Menno 0 Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 Hello all, I am new here so let me introduce myself. My name is Menno and I am from The Netherlands. I started playing Air Hauler about a week ago, but I have been playing Flight Simulator about as long as there have been a MS Flight Simulator I am starting this topic to let you follow the progress of my Air Hauler company. I decided to have a little fun with it, so I will be telling it in the form of a story. So every post after this will be written as if I am really running the company. I will also respond to all questions/suggestions as if I were running a real company except when I explicitly say so. I will try to include as many pictures as possible and update this 'blog' as many times as possible. Because of the fact that I started already a week ago I have a little catching up to do, so the next few entries will be in quick succession. So here we go. Let's have some fun! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4/25/2012 I did it! I did it, I finally did it! I had been toying with the idea to start my own one man air freight company for several years now, but I never really thought it would happen. There was always a reason not to do it. That was until a few weeks ago! Last month I decided to quit my boring office job. I just couldn't take the grind anymore. Long days, bad weather outside and an air conditioner inside that never really could make up it's mind what temperature air to produce... Off course I already had a basic idea of how and where I would start my own airline, but thing started to get serious in a hurry. I already had a private pilot's license. I have been flying recreationally for several years now. So for the last few weeks I have been finalizing my plans, both operationally and financially. The location I chose was Hawaii. I always wanted to live there. I like the land and the people and especially the relaxed mentality. At the time I already had a few contacts on Oahu because I have been there a few times to enjoy another hobby of mine, flying sail planes. So I contacted my friends over there for some help setting up my new company and acquiring an airplane, which is pretty essential if you want to start an air freight business Last week the big move happened. I sold my house, my car and most of my stuff. I took every dime I had and bought a one way ticket to Oahu Hawaii I was picked up at Honolulu Int. by my friend John, a fellow sail plane enthusiast. He lives in Waialuwa, only a stones throw away from Dillingham Airfield on the north-west shore of Oahu, the proposed base of operations for my company. This made sense because I already knew the airport and surrounding area from my sail plane vacations. John had arranged for me to rent a small house in Waialuwa to live in. He also arranged a meeting the next day with a local who had an airplane for sale! And then the paperwork began! Just when I thought I quit the boring monotony of paperwork in an office I was doing paperwork in an office. I had to meet with several government departments to set up my new company and base of operations and even had to meet with representatives of the Army to get approval for possible future morning, evening and night time landings at Dillingham Airfield! Ah well, all part of the job I guess So after all the paperwork I had started Air Cargo International Group out of Dillingham Airfield, Oahu. I have to admit, the 'International' part seems a bit ambitious, but I always like to think big! For Hawaii my airplane(s) will carry the Air Cargo Hawaii logo as seen below. As said before, I had a meeting with a local the day after I arrived in Hawaii to negotiate the sale of an airplane for my operation. Of course I did some research beforehand and settled on a Cessna 172 as my best choice for an airplane. I based this decision primarily on the fact that the 172 was the airplane I learned how to fly in and I have the most hours in. So it seemed a logical choice. Also the range of the 172 is more than sufficient to cover the central islands of Hawaii. The airplane, it turned out, was a 2006 model Cessna 172S, also known as the Skyhawk SP. The airplane was in remarkably good condition and had flown only very few hours. After a short test flight to check everything was working correctly the sale was finalized. It set me back the best part of 200k but I think it was worth every penny! Below some photo's after the transfer flight to Dillingham and just after I put a temporary sticker on with the company logo (couldn't help myself) A more permanent paint job will follow later. As you can see the avionics are very current and include a handheld Garmin GPS unit. I could have bought a glass cockpit version of the 172, but I didn't really see the point, especially after I saw the price tag Some info about the Cessna 172S: It is powered by a Lycoming IO-360-L2A engine producing 180 hp. This makes the airplane capable of a maximum cruising speed of about 122 knots. Empty weight is 1650 lbs. Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) is 2550 lbs including a maximum of 318 lbs of fuel. With maximum fuel the useful load is therefore 582 lbs which is very reasonable. The range is a little under 700 nmi which is more than enough for my purposes. My new house in Waialuwa is way to small to handle any kind of cargo storage or office so I managed to rent and outfit a storage space at Dillingham. This set me back a further 40k for the moment. However, I am now in business for real I forgot to take a picture, so you'll see that later... And now we come to today. What a few weeks it has been! I actually flew my first cargo run today. I was a triple cargo run to the island of Kauai to the West of Oahu. I flew some furniture to Hanapepe, then a short hop hauling mail on Kauai itself and then back to Dillingham with a load of magazines. I was so exited that I completely forgot to take some pictures on the way The flights went without a single problem and the customers were happy, so I am very happy! The weather was great, not a cloud in the sky! I think I am going to love Hawaii! Link to post Share on other sites
