Need Your Opinion

[Riptide]

I am currently developing an adventure/tourism and bush training operation and I need some feedback on it - please let me know what you think (experienced or not). A fellow aviation friend and I have bought an outfitting lodge with licences. The lodge is a beautiful facility with several buildings (main lodge, staff quarters, operations centre, storage area, etc). We are buying a puddle-jumper and we own a C-185 (a Beaver may be in the works, depending on funds!).

Our plans:

We will offer the hunting trips in season. However, our main focus will be on bush training and adventure/tourism in a year-round operation. We are developing a training program that will include a 7-hour endorsement on the puddle-jumper (to save cost) with the option of 50 hours on the C-185 or the jumper (C-185 prefered for career-minded pilots), 25 hours on each, or a customized combination. We will teach external loads, max weight, river landing, dangerous goods, and wilderness survival with multi-day excursions. During freeze the aircraft will be on skis. All the while training, students will be immersed in an outfitting atmosphere, and will take part in daily operations of the camp. That way they will be able to include experience on their resume. Outside of the training aspect, the venture will include (to students or customers strictly interested in the adventure tourism) kayaking, camping, and hiking tours. Our experiences include military training, and over 25 years of bush operations around the world.

Can this work? It has been done in the past so what must we do to make it work in rural Canada?

Your reply is much appreciated and helpful. Post here or PM. Regards.

 

[Riptide]

I am currently developing an adventure/tourism and bush training operation and I need some feedback on it - please let me know what you think (experienced or not). A fellow aviation friend and I have bought an outfitting lodge with licences. The lodge is a beautiful facility with several buildings (main lodge, staff quarters, operations centre, storage area, etc). We are buying a puddle-jumper and we own a C-185 (a Beaver may be in the works, depending on funds!).

Our plans:

We will offer the hunting trips in season. However, our main focus will be on bush training and adventure/tourism in a year-round operation. We are developing a training program that will include a 7-hour endorsement on the puddle-jumper (to save cost) with the option of 50 hours on the C-185 or the jumper (C-185 prefered for career-minded pilots), 25 hours on each, or a customized combination. We will teach external loads, max weight, river landing, dangerous goods, and wilderness survival with multi-day excursions. During freeze the aircraft will be on skis. All the while training, students will be immersed in an outfitting atmosphere, and will take part in daily operations of the camp. That way they will be able to include experience on their resume. Outside of the training aspect, the venture will include (to students or customers strictly interested in the adventure tourism) kayaking, camping, and hiking tours. Our experiences include military training, and over 25 years of bush operations around the world.

Can this work? It has been done in the past so what must we do to make it work in rural Canada?

Your reply is much appreciated and helpful. Post here or PM. Regards.

 

[RB]

Hey Rip. Im just a newbie. But instead of aquiring a DHC-2 , you could get a brand new FBA-2C for the same price as a top end beaver, it cruises 20kts faster while only loosing 45 lbs useful load. as well as having a lower direct operating cost.
just my 2cents.

 

[jrl]

Given the nature of the insurance business worldwide, I would hazard a guess that obtaining insurance to provide flight training in those types of operational areas might be difficult. Have you received any confirmation from an insurance company that they would cover this type of operation? Just curious.

 

[Charles W.]

Hi:

For what ever it is worth here are my ideas.

If you can offer training based on experience in the business it will give you a big advantage over the run of the mill flight training school.

Do not hire anyone without "lots" of actual experience.

The biggest problem that I see with flight schools offering " Bush Pilot " courses is that most of them end up with flight instructors teaching what someone taught them.

Experience and references to show same is the key....

Good Idea....

One final comment... The student will learn far more if he/she learns in something like a Cub or Champ due to the fact that they get twice the hours for the same money.

The buzz word "complex" to describe a floatplane with a constant speed prop is pure B.S. a float plane is a float plane..

When the time comes to check out in a different airplane it is no big deal, unless of course the student is just plain dumb, in which case they should take up some other occupation.

There hope that helps.

Chas W.

 

[dockjock]

Good idea that is probably ahead of its time, which means it has the potential to be a great idea. There are already numerous float schools, or really operators that also teach float flying in the shoulder seasons, that do this. Specifically Georgian Bay Airways includes a small survival section in their 50-hr course on the 180 in addition to trying to include as much operational flying is possible.

The only problem with your idea right now is that the training market is severely depressed. What few commercial students there are outside of the colleges are spread very thinly among a ton of flight schools. By a very quick survey of some of my instructor friends, even at the larger flight schools in Toronto there are still only a handful of students in the commercial stream, and we all know that the commercial students is where all the money is- they want 200 hrs and they want to fly 3-4 times a week. The problem is very few have the money to do this and when they are finally done they have NO money left. OK, some do, and some go into even bigger debt to pay for the 50-hr course. What you are going to offer it seems is an even MORE expensive 50-hr course ie. lodging, survival trips. This is definitely catering to the high, high, high end of the market- which, incidentally is very, very small.

What you might consider is marketing this through insurance companies. When rich dudes want to buy an amphib or floatplane they can never get insurance and need someone to hold their hand while they build hours. You could offer "our airplane" and "own airplane" prices and include a week of lodge accom etc. while they hour-build on their holidays.

Anyway enough typing for now, good luck!

 

[Riptide]

Lots of great help there - I appreciate the replies and will take them all into consideration while we work on the venture. Very good issues raised and advice given. Thank you all very much.

 

[Kyle]

Good stuff, Riptide. Report back here if you want and let us know how it goes. Good luck.

 

[Riptide]

I will. Thanks.