Air taxi pilot earnings
Air taxi pilot earnings
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 142
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Earnings vary obviously with the company you work for.For a salaried position you can expect around £23,000 to £25,000 p.a on light piston-engine twins.A few operators in the UK offer less... .On a freelance basis something between £50 and £120 per day.
A CPL/IR is sufficient for a/c certified for SPO.
If the operator is JAR-OPS compliant,to fly as an aircrew you need a minimum of 700h Total Time,of which:. . .400h PIC of which 100h IFR. . . 40h multi-engine. . (For Single Pilot Operations 50h on type under IFR of which 10h PIC).
And above all, you need to be passenger friendly at all times!
[ 19 February 2002: Message edited by: Leo45 ]
[ 19 February 2002: Message edited by: Leo45 ]</p>
A CPL/IR is sufficient for a/c certified for SPO.
If the operator is JAR-OPS compliant,to fly as an aircrew you need a minimum of 700h Total Time,of which:. . .400h PIC of which 100h IFR. . . 40h multi-engine. . (For Single Pilot Operations 50h on type under IFR of which 10h PIC).
And above all, you need to be passenger friendly at all times!
[ 19 February 2002: Message edited by: Leo45 ]
[ 19 February 2002: Message edited by: Leo45 ]</p>
I would have thought instructing would be your only option (other than "buying" experience).
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 142
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I joined the air taxi company I currently work for with +2000h, that I logged through glider towing and instructing.
It was not by choice, but I thought it would lead me to an airline job somehow and would be more beneficial than logging instructional hours (even though from a leading UK FTO as they say....).
Well,nearly three years later, I can say it's good fun (at least with the company I work for) and certainly a useful experience. Even more, I would have certainly missed something if I hadn't had the chance to fly in this particular environment.
However, it has no impact whatsoever on my chances of being hired by an airline. My work colleagues would tell you the same thing.So I would not call it a stepping stone.. . . .Funny enough, most of my former students now fly for various airlines but would not have had sufficient experience to be hired for SPO with an air taxi company.
You can reach the minimum hours by instructing,towing gliders etc.. in other words by doing any kind of aerial work.Even to reach that stage it's not that easy and I do not have a simple answer.Competiton is fierce these days.A FI rating is the most obvious option.
But bear in mind that air taxi is probably not the right kind of experience that airlines (in the UK at least) will be looking for when the upturn in the industry occurs.
If I was a low-time pilot and within the age bracket, I would try very hard to get through the ATP scheme for instance. Failing this,it may take a long time to attain your ultimate goal.
Regards
[ 19 February 2002: Message edited by: Leo45 ]</p>
It was not by choice, but I thought it would lead me to an airline job somehow and would be more beneficial than logging instructional hours (even though from a leading UK FTO as they say....).
Well,nearly three years later, I can say it's good fun (at least with the company I work for) and certainly a useful experience. Even more, I would have certainly missed something if I hadn't had the chance to fly in this particular environment.
However, it has no impact whatsoever on my chances of being hired by an airline. My work colleagues would tell you the same thing.So I would not call it a stepping stone.. . . .Funny enough, most of my former students now fly for various airlines but would not have had sufficient experience to be hired for SPO with an air taxi company.
You can reach the minimum hours by instructing,towing gliders etc.. in other words by doing any kind of aerial work.Even to reach that stage it's not that easy and I do not have a simple answer.Competiton is fierce these days.A FI rating is the most obvious option.
But bear in mind that air taxi is probably not the right kind of experience that airlines (in the UK at least) will be looking for when the upturn in the industry occurs.
If I was a low-time pilot and within the age bracket, I would try very hard to get through the ATP scheme for instance. Failing this,it may take a long time to attain your ultimate goal.
Regards
[ 19 February 2002: Message edited by: Leo45 ]</p>
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Egcc
Posts: 1,695
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
LEO45
I would have to disagree. I flew air taxi for 18 months in piston twins and went straight onto 757's. My current employer was very complimentary about the air taxi experience and during interview was trying to turn me off airline flying by telling me that the air taxi work was the best flying I would ever do. He was ex military and really meant it.
I found the flying excellent, a complete mixture of one day flying into Heathrow and the next landing on the beach in Barra. I started with 270hrs TT with a UK CPL/IR, which was VERY rare, normally for insurance purposes they required 700TT. Under JAR as already mentioned I do not think this is now allowed. When I interviewed for my current job I had 950TT and the company were asking for a minimum of 700TT. Over 600hrs on twins was definately in my favour and that being single crew impressed them even more. The Chief Pilot commented on how if I could handle that I could certainly handle sitting in the rhs of a 757. Many other pilots have commented and "how did you manage to get a job on a 757 with less than 1000hrs, when I've got over 3000 with turbo prop time and can't even get an interview?" It took me 4 and 1/2 months of 'working' the Chief Pilot and his PA to eventually be in the right place at the right time and that's what gets you an interview, not sending 3 cv's a month with 20 extra hours on each one.
Don't knock the air taxi, it is challenging and rewarding and fabulous experience but that in itself won't open the door, you have too.
