Fellow Aviators, Managers, Brokers and Operators,
Last weekend Frances (Level 2 hurricane) chose to visit south Florida and liked it so much she/he? stayed...and stayed....and stayed. Talk about "worn out welcomes"!
As Frances got closer and the impact was imminent for the Florida coast line, a number of operators started trying to get their airplanes out of Florida. Flight departments with full time pilots didn't have much problem doing this, and the "humane" companies allowed the seats to be filled with their pilot's families or allowed the pilots to airline back to their families, if they so desired and could get flights back.
I started getting calls to move airplanes on Wednesday morning before Frances actually hit in the wee hours on Saturday morning. Many of the South, FL airports closed by Friday afternoon, and airlines stopped running. I spent much of the time that I should have been "boarding up" my own home on the phone trying to find pilots to move airplanes. By late Thursday evening, we were looking for "warm bodies with an FAA medical" to move airplanes as SIC. It's probably the only circumstance where the insurance company would waive all the rules just to keep the airplane from becoming salvage.
(BTW, MY THANKS to the GV Pilot who dropped everything to help me move a LR60 after driving 3 hrs across the state--leaving his own Charley damaged home to endure Frances' whims!! That's what I call a Good Samaritan.)
The reason for this email is to try and prevent this scramble from happening again. Ivan, (Level 4 and building) is a major threat. While he may or may not attack the East coast of Florida, he's probably going to terrorize the West coast and the panhandle. As a level 4 hurricane, Ivan will make Frances look like a real wimp.
I am seeking to build a LIST of pilots who might be willing to help move airplanes at relatively short notice under these emergency conditions. You do not have to be a full time contract pilot if you can get time off or permission to help from your employer. I do not expect anyone to do this for "free" and neither do the owners of these airplanes. But I would hope there is no "hurricane" gouging either.... There are ranges of "industry standard" rates at http://pilots4rent.com/rates.shtml
The owners/operators of the aircraft to be moved should be willing to pay all expenses for you to get to/from their airplane(s), and the daily rate that you agree upon for every day that you are away from home base with their airplane, plus your "reasonable and normal" expenses. Expenses for your family to accompany you on the airplane need to be agreed upon prior to your taking the job.
Owners/Brokers/Operators who might need these pilots services please do not wait until the impact is imminent! Secure the services of a crew well in advance of major airport closures. If you wait too long, there will be no one available to move your airplane. Contact me via phone or email to find pilots from this list I'm building from the response to this email. Depending on how much time that I have to work with this, I'll either help you find someone or send you a list of pilots to contact. Keep in mind that some of these pilots may have full time jobs and restrictions on time. The main thing is to get your airplane to safety--even if we have to find another pilot to bring it back.
Pilots, If you are willing to be on the list, you do not have to be "local", but do add a reasonable commute time to your response time listed.
If you would like to be added to this Emergency Evacuation Pilot LIST, please send me an email with the following info:
_________________________________________________________________________________
Name:
Your home Location:
eMail address:
Contact Numbers:
Minimum Response time from the call to "go" (Figure a departure out of FLL or TPA for rough estimates):
How much warning do you need to sit on standby knowing the storm is coming?
Conditions under which you would be able to reposition an airplane:
I can stay with it____
I need to drop airplane and airline back to home base____
I can stay with it only if my family can accompany me_____
I have no restrictions_____
I have the following restrictions:
Aircraft that you are current and qualified in as PIC:
Do you hold a current CFI?
Last Recurrents (61.58 or equivalent):
Aircraft that you are qualified in as SIC:
Last Medical and Class::
If it's a dire emergency, would you be willing to be a "warm body with a medical" flying with an instructor pilot in the left seat of the airplane?
Optional: Are you full time employed?___ Looking?___ Full time Contract?____
If I build an unpublished web page with these contact numbers on it, do you wish to be included?
or do you prefer your info only by word of mouth or email?
Any Comments?:
***Please be prepared to fax or email your airman certificate, medical and last training should the operator require it.***
_____________________________________________________________________
Please send your info to Susan@pilots4rent.com
You can copy the questions and paste them into a new email to me.
Thanks for your help!!
Susan
Anderson
CL-604, LR-60, LR-45, LR-JET (55/35/31/28/29)
Independent Contract Pilot
Factory Pilots Plus, Inc.
Cell: 561-704-2885
eFax: 253-295-8888
eMail: SusanNOz@aol.com