Featured Caravan Pilot: Marjorie of Sansa Airlines

Meet our Featured Caravan pilot Marjorie with Sansa Airlines. Founded in 1978 and based in San Jose Costa Rica, Sansa flies to 14 destinations with 8 Caravans, including the EX model.

Marjorie is an inspirational pilot! Below you will find her answers to some questions that we asked her. We know that she will inspire some current and future pilots!

Name: Marjorie
Age: 29 years old
From: Costa Rica 

Total Time: 1200 hours 

Company: Sansa Airlines 

Location: San Jose, Costa Rica

Years flying Caravans: 1 year

What do you like most about flying the Caravan? 

For me it is one of the most fascinating airplanes. The Caravan lets you fly at high speeds when you need to do a high speed approach for example and in just a few seconds slow to landing speed on short final. It is a really maneuverable and versatile airplane to fly. Also, flying glass cockpit with the Garmin 1000 is a plus that does this airplane outstanding! In Costa Rica, we fly the Caravan from the main airports through short runways, ballast airfields, and a lot of destinations all over the country. We carry 12 passengers on each flight sharing in the cockpit between a Captain and First Officer.

What are your career goals?

The first one is done, flying a Cessna Caravan was my dream before I got my Pilot license. My next goals.. Well, new opportunities to fly Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 are coming, but before I take that step in my career I would love to fly this airplane as a Captain.

What is your advice for younger pilots?

Never forget your dreams! If you see yourself as a pilot you can do it. I know it is an expensive career but it's not impossible to achieve it. I started as an Airport Agent at the counter checking-in the passengers on the flights. After that I became a Flight Attendant and did that for almost 5 years. Then I started my flying lessons, and after a couple of years I became the first Pilot in my family. Now I feel like the happiest person doing what I do and seeing the most amazing sunrises, sunsets and landscapes while I work. So your hard work will be worth it!

For more information about Sansa Airlines visit their site flysansa.com

CaravanNation.com

Review - Procedures for Exiting Severe Icing Environment

Procedures for Exiting Severe Icing

Here in the Northern Hemisphere ground temperatures have dropped below freezing over much of the population. So we thought that now would be a good time for us Caravan Pilots to review Emergency Procedures in the icing environment.

Please remember that these Emergency Procedures found below are for the Cessna Model 208B (675 SHP) and no others. If you are flying a different model Caravan, please review your aircraft's FAA approved Abbreviated Checklist or Airplane Flight Manual for that specific model.

As stated in the Pilots' Abbreviated Checklist published by Cessna:  

Procedures for Exiting the Severe Icing Environment (As required by AD 96-09-15) 

1. Immediately request priority handling from Air Traffic Control to facilitate a route or an altitude change to exit the severe icing conditions in order to avoid extended exposure to flight conditions more severe than those for which the airplane has been certificated.

2. Avoid abrupt and excessive maneuvering that may exacerbate control difficulties.

3. Do not engage the autopilot.

4. If the autopilot is engaged, hold the control wheel firmly and disengage the autopilot.

5. If an unusual roll response or uncommanded roll control movement is observed, reduce the angle of attack.

6. If the flaps are extended, do not retract them until the airframe is clear of ice.

7. Report these weather conditions to Air Traffic Control.

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.

Fellow Caravan Pilots, please remember to Review Often and Fly Safe so that you can continue to Love What You Do!

- CaravanNation.com