EX!

Cessna Aircraft Company recently announced that it has sold its 100th Grand Caravan EX. The latest model received FAA certification in January 2013 and is powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-140 which gives it a 38% better rate of climb, a 350 foot shorter take off roll and a 12 knot faster cruise speed.

Photo by Cessna Aircraft Company

The owner of the 100th Caravan EX is Hussain Ali Rashid Almoalla who plans on personally flying it all the way back to Abu Dhabi, a 9000nm trip. 

Mr. Almoalla stated, "I am delighted to add the Cessna Grand Caravan EX to our fleet. The Cessna Grand Caravan EX is reliable, efficient and ideal for my needs. My expectations of this aircraft have far been exceeded. I am very impressed with the power it displayed on the first flight, as well as its ease of maintenance, impressive Garmin G1000 avionics and spacious interior. It is abundantly clear I have made the right decision."

I am sure that it will not take Cessna very long to sell its next 100 Grand Caravan EX's. It's an amazing aircraft that has virtually no competition.

Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo 2014 - Celebrating 40 years this week!

The annual Sun 'n Fun International Fly In and Expo is celebrating its 40th birthday this week April 1 - 6! Held every year at Florida's Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL). It is one of the largest airshows in the world. If you plan on flying in, don't worry about the airport being full, they have never had to turn airplanes away. 

The theme for this year is "A Fair in the Air to Remember". Some of the highlights include:

• Airshow performers everyday this week
• A performance by the Blue Angels - Fri., Sat. & Sun. - April 4-6 (4pm-6pm)
• Historic and current aircraft static displays
• Take a flight in the world's first mass produced airliner the 1929 Ford Tri-motor ($75)
• Attend the 1st annual Dinner with Legends Banquet
• Visit 100s of exhibitors including, AOPA, EAA, Pilatus, Beechcraft, Soloy Aviation, Cessna, Piaggio, ForeFlight, Garmin, Flying Magazine, Quest Aircraft, SiriusXM just to name a few.
• See one the few Night Airshows in the world. Includes a fireworks show - Sat. April 5  7pm-9pm
• Attend the job fair. Recruiters from major, regional and corporate flight departments will be there.
• Fly in a B-17 Flying Fortress. 1 of only 11 still flying! ($475)
• Hot Air Balloon launch - Sat. April 5 (rides available)

General admission ticket prices are: Adults - $37, Youth (11-17) - $15, 10yrs and under - Free. Preferred seating is an additional $20. Well worth it I think. It gives you seating on the flightline, bag storage, a shade tent, access to bathrooms and free water all day. You can purchase your tickets online here.

If you're flying there and have an extra seat or two or if you need a seat, Sun 'n Fun has a page/forum to help you out. Here is the link.

Unfortunately I will not be able to make it out there this year. But I hope some of you can!

When Blades Creep

What happened to the Caravan pictured below?  Turbine Blade Creep - the movement of a turbine blade from its normal alignment, causing it to strike the casing.  Caused by stress from high temperatures and high centrifugal forces.

When Blades Creep!  It sounds like the title of some horror movie, doesn't it?  Well, if you don't know what it is... it just might become the title of your very own horrific day.  Read on and study more.

On June 1st, 2008 Grand Caravan N102VE operated by Skydive Greensburg in Indiana experienced a total loss of engine power.  On its second load of the day, it was climbing through 7,000 feet MSL with 14 skydivers on board when there was a CT (compressor  turbine) failure caused by blade creep.  The pilot reported hearing a loud explosion followed by a metal grinding noise coming from the engine.  The aircraft began to vibrate and then smoke filled the cabin when the pilot began emergency shutdown procedures.

He leveled off at 5,000 feet so that the skydivers could exit, which they all did.  He attempted a forced landing at the airport, however he was too high and fast (a common problem during such situations) and landed in an adjacent cornfield upside down, after the left wing and propeller struck the ground first.  Luckily the pilot and all skydivers survived.

The engine manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney Canada had issued Service Information Letters (SILs) recommending borescope inspections of the CT blades to look for blade creep and fatigue cracks.  However, the owner of this aircraft said that he was unaware of the SILs and did not perform the inspections.

We as pilots can all learn from this accident.  Do not ever assume that the owner of the airplane that you're flying is in compliance with all of the required Airworthiness Directives AND recommended Service Information Letters.  I know a lot of you had never even heard of a SIL.  Stay sharp.... fly safe!

Shark spotted at Skydive the Beach!

Skydive the Beach in Wollongong Australia and their Caravan with the cool paint job takes skydivers to the highest altitudes in all of Australia.  In case you're wondering that's 15,000 feet high!  This company that started out with just two guys and a Cessna 206, now has 10 drop zones all over Australia with more openings planned! 

If you're ever out near their drop zones (especially if you've never gone skydiving) do yourself a favor and be sure to get in the airplane, enjoy the ride up and then.... SHUT UP AND JUMP!

Photo credit Phillip Higgins

Caravan vandalized at Skydive Byron Bay Australia

I don't know about you, but this is the very first airplane that I have ever seen that has been vandalized with spray paint. This incident happened at Tyagarah airport in Byron Bay NSW Australia to a C208 Caravan operated by Skydive Byron Bay.  

Apparently some airport neighbors that don't like the supposed "noise" armed their 9 year old kid with some spray paint and a knife.  I say a knife because the fuel tanks were found to have been punctured as well.  I'm hoping that the local police find the kids and their parents that are responsible for this disgusting act and throw them straight in jail and order them to pay back what it cost to fix it.  Which will be well into the tens of thousands of dollars, which for an uneducated low life family could take a decade or more to pay back.  

I am also hoping that the Caravan owner has since installed cameras and a lot of lighting on and around the ramp and tie down area. Ideally the owner would like the airplane hangared, but that would be a much greater expense.

Mississippi River sunset from a Grand Van

I took this photo from a C208B Grand Caravan while ferrying it from Houston Texas to Atlanta Georgia.  I was trying to get the sunset over the Mississippi River... key word was "trying " lol  

That flight was boring and exciting at the same time.  It can get very boring flying by yourself for many hours.  However it was also exciting knowing that I was flying a beautiful $2 million dollar aircraft by myself halfway across the country into unfamiliar airspace at night time with cloud activity in the forecast.  

Happily I can tell you that the flight ended successfully and uneventfully.  After tucking her away in the hangar for the night, I checked into the local Hilton and ordered room service paid for by the client.... pilot perks!