Question for you North Sea Pilots

[Helipilot1982]

I am due to be interviewed for a North Sea Co pilots position within the next few months and I would like to know if there is anything in your contracts that dont allow you to have a second flying job during your time off!!

Cheers

HP 1982

[TiPwEiGhT]

It's something you would have to ask them. They would want to maximise your FTL hours each year. However, I don know some NS guys who instruct during their time off. Possibley training flights do not get put down on NS FTL schemes.

[manfromuncle]

Yeah, take time out from your twin-turbine £35,000 job and instruct at weekends, and take work off poorly paid full-time instructors who struggle to get by. Good idea.

[bigglesbutler]

If memory serves me right in our Ops manual it says flying in an aircraft of a gross weight of over 13000lbs is not allowed, aircraft lighter than that can be flown with the companies permission. As long as it doesn't infringe on the duty and fligh hours available to the company.
Something like that, but it would be worth asking them in the interview.

[Camp Freddie]

my recollection with my company is that the ops manual says that ALL flight in a/c more than 1600kg MAUW counts against FTL, and that flight in aircraft below that weight counts if it is aerial work or public transport and only doesnt count if it is pure unpaid private flying

also you need company permission in writing in advance I think, and if you are doing it you will need to be careful about how much you do because not only with the max hours 800 PA but also that you dont infringe the days off e.g. 3 days off in ANY 14 day period of which 2 must be consecutive yada yada

regards

CF

[Brom]

Some pilots do fly in their spare time, however, don't ask at the interview, unless you really don't want to work for them. Get the job, get type rated, get online, then ask.
Brom.

[paddyboy]

Brom

Spot on.:ok:

[Longdog]

Far better to beg for forgiveness, than to ask for permission.
Wait till you have the job!:)

[the beater]

As Camp Freddie says, the FTL scheme allows for 800 hours/year. But this is for multi-pilot work. Single pilot ops allow 700, so does anyone have the definitive answer as to how you mix multi and single ops work?
Would it, for example, mean that any single-pilot work would lead to an immediate default to 700 hours?:E

As for the suggestion in another post that it is unfair to take away work from full time flight instructors, there is no one more against the destruction of the industry by part-time pilots who rely on another source of income to allow them to indulge in their hobby than me. However, in this case we are talking about full-time pilots committed to the industry, who often have the skills and qualifications sadly lacking by some (definitely not all) flight instructors (especially those who possess only a PPL). So is this much different to the flight examiner who is head of training, for example, at one school, but is employed by other schools to carry out tests at other locations? Or the pilot working flight time only for many and varied operators?;)

[helimutt]

Yeah, take time out from your twin-turbine £35,000 job and instruct at weekends, and take work off poorly paid full-time instructors who struggle to get by. Good idea.

can I just say that I wouldn't feel that I am taking the work off of some poorly paid full time instructor. I was a part time instructor before NS and struggled to get work but always felt that when I flew with experienced pilots (NS, etc etc) I was getting the benefit of their experience.
I think your argument is bo&&ox!


Manfromuncle, I was always told, Look after number 1. No-one else does in this industry.
Another argument is that certain companies don't necesarily pay for everyone's IR and some even say one thing and do another. This leads to even more substantial debts. IR=£30k+ Add to that the cost of relocation to a new base for work, etc etc then an additional income for a few years helps pay the bills. Instructing is something we know how to do. We don't all start as £70k+/yr Captains you know.
Also, it's easier to fly for one hour than work in a pub for 10 hours!! :E

[Helinut]

Assuming offshore UK, I would have thought that the main rules are in CAP 371. Any company is only likely to be concerned if they are unable to use you like they want to (i.e. as determined by CAP 371). Different types of operation come up against different limits. I understand that for offshore, the main limit is the flying hours totals (annual, monthly etc.). That would be problematic if you want to do instruction, as every hour you fly for instruction is one hour less for your main employer - I cannot imagine them being very happy about that.......

Most of the limits and definitions are in CAP 371, which will tell you whicb sort of flying "counts". Instruction is aerial work, so has associated duty times (i.e. duty time and duty days) according to the CAA, as well as flying hours.

I would think that paddyboy has it about right.

:hmm:
"I really want your job so much that before I get offered it, I want to check that I can fly for someone else because I expect to get so much time off........."
:hmm:

[helimutt]

You got it about right there Helinut, but, we're only flying about 500-600hours a year here so hours aren't a problem. It's not as if the NS is about to ramp up production and need to fly more sectors is it. :hmm:

I hardly think flying an extra 5-10 hours a month is going to make much difference. :ooh:

[Kangia]

Last year I flew 798.6 hours in the North Sea.

[tottigol]

When flying a second job, how do you all cope with the new 2000Hrs yearly duty time limit?

[helimutt]

Kangia, it depends which sector you're in tho.