Menno 0 Posted May 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 4/26/2012 Rough landing! Had my first real scare today! Well it was my own fault actually, as I am not yet used to my new surroundings... I was on late afternoon flight from Dillingham to the airfield of Kaupuleu on the Island of Hawaii and forgot just how quick it gets dark here. I ended up having to land at Kaupuleu in near darkness on an unlit dirt strip. Suffice to say I managed it, just......... but sustained some damage in the process. My 172's underside took some damage from rocks and debris at the edge of the runway. Luckily it could be repaired on site at the cost of nearly 1900 Dollars. Well, that is where insurance is for I guess Made it back home to Oahu the next day without a problem and promised myself never to make the mistake of flying too late in the afternoon again! Link to post Share on other sites
Menno 0 Posted May 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 5/2/2012 One week in. My first week flying in Hawaii has been a blur. I was over before I knew it. After my first day flying to Kauai and my second day flying to Hawaii island I have been back to both Islands and did a quadruple island hop from Hawaii all the way back to Oahu stopping at nearly all islands in between. Today I had a job flying DVD players to Hana Airport on the island of Maui. I had been there before. Still is is one of the most challenging landings I encountered so far. Landing from west tot east you approach over the hills and have to make a rapid decent to make the runway... The surroundings are beautiful. This time I didn't forget to take a picture I took the picture from a Army Blackhawk helicopter that was there for some military land surveying job. The pilot was nice enough to offer to take me for a ride of the area which a gladly accepted. Coming back to my airplane for the ride back I noticed something wrong during pre-flight checks. The vertical speed indicator (VSI) seemed to malfunction. This was confirmed during takeoff and from the fact that the autopilot was not correctly holding the entered ascent rate and altitude settings. It forced me to trim the airplane by hand which gave me an opportunity to practice that. Not a bad thing one in a while Back at Dillingham I had the VSI replaced and the system checked by a local mechanic. This 'little problem' set me back 3500 Dollars Link to post Share on other sites
rosariomanzo 545 Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 Nice updates, keep them coming! Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,315 Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 Dear Sir, Welcome to the air hauling business (Menno and the site). I am sure you will be very happy in your new profession. I too, have just started a company and although the paperwork is a pain to do, what keeps you going is knowing you will soon be up in the air again. I agree starting at dawn is always a good choice to start deliveries, the early bird gets the worm, and will keep those night landings to a minimum. Nice logo you have chosen to use and anytime you use the word International in a company name, it always impresses the customers. You certainly picked a nice place, weather wise, unlike myself, to start a company in. Why didn't I think of that before starting my company in an area that gets really cold come winter time. Not to mention all the compition in my area makes finding good jobs hard to come by. I must include that it is improving since all the companies in the surrounding area are getting so big, they leave the day to day stuff to others and will end up collapsing in on themselves. I already see an uptick in new customers. Reputation is everything in this business. Good luck in your future endevour and if you ever need any help with anything just let me know and I will be happy to help. Respectfully, Brett Sohigh owner/operator SoHigh Air Services Concrete(3W5), Washington, US Link to post Share on other sites
ddavid 149 Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 Welcome to the Hangar, Menno - seems that you're making yourself at home - Well Done! And Thanks for sharing the storyline with us - it'll be interesting to see how Air Cargo develops Cheers - Dai. Link to post Share on other sites
UKJim 502 Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 Nice updates - start off small then build up I like Hawaii but I'm again a PNW flyer! Jim CEO/Pilot of Jims Air Distributions Ltd Link to post Share on other sites
Sabre 28 Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 Hello Menno and welcome to the forum and especially the Air Hauler section That's a very nice introduction and I wish you all the luck with Air Cargo Hawaii. It's actually quite pleasant to see someone hauling in the sun, most of us are battling it out over in the Pacific Northwest although the Circus owner's gone a bit soft and headed over to Europe for the winter Best regards CEO Sabre Air Deliveries (SAD) 1S2 Darrington, KBVS Skagit Regional Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,498 Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 Welcome Captain! I'm really looking forward to following your AH career, from what I have seen so far, so will have a lot of followers Link to post Share on other sites
