Regional GA Pay
S/E RFDS
Just been purusing the 2008 S/E EBA for Kingair drivers.
$61,078 ist year after training + $5K per year if you are based at Mascot or Bankstown. A Toll priority van driver makes approx $70K P/A, without any formal training, and the only other requirement is to have a drivers licence! WTF!!!
I know there have been comparisons made before, and lots of comments re: the inequaties of the situation, but I thought some progress had been made on the wages & conditions of these highly dedicated and skilled professionals.
Seems we still have a long way to go.
$61,078 ist year after training + $5K per year if you are based at Mascot or Bankstown. A Toll priority van driver makes approx $70K P/A, without any formal training, and the only other requirement is to have a drivers licence! WTF!!!
I know there have been comparisons made before, and lots of comments re: the inequaties of the situation, but I thought some progress had been made on the wages & conditions of these highly dedicated and skilled professionals.
Seems we still have a long way to go.
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Australia
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WTF
I've seen many posts like this over the years on Proone and the beat never seems to change. I eventually gave up a career in flying as I couldn't justify the T and C's, but it occured to me that the power to change this surely lies with you guys and not the employer?
If no-one accepted the pay and conditions, employers would be forced to come to the party to keep their business viable?
Of course, this is indeed the problem. There will always be someone at your back willing to stick the knife in, fly more hours for less money, ignorant to the fact that they are simply making the path worse for those that come behind them and worse for their mates already in the industry.
Until this situaiton does not exist, I think we'll be seeing more topics like this, for years to come.
If no-one accepted the pay and conditions, employers would be forced to come to the party to keep their business viable?
Of course, this is indeed the problem. There will always be someone at your back willing to stick the knife in, fly more hours for less money, ignorant to the fact that they are simply making the path worse for those that come behind them and worse for their mates already in the industry.
Until this situaiton does not exist, I think we'll be seeing more topics like this, for years to come.
If no-one accepted the pay and conditions, employers would be forced to come to the party to keep their business viable?
The WA operators were forced by mining companies to pay higher salaries so without that influence I don't know if Skippers et al would be offering any more money either.
Aviation has always been a law unto itself, basically driven by pilots who are desperate to fly aeroplanes. This is very much a Western World phenomena which I assume is a cultural one. Asian countries don't have the same problems to the extent where if the airlines want local pilots they have to advertise and pay for the entire cost of training.
Shame how little things have changed over the years. Ten years ago a Metro captain earned less than a cleaner who was one of his passengers going out to a mine site.
Ansett loaders made more money than the captains (non Ansett employees) of the turbo props doing the freight runs.
The refueller was comfortably better off than we were. A decent forklift driver with a few years of experience wouldn't have accepted our pay.
Too many pilots using GA to fill their log books and move on to that well paid airline job, where the terms and conditions are now in a race to the bottom as well.
Here in Asia there is very little GA hence no pool of desperate licenced pilots to choose from. Operators have to rely on expats, a few from the military or training their own as few locals can afford the cost.
Ansett loaders made more money than the captains (non Ansett employees) of the turbo props doing the freight runs.
The refueller was comfortably better off than we were. A decent forklift driver with a few years of experience wouldn't have accepted our pay.
Too many pilots using GA to fill their log books and move on to that well paid airline job, where the terms and conditions are now in a race to the bottom as well.
Here in Asia there is very little GA hence no pool of desperate licenced pilots to choose from. Operators have to rely on expats, a few from the military or training their own as few locals can afford the cost.
Must admit it's an improvement on years gone past, but it's still the average Aussie wage dude. And many average Aussies didn't have to go through what you did to get it!
If your flying the 402 for the hours then fine. Try building a decent life on that kind of dough. Especially in a capital city.
If your flying the 402 for the hours then fine. Try building a decent life on that kind of dough. Especially in a capital city.
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Tjuntjuntjarra
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I think what people need to realise, is that its a good idea to think outside the square. In order to make some real money, instead of doing what everybody else is doing, you need to be doing some kind of specialist flying. Unless you are a captain on a big jet, you generally wont make decent money flying people about, cos anyone can do it. People say "I want to be a pilot" and most immediately think "airlines." There is a whole world of possibilities out there outside the world of ferrying people about, and they pay isnt so bad.
