SAR payscales

[Galapagos]

This is for anybody out there working for an outfit that flies pax offshore AND provides SAR within the same organization (dedicated SAR).

I'm interested in knowing if you guys have two different payscales, one for the line flyers and one for the SAR "division" or not?

I am not interested to know if people think one should get more than the other , I'm looking for facts and figures. I'm not after exact numbers (I'll take them if you have them) but more after may be % difference or incentive amounts, etc...

Thanks!

G

[Training Centre]

CHC Scotia (UK)
CHC Norway
CHC Australia
Bond Offshore (UK)

All do both SAR and crew change. I have no idea of whether there are differences in salary scales.

[squib66]

Bristow (Netherlands & Norway)
Cougar

[Galapagos]

Thanks guys for the info but I already work for one of these outfit so I know who they are.

I am just curious to know if there are any differences in salary within their pilots depending on what they do.

G

[ppng]

Then why not just ask your colleagues? Whether they are SAR or crew change they will be talking to friends in other companies and will know the score.
What is your agenda on this?

[Galapagos]

PPNG

I know what's going on with payscales with my employer... I want to know what is going on with other companies.

Don't worry, non of my colleague will respond as they all are wondering the same thing...

My agenda is that I want to know if in the industry in general, guys are making more money or the same as line pilots when they are on a dedicated SAR machine for an outfit that does both.

G

[Matthew Parsons]

Why do you think it would be any different? If the SAR crews get launched, it would be in weather the line pilots had already chosen to fly in. Exposure to risk seems identical. If responsibility depends on the number of passengers, then the line pilots should get more. Skill set seems to be the same. Perhaps there is some additional training that the SAR crews require, but not sure how much extra pay that would be worth, especially if the company provides the training.

For the CF, all pilots are on the same pay scale. The SAR guys are routinely employed in operations and get nothing extra. Other communities sometimes get extra when they're doing operations, but that usually includes increased threat levels.

Matthew.

[detgnome]

If the SAR crews get launched, it would be in weather the line pilots had already chosen to fly in

Not sure what weather your SAR crews launch in, but in the UK it is sometimes when the 'line pilots' and everyone else has their cabs safely tucked up in the hangar that the SAR crews launch.

Skill set seems to be the same

Just a bizarre comment. Tell me when winching to decks/cliffs/the water/mountains is part of the 'same skill set' for the vast majority of pilots.

Exposure to risk seems identical

Even more bizarre - the time that the crew and ac are exposed to risk (by most definitions) in the SAR role is much greater than vast majority of other helicopter ops.

All in all Matthew, your post seems to show a marked lack of knowledge of what is involved in SAR.

Apologies for thread drift, AFAIK SAR pilots get paid slightly more than line pilots, but I couldn't put a %age figure on it.

[jeepys]

SAR is just another theatre of flying that requires a different skill than say Police flying, that requires a different skill than say Ambulance which requires a different skill than corporate etc etc.

Helo pilots are not born SAR pilots, they become them.

The basic helo skill of hovering is greatly improved upon when going down the SAR route but I agree the BASIC skill set is the same, it's just the bit after basic that gets worked on when training for SAR.

[Winch-control]

Just as a point of interest, CHC UK pay circa 38k (pounds) for a rearcrew winch operater qualified person.
In Oz (Victoria they are orrferring 63k Oz dolls for the same) (20k less in dollars).
In the UK the fitness test is ...non existent. In Oz it is to US coastguard standard.
In comparison the wage as a Perth (oz) Land Paramedic is 83k
What are other companies doing?

[Matthew Parsons]

detgnome,

Before I trained as a test pilot I flew SAR in Canada for ten years.

The company's that do offshore and SAR are typically providing SAR for their own aircraft, hence flying in the same weather. Granted, if they are providing SAR for others then there could be a difference in the weather they fly in. What are the limits for offshore pilots compared to SAR? I think you'll be surprised how similiar they are.

As far as the skill set, I've flown the majority of my SAR career in the mountains of BC and off ships in the Pacific Ocean. I stand by my statement. Helicopter pilots need to hover, sometimes its challenging sometimes not, but the skills that you employ are the same regardless of the reason for hovering.

I agree there are differences, but not where you seem to think they lie.

[Training Centre]

Before I trained as a test pilot I flew SAR in Canada for ten years.



Thank you Matthew, I guess that closes this particular box.

Next!

[Woolf]

Matthew:

I'm slightly surprised by your comments. Maybe you are talking of a different kind of SAR?

The company's that do offshore and SAR are typically providing SAR for their own aircraft, hence flying in the same weather. Granted, if they are providing SAR for others then there could be a difference in the weather they fly in. What are the limits for offshore pilots compared to SAR? I think you'll be surprised how similiar they are.

As an example in the UK weather limits are as follows:

Offshore Line Pilot - JAR Ops 3 Limits
Coastguard SAR Pilot - No Limit (As long as the crew deems it safe to proceed)

Not very similar at all. A big difference in responsibility which certainly requires a higher level of experience to carry safely. At the end of the day if something goes wrong it's still your fault ...