SoCal Express Update

[ehunyadi 0]

I've reached "that moment" in the business where the decisions I am facing have the potential of dooming my business to a point beyond return. I have gotten past my "past due" fees at my last base (closing the base and moving somewhere better within 30 miles allows you to get out of paying the back-rent fees, apparently!) and have amassed over $2m with a fleet of 5 leased DC-3's (one is a C-47 with a modern cockpit) and I am faced with either saving up for the Airbus or opening another base (possibly KSFO) and hoping for some base-base action to help increase income. If I wait for the Airbus at my current base (KVNY, or Van Nuys, CA), it should take me another 3-5 days at our current pace. Opening the new base a bit farther up North may delay the Airbus lease, but may increase profits as base-base operations tend to be (in my memory) more profitable and steady (let alone easier on the dispatcher). I plan on making a decision sometime today and once the stones are cast, we'll just have to make the best of it.

 

One funny little thing that happened: One of my pilots has not progressed quickly enough to be able to fly the DC-3's. As I was assigning pilots to flights with my dispatcher Rachel today, she quickly reminded me that his rating doesn't allow him to fly planes that big. D'oh! He's my second most tenured pilot, yet doesn't have the hours to fly planes in our main fleet! Good thing I kept a Mooney Bravo around for personal flying. I picked up a job that had a deadline 37 hours in the future and was at short range, so even though it was a cargo load of around 5k lbs, I told him to fly it back and forth to get the hours up. He's pretty close, maybe 5 hours away from his next rating which would get him into the DC-3, so between this job and maybe another one or two, he should be caught up and able to fly DC-3's soon enough.

 

Has anyone found planes worth flying between the DC-3 and, say, the Airbus A321? There seems to be a big gap between the two. I figured the 727-200F might be a good interim plane, but it turns out it's even more expensive and carries roughly 2200lbs more than the A321. So much for that thought!

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

Dash 7s. There are models that haul from 11000 - 27000lbs...at a good clip too. There are some decent freeware versions available...and some sucky ones.

Forgive me for posting from my phone...but don't have specific models or links to recommend on this device. I'm sure you will have more suggestions as well soon.

[brett 2,284]

What about something like the Bombardier CRJ700 type aircraft, more in fuel but it must have a decent payload. It flies like a dream.

 

Great result switching bases, saved you a bunch and a good tip to remember.

[allardjd 1,853]

Has anyone found planes worth flying between the DC-3 and, say, the Airbus A321?

C-130?

~32K lbs. Cargo Capacity in AH (Captain Sim version). Flies far and fast, 340 KTAS at altitude.

John

[ehunyadi 0]

Turns out the CRJ700 costs more than the A321. Go figure.

 

Do any cargo companies in the US use the C-130? I know they're popular in Africa and overseas, but I have yet to see one in the US. Just wondering (not that it would keep me from using one, but I worry it will run the same problem as the CRJ700 in relation to price vs the A321).

 

I downloaded a really nice Dash-7. I need to do some editing of the aircraft.cfg file and then I will see how it fares in relation to price.

 

Thanks for the recommendations, guys!

[brett 2,284]

I have a buy price at a touch over 32 mil on my CaptSim's.  Cheaper than the CRJ with a lease price that's not to bad. Carries BIG contracts.