Finding a Pilot ?

[Upside Down]

odd question I know, as there may be many interested pilots who read these pages.....

I have not been active in the industry for a long time, but have been asked to help find a pilot to setup and operate a single-pilot/ single-aircraft operation on a Twin (eg Seneca type) for a small company in the Benelux.

I would really appreciate any advice on HOW to go about doing this, whether to use an agency to help with the recruitment (who?) and/or where to advertise (and for what !).

(It sounds interesting to me; to advise, help purchase, setup and operate a small twin-op). I guess home-base, expected number of hours and typical destinations would be important info....

Note; please don't reply to this thread with an offer to do the job as I am not qualified nor authorised to make any assessment ! In due course when we have worked out the best way to do it then I may repost here with more details......

many thanks for your understanding,
Upside Down

[taff_lightning]

There must be so many out of work pilots that would bit your hand off to do that job. The only reason I would go down the agency route is if you really have the time to DIY. (I used to work for an agency)

Just stick an add on a related job board (aviation jobs, the first one that comes to mind) or a small one in an aviation mag. I reckon you'll be mobed. If you're worried about qualifying candidates and selection then that is another storey. If in doubt take someone whose done it before with good refs, pretty good rule of thumb. Oh and you think you could work with them.

Regarding the ad, as much info as possible is always good. I won't worry about padding it out with marketing fluff. Just the facts should do. Might be worth having a quick look at an the net to make sure you aren't descrimunating in your ad. Can be a bit of a mine field but I've seen some shocker in my time and nothing has come from it.

Best of luck

[HS125]

The above is seconded by me.....

You have e-mail with a few further observations/suggestions.

[Upside Down]

thank you both,

@Taff: by Agency I mean that the Agency would do the job of finding a pilot of "appropriate skills etc" as an initial filtering, which would then be followed up by an interview with the customer etc.

Problem is that without aviation expertise, the customer have no idea what they should ask for (hours/ licenses/ ratings etc). I could dig around and work it out but I'm a bit out-of-the-loop so thought there must be some agencies that would do the "pilot recruitment" part and generate a short-list....

The danger of placing an ad and doing it alone is that if you're not in the business you have no reference points, minimum requirements etc.....

You're right though; I even thought of giving up my (well paid) career, dusting off my (About to disappear) BCPL(A) and doing it myself !!

You wouldnt be Taff Harries by chance (Lightning/F4 s) ?

[corsair]

I would suggest that you find an operator who already operates light twins or similar. They will naturally have the expertise already in place. If they can't help they may point you in the right direction. As I'm sure you realise your problem is of course that the pilot you seek who has the right blend of flying experience and the ability to set up and run an operation safely probably isn't out of work right now. They're rare enough. There are plenty of inexperienced pilots out there and plenty of experienced pilots with no suitable organisational experience looking for work.

It's a tricky one. Without the right contacts, it could be tricky.

[africanbushpilot]

Hi upside down, I am in the process of starting a small outfit in Belgium with a piper Navajo and two single engines for aerial photography and humanitarian flights. I can help you with the right pilot, as I need one as well.

[Gulfstreamaviator]

Many moons ago when I was a lowly PA31 driver, I did a lot of freelance work for a charter company based in Rotterdam.

They were, and perhaps still are an excellent honest company.

I would echo most of the above posts, get a second and third opinion on any pilots you seek to hire, consider an agency, also, but always take up references. (Remember no one will quote a reference, unless they are good.)

I can not really assist in the crewing or management, but my 2,500 hrs on PA31 in Europe, mostly at night, was a fantastic learing experience, for future employment.

glf