bb,
The real cost of GA training is about double what the market expects (and wants) to pay
You're trying to tell me a CPL should be worth nearly $80K (I guess BAE would be worth $200K
)! I have absolutely no idea about the cost of tests, admin, theory, etc, but say you took out 10 grand. On a 150hr course that gives you a fairly tidy $466 per tacho hour for a flogged out 150 and 172/182 maybe! I cannot think of any operator who would pass any of this extra profit on to the pilot. As an example, a colleague and I managed to make an extra $500 above normal profit on a charter. A bonus - no. A 6 pack - no. A "good effort boys" - not even. I guess the cruiser will get paid off quicker!
The fact is operators can afford to pay the award, and could afford to pay better than the award by raising their costs slightly.
Benefits: Motivated crew/ work force has a positive impact on business, crew stay with company for more than 6-12 months (reduced training costs and higher crew experience).
I had an operator tell me once he wouldn't get out of bed for less than $100 profit an hour. Multiply that by 4 or 5 aircraft doing 5-600 hours a year. Geez he must be struggling, my heart bleeds.
How much impact could it have on the operator to throw an extra 10 or 15 bucks an hour to the pilot, even if it meant raising their rates? I know it would make a big difference to my livelihood and my motivation.