cliffy Posted January 26, 2015 Report Posted January 26, 2015 Got asked today if I knew anyone who wanted a flying job. Low time Commercial OK. Will fly Cirrus and Twin Comanche on Pt 91 until you get 500 hrs then transition into the 135 ops on the Cirrus. Don't know the pay but you will live in Page AZ (KPGA). Good for time building for a Comm/Inst/Multi. Quote
manoflamancha Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I'm finishing my instrument and commercial ratings this year and then CFI and want to do some freelance flying work eventually. Quote
ryoder Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 Sounds like fun. Keep us posted on details. I will live vicariously through this. Getting paid to fly... Quote
Jerry 5TJ Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 Last year I got an offer like that - fly on contract for F***x in Cessna Caravan. Comm, Instrument, 2000 minimum hours and the pay is $35K per year. Six days per week.   Oh, and that includes the per diem pay.  Quote
Mooneymite Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 Last year I got an offer like that - fly on contract for F***x in Cessna Caravan. Comm, Instrument, 2000 minimum hours and the pay is $35K per year. Six days per week.   Oh, and that includes the per diem pay.   All you need is a good union.  You'll be making the big bucks in no time!  Quote
ryoder Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 How long would it take to go from private pilot to making at least 100K? Quote
Jeev Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 How long would it take to go from private pilot to making at least 100K? Man I've briefly explored this when I learned how to fly and had delusional dreams of quitting my well paying job to fly....... When you add up all the costs to get to Multi ATP in a jet its a ton of training costs while making 0 income.... My uneducated guess came out to 6-8 years to get close to $100k... Maybe 10. I figured if I started when in college when I was eating Top Rammen and had 2 roommates it would work out since I didn know any better. The only way to do it now would be to have a good deal of wealth to support your lifestyle during training and job hunting. There is a doctor who lives in Tampa and retired medicine to fly for one of the fractional jet outfits, he writes a section in Flying or Plane and Pilot Mag... Now he did it right! 1 Quote
M20F-1968 Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 Get me his name. This doctor may be interested. John Breda Quote
cliffy Posted January 27, 2015 Author Report Posted January 27, 2015 I guess we're missing the point here. This is a job for a young single who WANTS to go into aviation. Right now if you want to make the big bucks you gotta start somewhere. If you have 250 hrs you can't even get on at a 135 because the Feds make it 500 hrs min. You want to go 121? 1500 hrs by the Feds. Sure you can tow banners or drop people with chutes or maybe even Alaska but this one bypasses those. Most will never make it to $150K/yr in this flying business. You have to love it to stay on. Just like professional sports, very few make it to the top. I know the people who are offering and they are honest people but they know the market also. They are business people but willing to give someone a chance. I wish something like this was available 45 yrs ago when I was starting out. It wasn't! The last of the "Golden Careers" in airline flying died 20 years ago. I know, I was there. But if you have to fly with an airline to feel alive, than you have to start somewhere. 1 Quote
DonMuncy Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 John, If you are asking about the doctor who started flying for money, his name is Dick Karl. He writes a column called "Gear Up" in Flying Magazine. He was a surgeon for many years. Now he flies for a charter operation. 1 Quote
Marauder Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 John, If you are asking about the doctor who started flying for money, his name is Dick Karl. He writes a column called "Gear Up" in Flying Magazine. He was a surgeon for many years. Now he flies for a charter operation. So he is doing it backwards, starting off with a large fortune and working his way back to poverty... Which reminds me of a joke. Do you know how you can tell who the flight instructor is? He is the one on your porch delivering the pizza. One of my CFIs told me that years ago. Funny how some of them just stick with you. 4 Quote
Mooneymite Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 "Paying your dues" working in aviation seems to be a tradition. After I paid my dues in the Navy, I was rewarded with a job with a major airline in 1978. Starting pay while in my probationary year: $500/mo. gross (before taxes, etc.). My house payment at that time was $680/mo. I was delighted to get the job and there was no shortage of applicants. (Fishheads and rice can be really tasty!) Why do businesses pay pilots so poorly? Because they can. 1 Quote
NotarPilot Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I just happened to watch a documentary on YouTube last night called "The Worst Place to Be a Pilot." It was a British produced show focused on British expats traveling to Indonesia to work for a small airline called Susi Air. It was very interesting and looks to be very "challenging." They do it because of the lack of flying jobs in the UK for new pilots. I imagine the CFI career path, like in the US, is slim in Europe due to the high cost of flight training there. It was interesting to watch these pilots fly into airstrips carved onto the sides of a mountains. They have to contend with high winds, down drafts, turbulent air, etc. Keep in mind these are not high time experienced pilots and the accident rate is somewhat high. They're landing Pilatus Porters on 1200' long airstrips too. But I'll tell you what, these are the guys I want flying my 737 in case the proverbial cow manure hits the fan. These guys develop some excellent stick and rudder skills that I don't think you can get in a simulator because this is real flying that can get you killed. I'd much rather have these guys in the cockpit over the Air Asiana pilots that crashed a 777 in SFO because they couldn't fly the plane without the AP. Allegedly of course. 1 Quote
