As for your interest in becoming a
Contract Pilot, there are a number of considerations. First of all, it is necessary to define a "contract
pilot." There are two kinds:
(1) The unemployed pilot, coasting
in contract work, relying on their last training date with their previous
employer for currency, who is actively looking for a new job (we'll call them
the "LOOKER"); and then there is . . .
(2) The dedicated, independent,
contract pilot who is committed to contract employment and maintains all their
own training and currency requirements (we'll call them the "CONTRACT
GUY") Please pardon any reference herein to "him, his, etc., no
references to gender intended.
The LOOKER usually does not last
very long in the contract business, because they are accustomed to a steady
paycheck, benefits, and the security of a JOB.
On the other side, the CONTRACT GUY lives and breathes the challenge of
his own business, the personal freedom that comes with being a business owner,
and has the discipline to budget himself through the good times and the bad
times. And believe me, both times
exist.
The CONTRACT GUY is also a person
who can swallow their ego easily, as usually he is second fiddle, often is not
allowed to "fly" the aircraft (gear up and shut up), and is called
upon for the worst parts of a trip.
Sometimes operators even wonder "what's wrong with this guy that he
can't find a job?" -- not realizing fully that we CHOOSE to do this
instead of having a job!
Then, of course, there is the
annual overhead of paying for your training costs. This is the number one expense to being a true CONTRACT GUY, and
separates the men from the boys. A full
service Gulfstream GIV / G-1159 training contract will run around $25,000 to
$30,000 per year including airfare, hotel and meals during training. I don't know the costs of smaller aircraft
training contracts.
There are not a lot of us out
there that have the guts to ante up that kind of money to be CONTRACT
GUYS. But then we are different kind of
people and have different values than most pilots, and the biggest value is our
personal freedom.
So if you have the urge to be a
Contract Pilot and have the stamina to last out the lean times, then by all
means go for it. Hope this helps you
think about the prospect. Good luck and
stay in touch.
SiBeck
Pilot Services
Gulfstream
GII / GIII / GIV / GV