"Boat" being the clue, I suspect.... :D

Get back to the UK and whinge along with the rest of us Flungdung!
:p
Ah! How I revel in those stupefyingly long tailbacks stretching into the distance under dark, oppressive skies, the succulent ecstasy of plastic supermarket sandwiches and pesticidal coke just for a modest nothing of a wage. All whilst watching my already inadequate pension being further eroded by good old Gordon!
:rolleyes:

They are:
PremiAir started someone on less than £39000 last month

The thing is.......you leave the military(and these are the pilots flying for the police in the uk) in need of job because you normally have a morgage and all the trappings of life to pay for and if there is a job going for the police/hems then unless you have 2 heads you have a good chance of employment. But if guys keep excepting these low wages(and 45k isn't that low) the companies will keep offering them. But there is a bit of a trend of people looking else where after the bigger pay packets now the market is so good.
Are police pilots a member of BALPA?:cool:

Best way out of the police / AA low pay trap is to get an IR.

F'dung,

I agree with what your saying. But why should you have to take your well earned pension into account?
I know its a great job a few of my friends do it.............. But they weren't so lucky in finding a vacancy near to their homes.

Don't get hung up on the 45K. A lot of DE police pilots earn considerably more than that around the UK and it will undoubtedly be reviewed soon in light of recent market forces but you can't advertise that can you. The main attraction for an ex mil pilot is job security, gold plated pension and stability.

Thanks for bringing the extra information to our attention MightyGem.

I don't want to get into petty arguments over the semantics of the deal but you are pushing the extras as if they were something to get really excited about. The only thing worthy of note in that package is the final salary pension which is a scarce commodity these days. I would be interested to know the specifics of that.

:8

Great thread and very timely as Im looking to shortly return from a foreign land and get back into the onshore scene in UK. Left PAS some years ago when they offered their floaters less of a pay rise than the others. The job seems to now have longer shifts with only a few more £ for the priveledge. It is up to the rank and file pilot to show his disquiet at the pay structure as those who provide bums on seats have no incentive to increase the level of salary. Indeed that is probably where the companies profit comes from!

No rotary IR, so whats the alternative?

A typical pension of the type offered usually would equate to 18-20% extra salary put into your own pension fund (with the associated ups and downs of the open markets), and an associated lump sum on retirement with payouts and cover for illness and death in service. I guess that an offer of c.£53,000 with cast iron benefits might sound more tempting!

If what you're saying is accurate Dr Honeydew then now we're starting to get somewhere? So the adjusted estimate equates to about £53K?

:hmm:

I suppose we're just starting to get into commercial turboprop captain territory which, some would argue, would be a reasonable comparator. Therin lies the problem. What should we compare ourselves to? Come on folks! Let's cut to the chase. How much would we like to see offered? (I'm talking right across the in-shore market here)

:E

Thank you for the more constructive observations. I am constrained within the public sector pay restraints to be able to convince my employers of 'our' true worth. At the end of the day, a pilots package rests uncomfortably amongst those around him/her in the police world and takes time to be accepted.
I can assure you, that this 'package' for an entry level police line pilot, will escalate past the 50K mark very very quickly. That, in my opinion, is satisfactory remuneration for the post.

The market (highlighted by the official response to this and other adverts) is definitely changing. [Quality] pilots are most definitely in short supply, almost all the service providers are experiencing difficulties in this area and as mentioned earlier, the military pool has all but dried up as their lords and masters 'fixed' that problem some years ago.
I believe we are at the beginning of a market correction for better pay which has been a long time overdue. But what do you expect with an industry so small and so disjointed - no union to speak of. Market forces have finally taken charge of us rather than the other way round.
The new framework agreement has all but put paid to future contract pilotage [£100,000 for a contract pilot???]. Perhaps our time has come?

Helicpter pilots will never become rich - but is that the aim of the game?

Hmmm
 

I dont do it for the money.... it the love for the job.... :eek:

I thought it was only Jet Ranger pilots who suffered from that :E

Cheers

Whirls

The vacancy for a Line Pilot at Lancashire Constabulary Air Support Unit has finally appeared in Flight International. The minimum requirements for this post are as follows:

UK ATPL/H or JAA CPL/H

2000 Hrs Helicopters
1500 Hrs PIC Overland
To include a significant proportion of Low Flying and 500 Hrs Twin Turbine.
Previous PAOC experience and an 135 rating would be desirable.

Applicants must be willing to relocate to within 45 mins of our base here at BAE Systems Warton Aerodrome. Closing date for applications is 1st May 2007.

I have been authorised by our UEO to mention that if you fall just outside the minimum requirements, then you should still consider putting in an application.

The contact address is:

Lancashire Constabulary Human Resources
H Division Operations
PO Box 77
Hutton
Preston PR4 5SB

Out of interest, NLJ, have you just lost one or has a new position been made available?

Please feel free to answer via PM if you would prefer.


Thanks,

B73

Our Chief Pilot is going onto bigger and better things which has created the vacancy. For those that don't know, we have 4 Pilots here at Lancs working a 12 hour shift, 2 Days 2 Nights 4 Days Off Rota.

Thanks.

wibble wwibble wibble

Poor pay in Police Air Support Industry
 

The simple solution is that the pilots have to get organised under one banner like BALPA to have any chance of changing their terms and conditions of employment. Premiair are a classic example whereby they divide and rule. There is not standard scale of pay, they make it up as they go along. Nobody actually knows what any one else is getting because it is not published and there are no inducements for loyalty/productivity.
What will circa £40,000 get you at a von Essen hotel? Receptionist, Doorman.

Get organised and represented, go on strike and see if they sit up and take note. Hit them in the pocket it is the only way they learn.

Hi Kernow, consider yourself promoted; you are now UEO of a police unit and are totally responsible for the budget! What terms and conditions will you offer a non-instrument rated pilot and what is the starting salary?

Cheers

TeeS