Interesting thread.
Been around the DZ scene for long time. so have have seen it all i suppose when it comes to operators and how they pay their staff. The commercial side of jumping has changed greatly since the tandem concept started becoming popular around the late eighties. resort style drop zones started popping up all over the place catering for just tandems. The traditional old club theme exists only at a few Drop Zones. Amazing how the tandem masters packers the few video flyers that are left since "handcam" started, sound just like you guys. the get st##ed around just like you. not quite working for free but having the risk of losing your job to someone else willing to do it, if you complain. so pretty simple if you work for a full on tandem op in any type aircft you must get paid a decent return. even if only for the responsibility of flying human cargo under sometimes iffy conditions ect. How you land the job and if you have other duties beside flying to earn your bucks then that is up to you if you want to accept it. job satisfaction thats a personal choice. but flying a perfect sortie is as complex as flying any 'Heavy' and pulling them off brought a smile to my face. but when it comes to clubs and i belong to one of the oldest, you will possibly find now that if the aircraft is hired in it usually comes with the pilot. club owned aircraft tend to be flown by either club members rotating around loads or local retired types who just want to finish up with some back to basic flying. i've been to many many boogies, some just as wild as the "guns and flames" presentation all over the country jumping free and getting plenty of right seat time just for pumping jet A and making sure no one walked into a prop. i've also seen plenty of people riped off wage and condition wise in many places and the reason is nobody will stand up and insist on fair and just remunation. there will always be someone who will come along and undercut you. until that link is broken the problems will always remain. It is only recentley these pump um out DZ's were being made to pay superanuation to there staff.
to the guys who would love to trade caravan hrs for the Porter you going to be peeved you read this. just from pumping fuel i managed the folowing
15hrs porter, 55hrs turbine beaver, 25hrs nomad, and 400hrs of real quality time in twin otters KZP, KZQ. admitedly just right seat time but never would have had any other hope in hell of flying them any other way or learning the flying skills i have today. shame this century has been so serious just no real fun left in it now.