Oh, and to answer the original question I started on £24k year one, rising to £32k year two. That was well above average and the company has now changed hands and I believe new starters are on about £18 without the rise!!!
Good luck
PP
I would have to disagree. I flew air taxi for 18 months in piston twins and went straight onto 757's. My current employer was very complimentary about the air taxi experience and during interview was trying to turn me off airline flying by telling me that the air taxi work was the best flying I would ever do. He was ex military and really meant it.
I found the flying excellent, a complete mixture of one day flying into Heathrow and the next landing on the beach in Barra. I started with 270hrs TT with a UK CPL/IR, which was VERY rare, normally for insurance purposes they required 700TT. Under JAR as already mentioned I do not think this is now allowed. When I interviewed for my current job I had 950TT and the company were asking for a minimum of 700TT. Over 600hrs on twins was definately in my favour and that being single crew impressed them even more. The Chief Pilot commented on how if I could handle that I could certainly handle sitting in the rhs of a 757. Many other pilots have commented and "how did you manage to get a job on a 757 with less than 1000hrs, when I've got over 3000 with turbo prop time and can't even get an interview?" It took me 4 and 1/2 months of 'working' the Chief Pilot and his PA to eventually be in the right place at the right time and that's what gets you an interview, not sending 3 cv's a month with 20 extra hours on each one.
Don't knock the air taxi, it is challenging and rewarding and fabulous experience but that in itself won't open the door, you have too.
Oh, and to answer the original question I started on £24k year one, rising to £32k year two. That was well above average and the company has now changed hands and I believe new starters are on about £18 without the rise!!!
Good luck
PP
Join Date: Dec 1997
Location: Suffolk UK
Posts: 4,927
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I totally agree with Pilot Pete. Most airlines will very much appreciate experience gained in air taxi work. I can't imagine why any airline would suggest otherwise. It's not realistic to expect, for the next two or three years at least, to get into an airline with an fATPL and 200 hours, so what other experience will you be able to gain to get to where they want you (about 1500 hours)? The choices will be, broadly speaking, self-financed hour building; glider-towing; instructing; air-taxi; and night freighting. Of this lot, air taxi and night freight are head and shoulders above the rest for quality and range of relevant experience. Go do it, if you can!
[ 20 February 2002: Message edited by: Scroggs ]</p>
[ 20 February 2002: Message edited by: Scroggs ]</p>
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Dorset
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Scroggs
It's good to hear that air taxi and night freight are worthwhile occupations. I am not immediately aiming for airline employment, as I (strangely) enjoy buzzing about in a piston twin, single pilot. However, with 295TT, I appear to fall short of JAR-OPS requirements, so the only option available to me (apart from an FI rating)is multi-crew (airline) flying.
It seems rather arse about face that I have more chance of flying a 757 (provided I meet the profile...)than of flying air taxi ops. I was once under the impression that a career progression was cutting your teeth in air taxi type work, then progressing onto the bigger stuff later once you have built up sufficient experience.
I personally don't feel ready to fly 200 pax around in a 757, but if that is the more easily available route then I'll take it.
It's good to hear that air taxi and night freight are worthwhile occupations. I am not immediately aiming for airline employment, as I (strangely) enjoy buzzing about in a piston twin, single pilot. However, with 295TT, I appear to fall short of JAR-OPS requirements, so the only option available to me (apart from an FI rating)is multi-crew (airline) flying.
It seems rather arse about face that I have more chance of flying a 757 (provided I meet the profile...)than of flying air taxi ops. I was once under the impression that a career progression was cutting your teeth in air taxi type work, then progressing onto the bigger stuff later once you have built up sufficient experience.
I personally don't feel ready to fly 200 pax around in a 757, but if that is the more easily available route then I'll take it.
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: The Land Downunder
Posts: 765
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The reason that Air Taxi work is thought to be a stepping stone in your career is salary based, not flying based.
Whatever your views on single pilot IFR, it is without doubt the best and amoungst the most demanding of flying positions. People move on to larger aircraft as much for the salary rise and lifestyle than the challenge. My own views on the hours needed tends to be a little more pessimistic I`m afraid. Although when there are few pilots on the market companies will take on pilots with 700 or so hours the present situation dictates that they can get more experienced personnel. Many insurance companies also force the hours issue and therefore lots of Air Taxi ops now want 1000TT and 100 multi P1 as a minimum.Pay as said before is in the mid £20ks pa.
100 hours multi is expensive to get if your not getting paid. I love the single crew multi-engine ops I do at the moment but I got the job after 2 years of aerial photography. Go down the instructor route and grab every .1hr in a twin you can. What airlines want is to see your commitment. Be that in a C152 or not. The one thing that they dont rate highly is building hours flying around Florida in ever decreasding circles, funded by the hourbuilder.
Good luck and any of you who may have 700hrs/50 multi and fancy SPIFR keep your ear to the ground as I know that several positions will shortly be created by a large national company. Further details when the contract is signed.
