A little extra cash

[eddieflyer]

Not sure if this was the right forum for this question but I'll give it a try. Currently I'm working as charter pilot in the midwest. With fuel, house, baby coming my "extremely large"(ha ha ha) salary is getting pulled tight. With all my down time at nameless airports I thought it would be great if I had a side job that I could take with me and do while I was waiting for passengers for ten hours. Seeing how I'm never at the same place two days in a row it would have to be an "at home" or in this case "at work" job. I'm posting this to see what, if any, side jobs some of you keep to get extra money or to keep occupied. Thanks for the ideas.

[Old Smokey]

Buy a Lap-Top computer, become proficient in programming, and write useful programs for pilots. Amazing how quickly the time passes on those boring waits.

There are scores of non-pilot very proficient program writers out there, and millions of pilots who need good, fast information. The problem is that the non-pilot programmers don't fully appreciate what a pilot needs.

Maybe it'll work for you, maybe it won't, but it worked for me and doubled my 'day job' income.:ok:

Regards,

Old Smokey

[Dan Dare]

On the Laptop theme, become a day-trader and gamble your wages on the stock-markets (or CFD for the really adventurous).

remember that shares may go down and your money is not guaranteed.

[vindaloo]

Buy a Lap-Top computer, become proficient in programming, and write useful programs for pilots.
What programs would be useful to pilots that aren't already available?
The problem is that the non-pilot programmers don't fully appreciate what a pilot needs.
Do I count as a "pilot programmer" with a PPL? If anyone has any suggestions I'd be happy to help.

Vindaloo

[fernytickles]

eddieflyer

I'm in a similar position, and have thought about using the down time at various stops to check out the local antique/junk stores, buy what could be sold at a higher price, and sell on Ebay. Or buy something that can be done up and sold on. Or write articles to sell to magazines, if you have that kind of skill (I don't, unfortunately).

Or take up knitting......

[RowleyUK]

Im in exactly the same position.

Thought about doing a college course to get some form of trade to take up my spare time.


Also thought about buyin a business but i dont know what....


Also thought about buying a property and 'doin it up' to sell at a profit!

[Old Smokey]

vindaloo,
What programs would be useful to pilots that aren't already available?
None, just about everything is covered, but the problem is that they're not particularly 'user friendly'. Usually, they're aimed at one corner of the market, e.g. PPL or alternatively ATPL. Where I found an advantage (and I have to be careful not to place an unpaid advertisment on Pprune) was to acommodate all levels of aviation activity from Ultra-Light through to SR-71 pilots, with the user defining what level of complexity / simplicity he / she desired. Sometimes there's a surprise, after writing in an astronomical module for Beginning of Daylight/Sunrise/Sunset/End of Daylight aimed at VFR flyers, but thinking that the professionals wouldn't be interested, found a market with Muslim pilots who had a very great interest in Sunrise/Sunset etc.

An example of 'user friendliness' for Temperature input -

-17 = -17°C (SAT)
-17F = -17°F (SAT)
-17T = -17°C TAT
-17R = -17°C RAT
I+12 = ISA+12°C
I+12F = ISA+12°F, etc.

In short, the user enters the most useful temperature reference for him/herself, and logic does the rest.
Do I count as a "pilot programmer" with a PPL? If anyone has any suggestions I'd be happy to help.
Depends on both your computer programming abilities, and your depth of knowledge of Aerodynamics, Spherical Navigation, Astronomy, Performance Engineering etc.

The stuff that I sell is C++, but I admit to using good old BASIC on my desk-top for my own purposes (which, with current processer speeds, is just as fast as the C++'s etc.).