LeoSV

I'm trying to get hours for my ratings. Normally I pay about $90/hour. They ask me to move airplanes from one airport to another and while I'm at it do a few laps. Why would I turn that down? I need those hours anyway. I don't understand the issue here. If I turn it down then the chief pilot will just do it himself and I won't get those free hours. Once I become an actual employee I won't be doing stuff for free, but as a student trying to get my hours for commercial, why on earth would I turn that down? I'm not "whoring" myself out to anybody, I'm getting hours. You act like I'm flying an RJ for free or something. It's a 172 that I NEED to fly ANYWAY. Why not save $90/hour????

IlliniPilot99

I'm on your side LeoSV....I'm flying fire patrol and in 172 and 310 and they're paying me barely anything...enough for a tank of gas, but since I dont have to pay for the flight time...I'm totally willing to do it...and it's 4-8 hours of flying a day....(average about 5 though)!

ppilot

Calm down. I'm on your side (all of our sides really) read 'The Jungle' by Upton Sinclair sometime and see what happens when people will work 'cheaper and cheaper and finally just for concessions'. I'm of the opinion that the entire commercial pilot industry needs to be unionized. When a pilot works for free, it hurts all of us. You think the Chief Pilot would just do it, but he'd probably be a lot happier to hire someone (if he couldn't find someone to do it for free).

Finally, I didn't realize that you're not a commercial pilot. Be very careful. You're breaking the rules here (you know that, don't you?) You're acting as a commercial pilot, and you're shouting it out on the internet. Make sure there is no connection (email?) between your user name on APC and your actual identity. Make sure you can explain away those hours in your logbook in an interview.

LeoSV

lol.. I forgot to say that I'm paying for half the gas so it's at a great discount.. as far as working for concessions, I won't. I understand that my time as a CFI will be financially dismal, but I will work for money. I have a family to feed. And I didn't mean to sound like I was getting bent out of shape, I surely wasn't. I just didn't understand the issue you had with me building hours as a student for cheaper than full price. But I can see that you thought I was already a COMM pilot, so mix up has been cleared.

ppilot

You don't understand. What are CFI's teaching people now? I used to spend a whole ground lesson on 'things a private pilot can do, things they can't do, and things that are in a gray area', then the same with commercial students. The examiner always tested them on this stuff too.

Again, you're acting as a commercial pilot. It doesn't matter if you're paying for half of the gas! I know you're thinking about 'pro-rata share' but that just doesn't apply here. You have no personal reason for making the flight. You're being compensated for the flight. You aren't supposed to do what you're doing as a private pilot. Do you know how many people have been busted for doing exactly what you're doing? Trust me, if you get caught, your career is over, and the chief pilot at your FBO is in some major hot water for allowing what you're doing.

LeoSV

Alright then, I was lying about it. You caught me.

DLAJ77

you have to be carefull with that stuff...get your ratings and never fly for free period

ppilot

Oh for Christ's sake. I didn't say you were lying about anything. You're letting yourself be used and putting your career at risk, but I didn't say you were lying.

Just forget the whole thing. The chances are you'll never get caught, so don't worry about it. Just be careful. If you have an accident/incident...or get ramped...or break a reg while you're doing one of these flights, you're all done. You'll probably be fine though.

N6724G

I dont see the problem wiith taking a jet transition course. Anything to help make me successful in training can only be a plus right? Yes, they wil ltrain you, but different people learn at differant rates. So, for me I want to take a jet course. I have flown nothing but older model 172's. So, if I am throwninto a jet glass cockpit environment I will definantly be behind the curve, so I need as much prep as I can get.

Slice

Maybe it's just me but I'm of the school of thought that if I think I need extra training going into something that most do not, then I'm probably not ready for the task. It's a waste of $$$. An average pilot, with average skills and intelligence should be able to pass training with what's provided by the employer along with self/group study along the way.