PilotEdge Forums

Keith Smith wrote:I think posting some multi-route hops to help people get in the door is a good idea. However, I think it's also possible to over-think and over-engineer the FSE environment. The fun goes away pretty quickly if you have to spend too long getting a flight together.

Agree here...

Keith Smith wrote:The FSE web site is quick & easy to use...it really isn't that hard to click a candidate destination, check nearby airports and come up with a plan of action.

I agree that there can be many, many choices of which airplane to use and where to fly but at the end of the day, you can't go too far wrong by picking up some jobs and just flying them Part of the fun is supposed to be trying new fields and new combinations of segments. If it becomes to over-engineered or too heavily automated, I believe the fun factor will go away and you'll soon be 'flying a bus', doing the same routes on a routine basis, just chasing the money.

This is my downfall, I'm sure. I see the jobs listed and start to chase the money. Sometimes the chase can be furn, but the bus factor is real.

I guess what I'm trying to find is a center point where an FSE flight will intersect with a structure like the PE ratings. Meaning, when I log on to PE with a goal (like trying a VOR DME arc for the first time) I can combine that with the realistic scenario of flying passengers or freight. Some would call it overthinking and it *is* sometimes.

Steve,

If you'd like to shoot an approach to a specific airport, I'd recommend using the feature of the FSE site that lets you list the jobs going TO an airport, rather than the default FROM view that we're all used to. This way, you can build the flight in reverse, starting with the destination, then finding a suitable origin.

I make my BIG v$$$ during the day with my DC-6B or DC-7B. I fly PilotEdge at night and don't care how little money I make flying FSE jobs. I will start to ramp up my flights as soon as I am done with the PE I-xx ratings. I have pointed the following FBO's that I own or rent gates from to 46CA.

These 3 are out of PE coverage but just north and are non-towered airports. Perfect for radar service terminated, change to advisories and squawk VFR.
KKIC
KCRO
KTLR

These are inside PE coverage:
KVNY - gate rented
KIPL - gate rented
KSBP - (Also pointed to KCRQ & KHND for jet or turboprop trips)
KPTV
KTSP
KWJF
KUDD
L73


John

Peter Grey wrote: 2. I know that the TSP FBO network is not profitable [Edit: The TSP network is profitable in terms of day to day operating costs, but not in terms of capital costs], the Golden Eagle network is lucky to see 5 planes a week (and does not cover it's own operating costs). FBOs have a recurring cost to operate, the supplies costs for the Golden Eagle Network are around v$33,000 a month and that doesn't include the time/cost to actually get the supplies to the FBOs. I don't know what our new towered airport networks make, but KSNA is on pace to have 100 operations this month, KSNA costs v$6000 a month so that's around breaking even (ignoring fuel).

Peter. Just a short note to let you know my FSE plans for Memorial weekend. Barron BE58 (N55VM) is going up to P20 and is going to fly every job that will fill the 5 PAX Barron.

In addition, N55VM is currently at 95 hours towards the 100 hour check. So almost certainly will need a 100 hour check before the end of the weekend. Just have to make sure that I'm at an FBO location with a repair shop at the right time.

Just to confirm. Does anybody know for certain what happens IF the 100 hour check expires while in flight? I'm suspecting that FSE only checks at the start of a flight but this is my first 100 hour check as an aircraft owner.

Between the jobs and repair work, this should be my small contribution to the operation of the "Golden Eagle Aviation" network. Thank-you for all that you do for PE.

Thanks for the FSE business (and the PE business).

Just to confirm. Does anybody know for certain what happens IF the 100 hour check expires while in flight? I'm suspecting that FSE only checks at the start of a flight but this is my first 100 hour check as an aircraft owner.

Correct, you can finish the flight. Note that you can also take off with no jobs with an expired 100 hour check.

I've recently set up my first two FBOs, both in the PE coverage area. One is between 46CA and P20 and the other is (sort of) between P20 and Vegas. I have identified their passenger entities as "Task-Saturated Penguin (Airport)" as I've seen done by others, to identify them as PE-covered jobs. Is this okay with the TSP network owners? I don't want to infringe anyone's trademarks!

I'm fine with it.

Currently I only own a B407 and it's slower travel speeds restrict me to 80nm from 46CA if I want a good stream of jobs that I can fly in under an hour. I used to do a large circle out to Golden Eagle to the east in a B200, but keeping a B200 in the area has proven impossible as others move out. That said, I'd lease one easily if you leased those. Once my B407 is paid off, I'll be saving and or financing a B200, so once I don't have to chase a B200 down every time, I'll gladly run jobs all over the area.

wmburns wrote:Peter. Just a short note to let you know my FSE plans for Memorial weekend. Barron BE58 (N55VM) is going up to P20 and is going to fly every job that will fill the 5 PAX Barron.

Between the jobs and repair work, this should be my small contribution to the operation of the "Golden Eagle Aviation" network. Thank-you for all that you do for PE.

When the week started, I honestly thought that I could fly all of the "Golden Eagle Aviation" 5 PAX jobs available. There were enough available that I switched to using a 10 PAX PC12. Just when I started to think I might get them all, more appeared. They were like cockroaches! Here's a recap of my work for the past week.

>>FSE payment log 05/20 through 05/25
*MB SOCAL* Total -$1,487.65
1320Fastback Total -$2,199.90 N222CA rental
Colliair Flight Services Total -$477.07
coma24 Total -$606.28
FS Economy Total -$1,823.00
H72387 Total -$1,931.16 Golden Eagle Aviation
krullery Total -$121.95
Suwannee Air Total -$606.65
wmburns Total $40,212.09
<<

Frankly in hindsight $1,931.16 doesn't seem like a large v$ contribution. In fact, it looks like the big winner was wmburns (me).

Because I switched to using a PC12, N55VM did not reach the 100hr check mark (currently 97.57 hours). So it seems that at $4,547.00, the 100hr check will eclipse the other revenue sources.

Interesting lesson in the economics of FSE. Expenses running about 20% of gross. Really can make more v$'s by just flying.

For what it's worth traffic is way up at the Golden Eagle Network (thanks everyone!), if this keeps up the network will quickly become profitable.

We will still look at service expansion however.