What does it take to start an airline? Aidan found out in 2011 while helping train the pilots of Goma Air, a new small air taxi operator in Western Nepal. Before he returned to the U.S., he interviewed Goma Air’s Managing Director, Manoj Karki. This is our first exploration into the business side of oddball flying.
If you live near Seattle, join us next Wednesday night at KBFI to see Aidan’s photos of Nepal and hear his stories about flying there.
A lot of people get into aviation because they don’t want a “real” job. In his latest Dispatch, Aidan ponders the meaning of “work,” and realizes that he’s happiest in the sort of flying jobs many pilots would run from. There’s some great food for thought here, as well as some inspiring photos from his time working in Nepal and Western Alaska.
How does a kid from Nepal with a dream of one day becoming a pilot turn that dream into reality? Listen in as Goma Air Captain and Director of Operations A.D. Sherpa tells his story … and explains why he left an airline job flying the ATR 72 in India to start a new airline with two Cessna Caravans in Western Nepal.
With a 2,000-foot paved runway at only 7,815 feet MSL, Jumla is regarded by pilots as one of the best airports in Western Nepal. When Goma Air’s new Caravans touched down there for the first time last February, the pilots were met by a huge crowd, a band, and reporters. Not quite as big a reception as Lindbergh’s arrival in Paris in 1927 … but close!
Look, up in the sky! It’s a Cherokee! It’s a Thrush! No wait … it’s a Pacific Aerospace P-750 XSTOL! Air Kasthamandap pilot Daniel Burgess gives you a tour of his Nepal-based company’s Extremely Short Take-Off and Landing aircraft.
Birds of a feather flock together they say, and it’s true. While flying in Nepal, Aidan met two other oddball pilots from abroad. One morning they had an interesting chat about international flying jobs. Listen in, and learn about oddball jobs in New Zealand, Alaska, and elsewhere–and how to get them.
Ferrying small airplanes around the planet is boring at times, nerve-wracking at others, but always a fun way to see the world. Come along as Aidan ferries a Cessna Caravan from Seattle to Kathmandu via Bangor, the Azores, Malta, Luxor, and Oman.
Aidan is currently in Western Nepal for a month, helping some experienced Twin Otter drivers get experience flying the Cessna Caravan. Short and rough strips at 9,000 feet MSL make for some interesting flying. But the real hazards seem to be on the ground!
