MusDg

It seems to be a trend not only as jump pilots. I was going to work part time for a flight school to break the routine of taking zero time guys to solo and then repeating. The flight school wanted me to pay for the HOBBS time it took to get checked out in each of their airplanes. Not just one. I have to be checked out in each tail number even though they were the same equipment. I walked away.

Here is a hard fact: At 750 hours total time and 300 dual given I landed a job as a primary flight instructor making $30.10/hour and after four years I'm at $37.45/hour. The kicker is I'm guaranteed 40 hours/week because my company wants me to have a livable wage.

Where is this in the rest of the pilot industry? I'm not complaining about my job because of the QOL but I also really have no where to move to either. I just keep plugging away teaching students to solo in hopes that someday the industry will change.

Xtain

Thanks yeah I've applied for a few of those positions. My flight school didn't have any openings for an instructor so I'm one of those recent grads without a job and a few months until loan repayment starts. Guess I should start calling and bugging people.

BeardedFlyer

The posted minimum times in a lot of those jump pilot ads on dropzone.com are ridiculous. Flying jumpers is supposed to be an entry level job. It doesn't take 1000 hours to know how to fly circles over an airport.

AcesHigh

My only guess would be insurance mins... But yea anything over 500 is steep for an "entry-level" position.

Unless they just want to find somebody with experience prior so they don't have to waste time to train.

fatmike69

$37.45/hr at a guaruntee of 40 hrs per week flight instructing, hired at 750 hours TTL? That's almost 80k per year, you probably make more than most captains at any regional airline. I'd hold on to that one, that's one heck of a gig you found.

MusDg

It's a very good gig. Get instructor burn out a lot but it goes away just as fast as it comes. Students ask if I ever have plans to move on when we're taxiing past an RJ or commuter. I respond with a statement similar to yours. Especially when it's Great Lakes. No offense to anyone with them. I simply reply with I make more money than both the CAPT and F/O combined flying in this little thing with a great QOL. Why would I?

Redline165

The good portion of those Dropzone's are flying turbine aircraft, and from what i can tell the same insurance company insures most all jump planes. Anything turbine is 1000 hours total time, period. There are a few loop holes (lots of time in type) but those are hard to come by, and most Dropzone's don't want to tie up a seat for 300 loads to train a new pilot.

BeardedFlyer

Well I can't seem to figure out why anyone with 1000 hours would be applying to be a jump pilot. Flying divers is a great total time builder but by the time I get to 1000hrs if I am still applying to drop zones then something is wrong... unless it's to build multi time. Those caravans would be fun to fly, but when the majors state "1000 turbine PIC" in their minimums, they are not talking about day VFR circles over an airport.

Rotor2prop

I tend to agree with your overall statement but there are exceptions. Maybe someone is trying to build time for a FedEx feeder or other SE turbine job. Just because its not the goal of most of us it is for some.

SharkAir

You'd be surprised....