Menno 0 Posted May 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 Thank you all for your warm words of welcome! Much appreciated As a starting business owner I am certainly going to need some of your guidance and I am certainly going to read all of your experiences operating an air freight company. I already made an improvement to my operation by installing Route Planner 3.1.3 by RouteMan on my office computer. After inputting all available jobs available to me along with fleet information and fuel prices, it calculates the most efficient way to complete them. As a one-man operation this software is an enormous improvement and saves me valuable time that can be spend flying instead. Link to post Share on other sites
PanzerFodder 0 Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 Hi menno Great first posts, good luck with your new company Cheer's...Graham... Link to post Share on other sites
Menno 0 Posted May 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 5/3/2012 Decision time! Business has been good lately. I visited over a dozen Hawaiian airfields and met a lot of new people, many of whom have become friends and customers for my airline. Part of the success of Air Cargo Hawaii seems to be the general mentality of the company. Customers have told me that the flexibility and reliability of the service offered keeps them coming back to me. Flexibility includes flights on all days of the week and to and from remote and small airstrips normally not visited by the larger companies who don't find these runs profitable enough. Small cargo runs are often combined to make even these runs profitable or at least break-even. Building goodwill and a network of contacts for possible future work is more important to me at the moment than maximizing profit... Actually business has been so good, that I can't really handle the offered volume of goods anymore. More than once I have been forced to turn down cargo packs that are just too bulky and/or heavy for my small 172. It can only carry around 580 lbs. Multiple runs are mostly not very practical and cost effective and because of that these turn downs are affecting the reputation of Air Cargo Hawaii. Observing this problem, I have turned to my fellow sail plane enthusiast and good friend John (remember John?). John owns and runs a small chain of surfing goods stores all over the Hawaiian islands and has many years experience as a small business owner. I consult with John on a regular basis regarding my growing company and the problems that I am facing. Together we came to the conclusion that the only way Air Cargo Hawaii can grow is to expand the fleet with an additional airplane that can carry more cargo. So there we are, big decisions to make. What airplane to get? Buy it or rent/lease it? Maybe even hire personnel to staff the company? After some brainstorming with members of the sail plane group at Dillingham, many of whom are also private or commercial pilots, I came up with some specifications of what the new addition to the fleet must be capable of. - My current Cessna 172 can carry around 580 lbs of cargo at about 110 knots. I am looking for a carrying capacity of something in the range of 800 to 1100 lbs with at least the same speed of the 172 and preferably a little more. - The airplane must be single engine as I don't have any experience in a multi-engine aircraft. - My current Cessna 172 has about 180 hp. I would like more power. I have noticed that my 172 has some trouble traversing the steep mountainous areas on the Hawaiian islands, especially when fully loaded. It just feels a little under powered forcing me to make some serious detours on occasion, costing me time and therefore money... - The airplane has to be GPS equipped or at least be able to have a GPS unit fitted. There are some limitations that are a big factor in the decision. Most of all, money is tight, obviously, for a starting company. I don't want to sell my current airplane, because I still would like to be able to offer service for small cargo packs on remote dirt strips. This is part of the core mentality of Air Cargo Hawaii and has brought in many repeat customers! I have around 110k available, so I understand I would not be able to buy a brand new or even second hand airplane. Leasing or renting is probably the only way to go at this time... Also very important is the availability of airplanes on the main islands of Hawaii. I can't simply have an airplane flown in from mainland U.S.A. or even the bigger islands around Hawaii. They simply don't have enough range to make the crossing. An aircraft would have to be disassembled and flown to Hawaii before being reassembled, costing a lot of money I don't have! You see, I can't possibly come up with the best solution on my own. Therefore I turn to my fellow small (or big) air freight business owners for guidance and recommendations All your input would be greatly appreciated! Link to post Share on other sites
Sabre 28 Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Many members of the Pacific North West Haulers Association (PNWHA) utilised and in some cases still use the Carenado Cessna 182 RG Skylane as their starter aircraft of choice. I haven't got the stats to hand (at work atm) but you can swing it early on in career mode in Air Hauler. It has a very decent capacity and is actually a very nice aircraft (plus if you don't own it, it's one of the slightly older therefore less expensive Carenado aircraft). You may find some details in SAD or Flying Circus topics and I know John has posted about it here some where too. John's our resident Mutley's Hangar Air Hauler guru. Link to post Share on other sites
rosariomanzo 545 Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 A C206 Stationair or a C185 Skywagon would be great choices, IMHO. Link to post Share on other sites
