Funding Flying
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Funding Flying
Hello,
I'm currently training for my PPL.
my job pays well enough to fund flying, however it's far from secure and when the phone call eventually comes, i'm not sure i want to work in IT or at a desk anymore.
(it pays really well and i get to work at home fulltime if you're wondering why i haven't jumped ship)
I'm too old to go commercial and i'm not sure it'd be my bag anyway.
so my question is.... what sort of opportunities are out there to get paid to fly or at least subsidised that are realistically achievable for a new, older, pilot?
i'm looking for options to bring some balance or at least have eyes open if it's not realistic.
thanks very much
I'm currently training for my PPL.
my job pays well enough to fund flying, however it's far from secure and when the phone call eventually comes, i'm not sure i want to work in IT or at a desk anymore.
(it pays really well and i get to work at home fulltime if you're wondering why i haven't jumped ship)
I'm too old to go commercial and i'm not sure it'd be my bag anyway.
so my question is.... what sort of opportunities are out there to get paid to fly or at least subsidised that are realistically achievable for a new, older, pilot?
i'm looking for options to bring some balance or at least have eyes open if it's not realistic.
thanks very much
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If you want to be paid to fly, in general, it is required that you hold a commercial license, and fly in an "operating certificate" environment, even for general aviation airplanes. There seem to be a few exceptions creeping into this rule in Europe, but their spirit is cost sharing, rather than actually funding flying. The cost sharing approach to flying really should not be considered a path to having your flying paid for. Perhaps you can cost share the occasional flight incidental to your flying it anyway. If you're renting the plane, you will encounter resistance from the provider of the plane for using it for any funded flying, that's really their industry, not yours, as a PPL, and their insurance is not covering you for that.
There are a few jobs for new CPLs in GA flying, including jump pilot, glider tow pilot, and survey flying. It'll take some research to find those jobs, but they are out there, and there's a high turnover, so they come up more frequently, as those pilots move on to other commercial flying jobs.
There are a few jobs for new CPLs in GA flying, including jump pilot, glider tow pilot, and survey flying. It'll take some research to find those jobs, but they are out there, and there's a high turnover, so they come up more frequently, as those pilots move on to other commercial flying jobs.
Good luck getting somebody else to pay for your flying. You'll find it's a very unsociable sport with interminable periods spent when you should be doing something else hanging about for whoever foots the bill.
My 50 self funded years (and hence able to decide my own hours) since the first Slingsby Cadet Mk III flight has been 40 of barely being able to afford it and occasionally having long periods when I couldn't and 10 years when I could but wondering how much more I'll be able to do before I'm too old.
My 50 self funded years (and hence able to decide my own hours) since the first Slingsby Cadet Mk III flight has been 40 of barely being able to afford it and occasionally having long periods when I couldn't and 10 years when I could but wondering how much more I'll be able to do before I'm too old.
Find yourself a rich old widow, fly her round the country, particularly to fields with a chique tea-room nearby. Be aware though that many pilots are looking for such a sponsor...
Seriously and frankly, though: no, do not count on it. All of us would like to have an ampler budget for our flying, and there are not many realistic options.
Seriously and frankly, though: no, do not count on it. All of us would like to have an ampler budget for our flying, and there are not many realistic options.
Last edited by Jan Olieslagers; 19th Oct 2019 at 07:19.
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The reality is that other than doing the work yourself, and building an amateur built plane, you're relying on other people, who generally would like to be paid for their time, to produce, maintain, and insure an airplane for you. If they are in the GA business, they're not making a fortune anyway. Anyone who is paying to be flown in a plane is looking to the regulator to afford them some sense of safety by system oversight, so the first safeguard the regulator puts in place will be the requirement for the pilot to be a CPL, and flying under the supervision of an operating certificate holder. The "take a share of the costs from your private passenger" thing is an aberration of that system, and certainly not a dependable means of funding flying. I've seen the cost to fly increase ten times over during my flying career, and I see all the people who work in the industry still doing "okay", not suddenly earning a fortune compared to everyone else.
I have found that the only low cost way to fly, is to own the plane, and keep it very close to home. Though doing so only reduces costs somewhat, at least you fly it lots, and get your money's worth out o the investment!
I have found that the only low cost way to fly, is to own the plane, and keep it very close to home. Though doing so only reduces costs somewhat, at least you fly it lots, and get your money's worth out o the investment!
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Pilot DAR wrote:"I have found that the only low cost way to fly, is to own the plane, and keep it very close to home. Though doing so only reduces costs somewhat, at least you fly it lots, and get your money's worth out o (sic) the investment!"
Agreed, although initially I think it is better to buy a share in a local aircraft. Ideally, in the UK, this should be a permit aircraft because they are much cheaper to maintain if you (or other members of the group) do most of the work and cheaper to run if you can use unleaded petrol.
However, I think you really need to decide at some point soon if you really want to go commercial. Personally, I am glad that I have always had a job that paid enough to enable me to fly as a hobby. So, apart from a few hundred hours instructing in 3-axis microlights, I have always been able to decide when and where to fly (weather permitting), latterly in my own permit aircraft.
If you do decide you want to get paid for flying, I understand that you can still instruct without a CPL, although you will still need 200 hours in SEP (incl. 150 PIC) before you can start an Instructor course. You could also start a microlight instructor course (which is cheaper) with less hours but your microlight hours will not count towards commercial minima. However, do not dismiss this because 3-axis microlights, in particular, are now very capable machines and there is the possibility that the weight limit will be increased from 450kg to 600 kg in the future. And I believe that you still get paid at least as much as for SEP instructing!
PS If you are thinking about going down the instructing route, consider carefully if you will enjoy teaching and going round the circuit for much of the time!
