0
KevinLizard

Skydive Pilot Wage?

Recommended Posts

Yeah, but we make it up with our fair share of high-fives and "Go get em, Tiger." We treat our pilots well, and we have never had a hard time finding good, experienced jump pilots fly for us. Because we are NOT a commercial operation, we have a lot of leeway.
=========Shaun ==========


Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!

Oh, that was a serious question?

I meant, Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ... etc.




Says Zing ~in retirement, while lounging by the pool at the mansion on his private island in the Bahamas. :ph34r:










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Jump pilot pay ranges from zero to the almost the same as a commuter pilot flying the same type of airplane.

Most jump clubs pay their pilots zero. But everybody is happy because the pilot banks hours towards a real job. The best clubs provide pilots with lunch and a beer at the end of the day.
Mind you, one time I had to threaten to shut down the airplane - in the middle of a busy Sunday - before anyone would bring me a sandwich.
Tee!
Hee!
Commercial skydiving centers tend to pay near the bottom of the industry standard for pilots flying similar airplanes, just because they have learned the hard way that pilots who are only worth minimum wage tend to break airplanes. Turbine-engined airplanes are far too expensive to risk in the hands of minimum-wage pilots.
Mind you, most jump pilots are paid by the hour/load and most jump pilots fly fewer hours per day and fewer days per week than a commuter pilot.
Most jump pilots need daytime jobs to earn a living.

Jump pilot is considered an entry-level job in the aviation business. Most entry-level jobs (in any industry) pay minimum wage.
If you are a good jump pilot, you can use your jump pilot experience to step up the ladder to a real-paying job as a junior co-pilot with a commuter airline.

For example, Pacific Skydivers routinely hires young commercial pilots (350 hours, multi-IFR, etc.) every spring. By the end of the season, they have twice that many hours (on single-engined Cessnas) and are ready to look for "real" jobs. One of our former pilots flies executive jets out of Texas. Another flies Dornier 328s on scheduled runs. Another flies light twins in Eastern Canada. Another flies King Airs in Northern Alberta. Last thing I heard, one of our former pilots was hired by LOT (Polish) Airlines.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

$5 per a load? That's realllllly low wage for risk to fly a plane.



You'd then be really shocked to hear that my dz doesn't pay our pilots at all. Heck, we don't even pay our "coaches", we don't pay our packers to pack student rigs or to teach students to pack, and we don't even pay *gasp* manifest (who 90% of the time happens to be me). We are a non-profit club dz.

Pilots are paid in the form of their "free flying" hours.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Our club too pays $5/hr for our 182. The biggest thing to all pilots as was mentioned here is for them to gain flying hours. What this does is have them use our plane and it costs them nothing to fly (flying club is $180/hr to rent).

Many of our pilots have used us to gain hours and have moved on to full time commercial work because of that. Many of our pilots are from the military as the training base for the air force pilots is just outside the city. One of the current Canadian Snowbirds aerobatic team was one of our old skydive pilots.

A symbiotic realationship that benifits us all.....oh that is what symbiotic means :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Just curious...when looking for a 'real job', would the time flying jumpers be considered a good thing?

I know years ago some jump ship driver friends would list the hours on a resume...but not 'what' they did to get the hours.










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Just curious...when looking for a 'real job', would the time flying jumpers be considered a good thing?

I know years ago some jump ship driver friends would list the hours on a resume...but not 'what' they did to get the hours.


Jumpship time is good because it is Pilot in Command. It usually is done within the framework of a corporate structure; this tends to indicate that there is pressure for efficiency as well as experienced oversight. It depends on where, but often the work includes flying in a variety of control environments not generally encountered during flying club rental flights.
What it lacks is cross-country and poor weather experience and decision making.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

Just curious...when looking for a 'real job', would the time flying jumpers be considered a good thing?

I know years ago some jump ship driver friends would list the hours on a resume...but not 'what' they did to get the hours.


Jumpship time is good because it is Pilot in Command. It usually is done within the framework of a corporate structure; this tends to indicate that there is pressure for efficiency as well as experienced oversight. It depends on where, but often the work includes flying in a variety of control environments not generally encountered during flying club rental flights.
What it lacks is cross-country and poor weather experience and decision making.



That's what I thought...their reasoning back then was that diverdrivers had a bit of a cowboy fandango image that corporate wouldn't like.










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote


non-profit? Then how can you afford to pay fuel for a plane?


Fuel is a cost; it comes out of revenues, what is left over is profit.



OT - I have worked for a not-for-profit for the past 30 years and it never ceases to amaze me the way many people don't have a clue what "not-for-profit" means.
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
We actually don't pay enough to pay for the fuel and maintenence of the airplanes. In the last two years, the plane's owner has taken about $30,000 out of his pocket to keep them running. I'm very appreciative that he's worked hard his entire life to be in the position to be able to do that for us, and continues to give to the sport instead of taking from it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

We actually don't pay enough to pay for the fuel and maintenence of the airplanes. In the last two years, the plane's owner has taken about $30,000 out of his pocket to keep them running. I'm very appreciative that he's worked hard his entire life to be in the position to be able to do that for us, and continues to give to the sport instead of taking from it.



Yikes. How long is he going to be able to keep doing that for?
Do you want to have an ideagasm?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0