Pilots Assistants?
 

Does anyone know how the setup that some companies use of having a pilots assistant rather than a type rated pilot in the right seat works?

Can they log any time? If not what do thay get out of it? and how much are they paid? Who operates this way?

Thanks

They can't log the time under the JARs unless they are a co-pilot in multi-pilot ops (and therefore have to be type rated)...

JAR-FCL 1.080(b) and JAR-FCL 1.225 give details.

Foghorn

I know that they arent supposed to but in that case why bother at all. At LEA they seem to operate thus but what do the assistants get out of it?

VP reg aircraft maybe?

I think you may find only private operations are allowed to operate assistants now a days

commercial ops only cpl pilots may touch anything thus you would become an ops guy in short

best thing to do is get friendly with a private operation ie flying company people in company planes non-revenue

I regularly go on trips yea u cant log time but its great experience. if you have your frto licence you can operate the radio and its great practice to operate in the airways
Plus every now and again we get to spend nights out around europe and have some fun, what better way to spend your day off

regarding vp reg u can get away with most things if u want to log time. turn up in the cayman islands with your uk ppl and get a job as an ambulance driver. you are employed to drive on the road hence salary, but in reality you are flying the air ambulance(for Free)

However rumor has it the ano(o) is starting to tighten up the rules

If you believe what you read in the papers, all 1st Officers are mere pilot's assistants anyway ;)

What level of knowledge/qualification would you need before a company would let you act as a Pilot Assistant? Is it unemployed CPLs/ATPLs who are doing this kind of thing for the experience, or those who have still to complete their training?