<img src="eek.gif" border="0">
[ 22 February 2002: Message edited by: Artificial Horizon ]</p>
Whatever your views on single pilot IFR, it is without doubt the best and amoungst the most demanding of flying positions. People move on to larger aircraft as much for the salary rise and lifestyle than the challenge. My own views on the hours needed tends to be a little more pessimistic I`m afraid. Although when there are few pilots on the market companies will take on pilots with 700 or so hours the present situation dictates that they can get more experienced personnel. Many insurance companies also force the hours issue and therefore lots of Air Taxi ops now want 1000TT and 100 multi P1 as a minimum.Pay as said before is in the mid £20ks pa.
100 hours multi is expensive to get if your not getting paid. I love the single crew multi-engine ops I do at the moment but I got the job after 2 years of aerial photography. Go down the instructor route and grab every .1hr in a twin you can. What airlines want is to see your commitment. Be that in a C152 or not. The one thing that they dont rate highly is building hours flying around Florida in ever decreasding circles, funded by the hourbuilder.
Good luck and any of you who may have 700hrs/50 multi and fancy SPIFR keep your ear to the ground as I know that several positions will shortly be created by a large national company. Further details when the contract is signed.
<img src="eek.gif" border="0">
[ 22 February 2002: Message edited by: Artificial Horizon ]</p>
I take my hat off to the guys blatting around in Senecca/Navajos/Bandits and the like mixing IFR/VFR into and out of anything from Sumburgh to Stansted. There is a train of thought that says you are flying alone and you can get gash, slap happy and want to do everything your own way and the airlines won't like that. There is another train of thought that says that this flying is the most technically demanding and if you are sloppy you will have an accident and if you can fly this then you can fly anything and live with any amount of roster disruption and hassle down route - making you the ideal choice for an airline.
The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
At the end of the day if you can get a job flying paying you a living wage then grab it with both hands and your teeth at this time.
Its hard to get into at the moment. I know people who Ravenair would have snapped up 2 years ago who cannot now get a look in. It seems that 1000hrs TT and 100hrs Twin is the entry price at the moment with most established air charters people. There will always be people who get in with less but if you dig around they usually have some connection or history with the company or its senior people.
If you could get an air-taxi type light piston job or indeed a night freight job (not likely seeing as Emerald have recently layed off FO's) then you will be well placed when the upturn comes.
The irony of the present situation is that 5 years ago plenty of people did the 700hr building and could quite readily meet the 1000hr requirements and go and do the not so glamourous flying jobs out there. Under JAR this has gone and nearly every pilot looking for work has less than 300hrs. The insurance companies generally will not allow the planes they cover to fly with PiC who have logged <500hrs. Therefore the traditional progression is actually unobtainable and people are left in the slightly odd situation whereby the only jobs they can apply for are to fly Boeings rather than Bandits.
But hey, this is the brave new world of JAA.
Its a rubbish time to be low time and looking for work. I feel sorry for you guys I really do. There is not a day passes when I thank my lucky stars that my break came 9 months before Sept 11th...
Cheers,
WWW
The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
At the end of the day if you can get a job flying paying you a living wage then grab it with both hands and your teeth at this time.
Its hard to get into at the moment. I know people who Ravenair would have snapped up 2 years ago who cannot now get a look in. It seems that 1000hrs TT and 100hrs Twin is the entry price at the moment with most established air charters people. There will always be people who get in with less but if you dig around they usually have some connection or history with the company or its senior people.
If you could get an air-taxi type light piston job or indeed a night freight job (not likely seeing as Emerald have recently layed off FO's) then you will be well placed when the upturn comes.
The irony of the present situation is that 5 years ago plenty of people did the 700hr building and could quite readily meet the 1000hr requirements and go and do the not so glamourous flying jobs out there. Under JAR this has gone and nearly every pilot looking for work has less than 300hrs. The insurance companies generally will not allow the planes they cover to fly with PiC who have logged <500hrs. Therefore the traditional progression is actually unobtainable and people are left in the slightly odd situation whereby the only jobs they can apply for are to fly Boeings rather than Bandits.
But hey, this is the brave new world of JAA.
Its a rubbish time to be low time and looking for work. I feel sorry for you guys I really do. There is not a day passes when I thank my lucky stars that my break came 9 months before Sept 11th...
Cheers,
WWW
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 119
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Anybody know where to start looking for a taxi job? I have 700 TT, (150+Twin, 150+IFR, 500+PIC)and would love to strap an MEP to my back. Oh yes and I can be as friendly to the customer as anyone. I simply don't know where to start looking and would appreciate any pointers.. .Artificial Horizon would you be able to let me know which company? Thanks
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Dorset
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cruise Alt
If the CAA won't help, get your hands on the Flight International Directory for 2002-2003. It lists all you never needed to know about people and businesses in aviation, and has a list of the registered air taxi operators in the uk, with contact names and fleet descriptions.
If the CAA won't help, get your hands on the Flight International Directory for 2002-2003. It lists all you never needed to know about people and businesses in aviation, and has a list of the registered air taxi operators in the uk, with contact names and fleet descriptions.