Agreed, although initially I think it is better to buy a share in a local aircraft. Ideally, in the UK, this should be a permit aircraft because they are much cheaper to maintain if you (or other members of the group) do most of the work and cheaper to run if you can use unleaded petrol.
However, I think you really need to decide at some point soon if you really want to go commercial. Personally, I am glad that I have always had a job that paid enough to enable me to fly as a hobby. So, apart from a few hundred hours instructing in 3-axis microlights, I have always been able to decide when and where to fly (weather permitting), latterly in my own permit aircraft.
If you do decide you want to get paid for flying, I understand that you can still instruct without a CPL, although you will still need 200 hours in SEP (incl. 150 PIC) before you can start an Instructor course. You could also start a microlight instructor course (which is cheaper) with less hours but your microlight hours will not count towards commercial minima. However, do not dismiss this because 3-axis microlights, in particular, are now very capable machines and there is the possibility that the weight limit will be increased from 450kg to 600 kg in the future. And I believe that you still get paid at least as much as for SEP instructing!
PS If you are thinking about going down the instructing route, consider carefully if you will enjoy teaching and going round the circuit for much of the time!
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I'm too old to go commercial and i'm not sure it'd be my bag anyway.
If you're looking to be paid rather than sharing the costs, as PilotDAR already mentioned, remember that the term "commercial" encapsulates a whole lot more than just the airlines. An often overlooked part of the industry is medical repatriation. It typically does not require the same experience level as a medivac position would and offers some pretty fascinating flying if you get in with the right company. Of course, it's nearly always on-call, so it doesn't suit all lifestyles. But, it might be worth looking into once you've finished your CPL if getting paid is what you're aiming for.
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Hello,
I'm currently training for my PPL.
my job pays well enough to fund flying, however it's far from secure and when the phone call eventually comes, i'm not sure i want to work in IT or at a desk anymore.
(it pays really well and i get to work at home fulltime if you're wondering why i haven't jumped ship)
I'm too old to go commercial and i'm not sure it'd be my bag anyway.
so my question is.... what sort of opportunities are out there to get paid to fly or at least subsidised that are realistically achievable for a new, older, pilot?
i'm looking for options to bring some balance or at least have eyes open if it's not realistic.
thanks very much
I'm currently training for my PPL.
my job pays well enough to fund flying, however it's far from secure and when the phone call eventually comes, i'm not sure i want to work in IT or at a desk anymore.
(it pays really well and i get to work at home fulltime if you're wondering why i haven't jumped ship)
I'm too old to go commercial and i'm not sure it'd be my bag anyway.
so my question is.... what sort of opportunities are out there to get paid to fly or at least subsidised that are realistically achievable for a new, older, pilot?
i'm looking for options to bring some balance or at least have eyes open if it's not realistic.
thanks very much
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Have you considered going the Microlight route?.
A good 3 axis microlight could cost under 10 grand, some as little as 2 and flies just like a bigger aircraft.
Cost per hour is cheap with annual costs depending on how much you fly, the biggest cost is hangarage which will depend on availability and location, £100 per month is typical or £50 per month to the landowner if you buy the hangar.
A good 3 axis microlight could cost under 10 grand, some as little as 2 and flies just like a bigger aircraft.
Cost per hour is cheap with annual costs depending on how much you fly, the biggest cost is hangarage which will depend on availability and location, £100 per month is typical or £50 per month to the landowner if you buy the hangar.
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Have you considered going the Microlight route?.
A good 3 axis microlight could cost under 10 grand, some as little as 2 and flies just like a bigger aircraft.
Cost per hour is cheap with annual costs depending on how much you fly, the biggest cost is hangarage which will depend on availability and location, £100 per month is typical or £50 per month to the landowner if you buy the hangar.
A good 3 axis microlight could cost under 10 grand, some as little as 2 and flies just like a bigger aircraft.
Cost per hour is cheap with annual costs depending on how much you fly, the biggest cost is hangarage which will depend on availability and location, £100 per month is typical or £50 per month to the landowner if you buy the hangar.
PS This Kitfox sold years ago and the phone number at the end of the video is no longer mine.
How I subsidise, sometimes profit
I bought a 15 seat minibus (€4,000). I should have bought a 9 seater vehicle instead (around €2,000) and saved the trouble of getting the bus licence.
I then arrange ab-initio students to take their first lessons with flying schools around my country.
"Do you mind if I bus lots of customers to your business" has always been my preferred introduction to flying schools ;-)
I then use sites like insta, facebook events, meetup and eventbrite to arrange intro to Flying days.
If you then search the forums here you'll find my previous thread asking for advice on how to run these events properly , with safety being paramount.
I charge €20 per person for transport and include the cost of the 30 min flight in the ticket price (€99).
We all get a nice day out in the airfield clubhouse , drinking coffee's and chatting about aviation , while the CFI takes the pax in sets of two for their lesson.
For every x amount of pax , I receive flight time with the club 2 seater. Win - Win.
I hope this helps, happy to answer any questions.
Fionn
I then arrange ab-initio students to take their first lessons with flying schools around my country.
"Do you mind if I bus lots of customers to your business" has always been my preferred introduction to flying schools ;-)
I then use sites like insta, facebook events, meetup and eventbrite to arrange intro to Flying days.
If you then search the forums here you'll find my previous thread asking for advice on how to run these events properly , with safety being paramount.
I charge €20 per person for transport and include the cost of the 30 min flight in the ticket price (€99).
We all get a nice day out in the airfield clubhouse , drinking coffee's and chatting about aviation , while the CFI takes the pax in sets of two for their lesson.
For every x amount of pax , I receive flight time with the club 2 seater. Win - Win.
I hope this helps, happy to answer any questions.
Fionn
