I recently had a conversation
with a full time employed pilot, who seemed to think he should charge low rates
for some “pocket change” because he was “only going to be SIC and would not
have the responsibilities” even though he was “Captain qualified” on the
airplane.
I suggested a “Reality Check”
that I will share here.
As a part time contract
pilot--with a full time paycheck, benefits and employer paid training—you go
ahead and establish yourself as a contract pilot--charging a couple of hundred
dollars less than the going rate.
Everything is great. You get
work, you have “extra pocket change”, and the operators are calling you
instead of me because I won’t work for the lower wage. Life looks good...for now..
Six months after you’ve
become a successful part time contractor you get notified that you are out of
work. (It happens!) All of a sudden the only thing between you
and your creditors is FULL time contract work.
BUT, you’ve established your “worth” as a cheap contract pilot with
cheap rates. Your customers are not
likely to understand that you suddenly need more after paying you less.
Now, say you had 6 months or
less left on your last recurrent and PPE when you were suddenly out of
work. The perfect job doesn’t just fall
into your lap, and the next 6 months quickly go by. More and more insurance companies are requiring simulator-based
training within the last 12 months—even for contract co-pilots. Now you need to come up with somewhere
between $10,000.00 and $40,000.00 (depending on aircraft model) for a one time
recurrent, or go find another way to make a living.
Still think the low rate was such a good idea?
There is one more
consideration. The aviation community
is a small one. Networking is everything. If you’ve been out getting “cheap pocket
change”—undercutting the full time professional contact pilot, who is paying
for his/her own training on multiple type ratings--don’t expect them to help
when you are suddenly in need of referrals and work.
It’s something to think
about. It really doesn’t matter if you are a part time contract pilot, a
pilot out of work trying to make a living while looking for the next job, or
you’re breaking into the profession of being a full time IC pilot, we need to
establish some ethics and work together.
Our skills, experience and
credentials have value. Think long and
hard before you establish your value as a pilot cheaply.
Susan Anderson, Pres.