OK Gymble,
What am I missing here? Lets have a go.
You pay your IFR Twin Captains $100,000 p.a each. That's almost double the award.
You pay your Co-jo's $41,000 each. Thats their award.
You pay your Single Capt's whatever their award is, say $55,000.......and you treat them as if they're valued. They know they're in line for the $100,000 twin command and they'll want to stay where they're valued.
That leaves $216,000 to pay contract pilots with on an as-needed basis which, at 150 hours a year allows them $1440 per hour.............I'm a contractor and I'd be happy to fly myself across for an hourly rate like that.
so PM me if I can help out.
Furthermore, be very careful about not paying the minimum award entitlement. Even if these poor suckers you are using for free sign to say they're happy to do so, you cannot legally contract out of any statutory obligations. The Helicopter Pilots General Award is a statutory obligation. So if in a few years time these 'free' pilots come back dis-gruntled and demand their unpaid wages you WILL have to pay them.