JumpShipGypsy

$3.2 million (in 2006 dollars)

I went to Eloy I didnt jump I dont care. I think im done...

You implied that all pilots are going to make 6 figures after leaving the DZ. That's not remotely true. oh yeah, I made $1,983,600 last year. BFD Taiwan dollars.

I make pretty good money here in AK.

At most DZs the riggers, packers and instructors made significanty more than the pilot. fact is, for awhile i would pack between loads and while everyone else was drinking, so i could afford to eat. Ben

Lets start with a living wage.

I sure hope no dz ever lets you fly our fantastic planes again. You are so ungrateful. I guess you dont really give a shit about our sport. What an insult you just said there. We have some aw3esome aircrafts in this sport. Ive flown some good ones, and some junk. Just because it has nice paint doesnt mean its in good shape. And just becuse its ugly dosnt mean its dangerous. Im a sport jumper, but i woulnt judge if your tandem rig is in good repair. Unless someone is an pilot, or better yet an A&P, you dont really know.

Except for WPS im done flying jumpers. I like Alaska and intend to stay here. This isnt about me, its about the situation in general with pillots and DZs Pilots, quit your job at the DZ and come to Alaska. There are jobs here for low time pilots if you are willing to work hard. And they pay real money. (Unless you like being broke and flying trashy airplanes) Ben

So if a pilot works from 9 am till 9pm Saturday and Sunday, gets paid $15 per load, and does 20 loads, thats 60 per hour? i dont think so. More like $25 per hour if you figure all day at the DZ. What about on Tuesday, when the pilot still has to be there all day to do 3 loads. What if it rains all day, but looks like it could improve any minute?

well, i'm glad a few people agree with me. 350.000 a year, no way. only the most senior people make that. And no one coming up now will ever see that kind of pay. It just doesn't happen anymore. Yes its true, many pilots will work for peanuts, to get time. It sucks, they are only hurting themselves. it under cuts the rest of us. Let me be clear, WPS is the only DZ i would ever fly free at. That DZ is not run to make money. Its run to have good skydiving in Eastern WA. Everyone there helps out to make that place work. Ben

If there's a problem here I think you'll find at least part of it in the mirror. That particular DZ is run like a co-op, not a businesss. i woulnt work for free anywhere else.

I'll say it again, you get what you pay for. You are clearly will to pay less and have an inexperienced pilot. I learned a lot about flying from flying jump planes. I had a lot of good times too. But i could not afford to stay. If i was a CFI (cretified flight instructor) i never would have been a jump pilot. A pilot is responsible for the lives of everyone on the plane. And not just for when they are in the plane. If a jumper has a mid air with another plane, who do you think is responsible? When i was flying the Otter i was responsible for up to 20 people. A skydive instructor is only responsible for thier student. Who makes more money? Just because you are willing to suffer for your sport, dont expect every one else to suffer too or feel sorry for you. All im saying is, if the money was right DZs would be able to keep pilots. but its not, compaired to the rest of the market. DZO need to pay more or expect less. Ben

Bull shit. Most full time jump pilots are building time to get a better job. There are some who do it for fun. Heck i still fly at one DZ sometimes when im home. And i fly for free. The other pilots who fly there are bankers and doctors and fly free too. Just for fun. Most pilots who fly for a living will not stay for the "lifestyle" of the DZ, they will move on to something that pays better.

N/A

For those of you who don't know me, I'm a commercial pilot. I worked at various drop zones for 4 years. I started in a 182 and ended up in a Twin Otter. Now i fly for a small airline in Alaska. When i was a jump pilot i was broke. Now a make a pretty good living. I still watch the employment classifieds for pilot jobs. I keep seeing the same thing over and over. DZO looking for pilots to fly their airplanes but not willing to pay a living wage. A certain DZO has been looking for a pilot to fly a King Air for months. I wrote to see what he was offering. (sometimes it cold enough here to make flying a jumpplane in the south is pretty tempting) He was offing a guarantee of $500 a week with the possibility to make more if the DZ is busy, 15 per load. And wanted a year commitment, seven days a week. And he wanted someone he didn't need to train. DZO and jumpers need to realize that you get what you pay for. If you want a pilot who is safe, experienced and professional you need to pay for it. If you don't want to pay you are going to get a pilot who is inexperienced, or who has an accident record. I know a lot of jumpers who are terrified of airplanes, is it any wonder? Right now the job market for pilots is hot. The airlines are hiring guys with less than a thousand hours and wet ink on a multiengine rating. There are jumpers who are going to complain that lift tickets are too expensive and paying pilots more will raise the cost more. I'm a jumpers too, and I'm prepared to deal with it. Ben