Danb Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I guess its the timing aspect of how soon you want to be an atp.. I have a few ATP clients, and they basically did it differing ways, from Embry Riddell, to a friend who got his cfi at a young age kept his job as a police officer retired from the force and has been flying Lears since so his plan was to do it after retiring from the force, he built hrs on evenings and weekends teaching.. since they can retire so young..he makes maybe 60K yr and works 2-3 days a week..I have a Luftansia pilot who is from Sweden and only makes about 100 k  yr US..so there is great differences..one truism is build up hours as fast and cheaply as you can.. 1 Quote
Danb Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 hey Don nice article in this months Mooney Log Quote
AndyFromCB Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I'm still willing to bet I could start an airline and actually have pilots pay me ;-) 1 Quote
Mooneymite Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I'm still willing to bet I could start an airline and actually have pilots pay me ;-) Â That's already been done. Â Wasn't it Gulfstream that charged first officers to fly for them in exchange for getting "airline experience"? Â My neighbor quips that he can't find college educated, hard workers starting at $60,000/year, but he can hire highly trained pilots with college degrees for $20K. Â Don't worry though. Â I've been told for the last 40 years that the pilot shortage is coming, so I know it's about to happen. Â Â 1 Quote
Joe Zuffoletto Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I just happened to watch a documentary on YouTube last night called "The Worst Place to Be a Pilot." It was a British produced show focused on British expats traveling to Indonesia to work for a small airline called Susi Air. It was very interesting and looks to be very "challenging." They do it because of the lack of flying jobs in the UK for new pilots. I imagine the CFI career path, like in the US, is slim in Europe due to the high cost of flight training there. It was interesting to watch these pilots fly into airstrips carved onto the sides of a mountains. They have to contend with high winds, down drafts, turbulent air, etc. Keep in mind these are not high time experienced pilots and the accident rate is somewhat high. They're landing Pilatus Porters on 1200' long airstrips too. But I'll tell you what, these are the guys I want flying my 737 in case the proverbial cow manure hits the fan. These guys develop some excellent stick and rudder skills that I don't think you can get in a simulator because this is real flying that can get you killed. I'd much rather have these guys in the cockpit over the Air Asiana pilots that crashed a 777 in SFO because they couldn't fly the plane without the AP. Allegedly of course. I saw that documentary too. It was amazing. Quote
1964-M20E Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I guess its the timing aspect of how soon you want to be an atp.. I have a few ATP clients, and they basically did it differing ways, from Embry Riddell, to a friend who got his cfi at a young age kept his job as a police officer retired from the force and has been flying Lears since so his plan was to do it after retiring from the force, he built hrs on evenings and weekends teaching.. since they can retire so young..he makes maybe 60K yr and works 2-3 days a week..I have a Luftansia pilot who is from Sweden and only makes about 100 k  yr US..so there is great differences..one truism is build up hours as fast and cheaply as you can.. The best hours in your log book are the ones that did not cost you anything but your time. Quote
AndyFromCB Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 "The Worst Place to Be a Pilot." is a pretty cool show. I need a Pilatus Porter. Quote
Andy95W Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 Stages of a pilot career: First you pay to fly. Then you get paid to fly. Then you get paid not to fly. Quote
cliffy Posted January 28, 2015 Author Report Posted January 28, 2015 Some people can't think of doing anything else but fly and others throw it away and become lawyers. You pays your money and you takes your choice. Quote
NotarPilot Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 Stages of a pilot career: First you pay to fly. Then you get paid to fly. Then you get paid not to fly. Then you pay to fly again. 2 Quote
ryoder Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 Sounds like anything. I used to program computers for fun after school or work. I spent my whole summer after eight grade writing a drawing program and skipped college classes to write games, Then I got a real job programming and over time I stopped doing it at home. Now I am a manager and I don't get to code as much as I'd like. But I sure do get to host a lot of conference calls and write status reports Quote
Rhumbline Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 Then you pay to fly again. Yup! Quote
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