Menno 0 Posted May 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Thanks for the quick responses Can anyone tell me the cargo capacities of all three suggested aircraft? After some research I found the C182 can carry around 980 lbs and the C185 somewhere around 1300 if I read correctly. I guess the C206 is somewhere in between... EDIT: After some more research I found out the cargo capacity of the U206G Stationair 6 II is 1059 lbs. Link to post Share on other sites
Sabre 28 Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 I think that's about right for the 182RG so that's the what the AI would be able to fly. If you fly yourself you can carry a bit more by off-setting some fuel (unless you need a full tank - which the AI always fly with) Sorry can't help with the others. Link to post Share on other sites
rosariomanzo 545 Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 After some research I found the C182 can carry around 980 lbs and the C185 somewhere around 1300 if I read correctly. I guess the C206 is somewhere in between... EDIT: After some more research I found out the cargo capacity of the U206G Stationair 6 II is 1059 lbs. Yes, that's right. In the past (sigh) a did a great step forward with the C185. Link to post Share on other sites
Menno 0 Posted May 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 True, true. I always fly with a low amount of fuel anyway. My 172 always complains to me and gives me low fuel warnings. On short runs around the islands I usually carry only about 100 lbs of fuel. I have to admit that sometimes I overdo it a little (or underdo actually). Last week I landed at Dillingham with only 12 lbs left in the tanks There is probably a federal law somewhere that frowns upon that, so if you don't tell, I won't either I am not really a big fan of the tail-wheel configuration of the 185, but that's probably what I am used to. I have almost exclusively flown tricycle landing gear configured airplanes. Link to post Share on other sites
rosariomanzo 545 Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Strange indeed, Mike. My C206 carries 1050lbs of cargo, full fuel. Link to post Share on other sites
rosariomanzo 545 Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Ah, I have had the 206 cargo in my fleet. Sorry, a bit of confusion on my side. Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,315 Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Before I started up my company a friend of mine had reworked my C172 engine for better performance. Here is a discription of the work that was done. It uses a bit more fuel but it has been worth it. I have since sold it(should have kept it) and have leased the Aerosoft dh2 Beaver. Leasing is the way to go, cost wise, for a startup company. Once your rep reaches 60% you can take out a bank loan. It is a good idea to always keep some cash on hand for repairs. As soon as I see one come up used I am going to purchase it. New, it is only in the low 400,000 range which is a good deal because it is good on fuel consumption and can carry 1600lbs without breaking a sweat. Unfortunately it is a taildragger, not what your looking for but a classic work horse with STOL capabilities. Not to fast but a steady preformer. Link to post Share on other sites
Menno 0 Posted May 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 5/3/2012 Honolulu flyby Got to do a late afternoon cargo run from my home base at Dillingham to Lanai today. That means a flying course near Honolulu. I couldn't resist to take a few pictures along the way, of course with autopilot on! Safety first! The first picture I took on the way to Lanai flying North of Honolulu pointing south-west towards Honolulu Int. Airport. The seconds picture I took on the way back pointing towards the west. You can already see the sun is low on the horizon by the reflection of the sun of the water in the left part of the picture. I know I am not the best photographer in the world (by far), but I thought I would share these pictures with the folks out there freezing their *ss of over the mainland or elsewhere. Gives you a reminder how life can be By the way, don't say anything about my fuel status Is is supposed to be that way Oh, I almost forgot. I have contacted some of my new friends around Hawaii to keep an eye out for a possible new airplane for my fleet. Just putting some feelers out and waiting for the results. I don't want to rush anything. That's not the Hawaiian way anyways Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,315 Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Just hang loose Ka po'e apau Link to post Share on other sites
Menno 0 Posted May 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Very cool! I just HAVE to use that on my future paint scheme for my fleet! Respectfully, Menno Link to post Share on other sites
Menno 0 Posted May 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2012 5/4/2012 Developments Thing are moving fast now! Just got a call from a gentleman named Michael who is manager of the privately owned Princeville Airport (HI01) on the north shore of Kauai. He heard from an airport staff member I know that I am looking for a Cessna 206 or 182. He told me there is a 206G at the airport that has been sitting there in the corner of a hangar for several years now under a tarp. It was apparently used to supply the nearby Princeville resort, but has been mothballed because of outsourcing to companies like mine. As a matter of fact I have been at Princeville Airport before for just that purpose As I am not very busy today, I have made an appointment this afternoon to visit and inspect the airplane to see if I like it. Michael didn't have anymore details about the airplane, so it will be kind of a surprise to see what it will be like! Wish me luck! Link to post Share on other sites
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