Becoming a freelance Pilot

[My names Turkish]

I would be interested to hear about anyone who has done this. Reading the jobs advertised in Flight and the agency websites I often wonder about quitting my job with the airline I work for and becoming a freelance Pilot doing short term contracts. This year I could have done Vietnam in the winter and Cyprus in the summer and have made similar money to a full time job with some months off in between.

Anyone ever done it? Is it something that is only viable in times of high employment?

[JW411]

I did it for a few years and it was great fun. The money was good but the big worry is that the contracts might suddenly stop coming.

If you could guarantee a good supply of contracts then it is a great way to work and have fun.

[mrsurrey]

i've often wondered about this as well. Perhaps a solution is to keep 3 months salary in a savings account to keep you going during a slowdown, maybe I'd need 6 months worth of savings to sleep well. But it does look like more fun than being locked into seniority systems with the benefit of being able to travel the world properly, by working and socialising with the locals.

Anyone have experience of how long the lean periods can last if one has good jet experience? It would be nice to go into it knowing what the worst case scenario may be :ok:

Cheers,

MrS

[3MTA3]

As far as I could see, the good points are: a fantastic life, a feeling of freedom, and the operation never gets boring.
The down points: prepare to be a bachelor forever: not many wives accept this kind of life. And if you ever want to go back to a "normal" life, most of the airlines will tell you that you are too unstable.
I think it'a a matter of character. Personally I can't stand routine. Also, one of the major advantages of beeing a contract pilot is that you stay away from politics. You are just there to do your job.

[philleas fogg]

Where does one go looking for freelance pilot jobs ??Any links/contacts will be highly appreciated !

[Bad Robot]

Most Contracts require you to have a certain amount of experience on type. Flight International is a good place to start:-

http://www.flightglobal.com/jobs/Default.aspx

and so is Aviation Job Search.com :-

http://aviationjobsearch.com/employer.asp?catID=20&IndType=0


BR.