The Bush Pilot Company provides operational and flight training services for companies introducing the Cessna C208A or C208B-EX amphibious Caravan or Kodiak 100 to their fleet. We also help new companies to start up with the Caravan and Kodiak by:

   Setting up operations specific to the C208 or Kodiak;
   Amending or writing the Operations Manual;
   Conducting the necessary ground school for pilots and engineers;
   Conducting flight training for emergency procedures;
   Conducting on-the-job operational training;
   Completing pilot's floatplane ratings;
   Conducting courses on advance seaplane and open water techniques;
   Providing maintenance tips on Corrosion Control;

Cessna 208 and Kodiak Amphibious Aircraft Specific Training

     Although most companies who buy their aircraft new from the factory will send their pilots to Flight Safety, I have learned that the simulators are simply not enough for transiting pilots onto the complex amphibian aircraft. There is a lot more to learn, as your amphib may incorporate several supplements that change the operating parameters of the aircraft as specified by Cessna, Kodiak, Flight Safety or Wipaire.

     The operational training covers several important subjects that help companies cope with the supplement specific aircraft they wish to operate:

1. Resource Management and Situation Awareness specific to your aircraft and why these subjects are so important to flying an amphibious seaplane.
2. The aspects that make the amphib different than the land plane and unique as a floatplane. I explain how the documentation that covers the C208 Caravan (wheels) may or may not fully explain supplements for: 1) the upgraded 867 hp engine (from the 675 hp), 2) the gross weight increase kit from 8000 lbs to 8360 lbs, 3) the floatplane conversion, and 4) the amphibious supplement. During training the pilot has to understand the effects of a supplement onto a supplement onto the original configuration.
3. Amended flight procedures according to the specific requirements of flying an amphibious aircraft, especially those related to the proper way to handle flying an aircraft that can alight on land and water, and fly both day and night, and operate VFR and IFR.
4. The manufacturer’s Pilot’s Operating Handbook documented emergency procedures, and amended emergency procedures according to the specific requirements of flying an amphibious aircraft and based on actual accidents and incidents that have been taken place over the 18 years that amphib Caravans have been operational
5. Seaplane theory according to specific operational requirements of the C208 amphib and the local environment.

Training Done On-line In Your Area of Operation

     I can come to your area of operation and train the pilots and engineers how to operate a Cessna C208 Caravan amphibian in your specific area. I can bring all the training and operational documents that you will need to get started immediately. Once the pilot has completed the Flight Safety course, he still has never flown a Caravan amphib. Even if Wipaire or Cessna provide a checkout to get the pilot familiar with the handling characteristics, the pilot still will not be familiar with operating the amphib in the specific environment that he will be required to work in. Nor will any one else in your company. When I do localized training everyone, including engineers, dockhands, dispatchers, and booking agents, benefit from the experience I bring to you. Plus, neither Wipaire nor Cessna will specifically be able to tell you all about the problems operators have had over the years that can be potentially dangerous to the new pilot or new company.

Operational Training will help you to make the most out of your very versatile and very expensive new capital asset.

Get Operational Quicker

     One company hired me to help them get started on a new seaplane venture. The day the aircraft was delivered to the base I did the first revenue flight. Over the next 21 days, I operationally trained 3 pilots on coastlines and harbors that had not seen a seaplane since World War 11. During those 21 days we finished the ground school, technical exam, flight training, type ratings, and floatplane ratings, all inclusive, and all done to cover both the CAA and the insurance requirements. Then I spent a further 5 weeks with the pilots on LOFT (Line Orientation Flight Training) where I insured that they had a chance to practice what I had taught. All in all, I finished the job in 2 months. Depending on the skill of the pilots, the frequency of flights, and the difficulty of the water conditions operational training might take longer, but rarely longer than 6 months. The main point is that your company will be safely producing revenue throughout this training period without having to suffer the effects of a steep learning curve normally associated with incorporating a new aircraft type into your fleet.

Safety and Risk Management

Feasibility Study

     If you are thinking about a new seaplane startup and you want to insure your chosen area is operationally viable I can come out and do a pre-operational assessment.

Refresher Flight Training

     If you are already operating a Caravan amphib, I can offer either a refresher or an annual review course that will enhance the safety of your ongoing operation based on training the pilots toward a proficiency check ride. This course would be beneficial for company Training Captains or Chief Pilots. As a certified "Free Lance" and "Contract" Training Captain, I am qualified to carry out either PPC’s or once every two-year Canadian PCC’s.

Safety Audit

     As a separate service I can complete an independent, objective, and Confidential Safety Audit of your ongoing flight operation and training program with a full operational overview and follow-up recommendations report.

     To get area specific and C208 amphib specific operational training,
to get your aircraft off the ground and producing revenue quicker, and
 to insure you have done the most to protect your investment, have
The Bush Pilot Company give you a quotation today.

By John S Goulet

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