Surveillance Australia observer Pay

[Yakka]

Just wondering if anyone out there knows what the pay is for for an airborne observer at Surveillance. I have a friend that is going for a job there and one of the questions in the application is apparently "what do you expect to be paid."

Any info would be appreciated

Cheers
Yakka

[aircabbie]

A good mate of mine is a pilot with them i'll try to track him down and get some details for you .

Cheers:ok:

[Yakka]

thanks it would be greatly appreciated

Yakka

[Moniker]

The base pay for an abinitio visual observer is about $38,500 and once CTL electronically is about $45,500.

Overnights are paid at the ATO stated amount of about $94 per night (tax free) but only after being CTL. There are other allowances that are paid as well depending upon whether the person becomes a trainer or C&T and are paid at various % rates up to 25% of the base wage. If an MC then there are additional bonuses paid on top of that as well in incremental stages over a few years. (These are aimed at retention.)

All training at abinitio stage is in CNS at accommodation paid for by the company, base pay + $50 per night allowance paid if not from CNS. That is paid until the course is finished and travel back to base is complete, then it is training wage only. Overnights are $50 until CTL. If not CTL after 12 weeks (at the moment due to massive training schedule) then base pay becomes the after CTL pay.

There is an 'overtime' flight pay of either $50/$75 depending upon your classification per hour for any hour or part thereof in excess of 70 hours when flown in a 28 day period. That can be a tidy sum just at the moment.

All pays paid bi-monthly EFT (approx 15th and last working day) allowances at the end of the month.

Hope that helps.

[evilroy]

Jeez - there have been some changes. Overtime flying pay?

[aircabbie]

crikey . i doubt i could get you info of that quality mate..

[RENURPP]

ATO stated amount of about $94 per nightI have no reference BUT I believe that may be well out of date, should be more like $130 today!

[AerocatS2A]

I have no reference BUT I believe that may be well out of date, should be more like $130 today!
No, it is about $94. It goes up with CPI each year.

The reasonable amounts for travel expenses with a salary below $84,250 from the ATO website are:

B'fast $19.60
Lunch $21.95
Dinner $37.80
Incidentals $14.95

If you get more than the reasonable amount then the entire amount must be shown on your group certificate and is potentially taxable.

[Over and gout]

I would guess the observer would get paid alot :ugh: more than the pilot seeing as the GA award is so pitifull....

[AerocatS2A]

You'd guess wrong then.

[Bula]

Which pilots are we talking about here? There be plently of windows lickers on more then the drivers :}

[AerocatS2A]

The highest paid observers get more than the lowest paid pilots, but in general the pilots pay is higher. Vis pilot gets more than vis observer and more than a visual mission coordinator, Dash FO gets more than electronic observer but less than an electronic mission coordinator, Dash capt gets more than everyone.

[Ejector]

Can the FO look out side and more than double her/his wage? What a crock of poo. This company is a peice of jack crap.:= spew

[Moniker]

Ejector
Can the FO look out side and more than double her/his wage
I'm not too sure what you're on about?

Bula
windows lickers an interesting analogy :hmm:

[Bula]

ha you bet ya:E

[AerocatS2A]

An FO is welcome to apply for a job as an observer. If you think that they would then double their wage or that their job would become easier then you obviously have no idea about what you're talking about.

luckily for you (and them), no one is forcing you to fly for SAPL.

[Moniker]

Bula

How did you arrive at this comparison?

[Bula]

uuuummm......

I think is was by watching observors lick windows... from memory..

"THe snozzberrys taste like snozzberrys" :E

[Dookie on Drums]

Anyone who quotes Super Troopers is all right in my books! :)

[evilroy]

I can kinda see where they are coming from; in my day most all of us were EMCs, where the Dash pilots only made up... what, half of the pilots?

I get the impression, though, that it would not be the case today.

[Blurrg]

Ejector - as has already been stated, pilots are generally better paid than observers in the same aircraft. If you want to whinge about F/Os getting less than EMCs, take into account the fact that your average flappy lasts a damned sight less time before they bugger off to an airline, has been around the company and sometimes the industry for less time than many EMCs, knows less about the job than the average EMC has forgotten, and as a consequence, is not considered to be as great a value to the company.

"But I spent five years of my life and $40,000 on my licence!:sad: "

Boo hoo. Change careers or stick around long enough to be a captain.

Oh, and 'peice'? I before E except after C.

[Bula]

Blurrg,

an observer is an unskilled job. You are brought into the company and trained up to the requirements for the sortie. They have been around in the industry for longer... for some yes and for some no. It is only because an observer can only get a job elsewhere with a failing company like AMSA.. other then that if they were to leave they could not simply walk into a P3 job could they. There is nothing else out there.

Most pilots have been in the industry alot longer. Suffered a damn sight more then observers and for the most part, oberservers dont have a prof check every 3 months unless they are stuffed. You would be surprised how much they actually do know about the job. To think optherwise is just plain ignorance. And with the lastest spait of failures of observers there you would be well to keep your opinions on the low low.

you know your job, they know theirs. Pull your head in.

:mad:

[Whiskey Oscar Golf]

Mr. Bula, you may suggest an observer is an unskilled job now and yes some people didn't have avaition experience before starting at SA but there have been many who did. Some had PPL's and 7000+ hrs doing other aviation jobs that required time in a range of types all over the world. Even Papua Mr. Bula.

No doubt pilots get shafted, they have been since I started in aviation 11 years ago. What you may forget when looking at observers wages is that finding SKILLED, EXPERIENCED observers is not an easy thing. While finding pilots doesn't seem that hard, same as finding disposable "window lickers". Finding SKILLED, EXPERIENCED pilots is, but sometimes it takes a while for the penny to drop. As to these jobs being the best and only thing observers can get, little narrow minded, disrespectful and may not be fully aware of the range of jobs available to people who like being aircrew but don't want to serve drinks.

[Bula]

:) ... i love stirring :E

[Whiskey Oscar Golf]

Pilot, radar, just fly the plane and do what you're told :E

[Blackdog320]

cmon mate i got more drinks off you than i get off the girls now.

[Bula]

Serve Drinks :) hahahah

can I have my lunch, can I have a bottle of H2O. hhahahaha ;)

Narrow minded.. yeah you got me there. There are plenty of butchers, car sales reps, TACO's.. .but common.... you know FO's should be on a little bit more coin. The penny is going to drop and when it does someone elso will have the contract.

I hope I'm wrong but I dont think I am. Just out or curiosity, not trying to be a smart ass, what else is there..... really? :confused:

[Whiskey Oscar Golf]

Mr. Dog, white with one? People like you you always got favourable treatment because of your fine wit, impeccable manners and unique hairstyling.

Mr. Bula there are plenty of opportunities that pay a fair bit more than SA and you get to fly real low with rotary and fixed wing. Sometimes you even get to deploy things. You even get to travel to remote places all over the world. You need to be switched on with computers and electronics if you want to do more than push a switch though. You do have to get used to being away from home as well. That and a couple of other gigs that might or might not involve RPT and security. Or there is the old ex SA Obs stalwart of the ACS. Either way plenty of non drinks serving jobs for aircrew. We'll always get drinks for the polite, handsome ones though.

[AerocatS2A]

From an ex SAPL Capt now flying with Air NZ,
Coffee, black with milk please; no sugar, I'm sweet enough already.

[Blackdog320]

why thank you kind WOG, Ray.M and Ken.S say gday I've got the wig this weekend.

[Bula]

fair enough..... heard they are pretty good at cleaning windows aswell :}