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Day rate for contract work?

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TXCAP4228

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2002
Posts
426
I searched around in the forum archives and couldn't find any recent threads on this subject. I'm curious what day rates people are charging for contract work in various airplanes - and also on the related subject, how do you maintain currency 61.55 / 61.58 (meaning, do your contract clients pay that or do you)? I'd like to get a feel for what the market expectations are around day rates and training.

I have an ATP and a PIC type in the HS125 and CE650 and I take care of my own training. For the Hawker I get $600-$700/day as an FO, and for the CE650 I get $400/day as an FO.

Anybody else willing to share?
 
Way too low on the ce 650 if you are paying your own training cost. You would need to fly 20 days to cover recurrent training cost. The local market ( pilot pool ) usualy sets the going rate on each model. There will always be someone willing to work cheap and beat down the day rate.
Typed and current in mid sized older airframes like the Ce 650 should be no less then $600/ day.
This is the only careers i know of where the owners will put their entire family into a multi million dollar piece of equiptment that opperates at high speeds in the extream conditions and they decide who sits behind the controls by who is the lowest bidder for a front seat.
Go figure.
 
Way too low on the ce 650 if you are paying your own training cost. You would need to fly 20 days to cover recurrent training cost. The local market ( pilot pool ) usualy sets the going rate on each model. There will always be someone willing to work cheap and beat down the day rate.
Typed and current in mid sized older airframes like the Ce 650 should be no less then $600/ day.
This is the only careers i know of where the owners will put their entire family into a multi million dollar piece of equiptment that opperates at high speeds in the extream conditions and they decide who sits behind the controls by who is the lowest bidder for a front seat.
Go figure.

Ummm, regional airlines? 20 year old, 600 hour C150 wonder? Still safer than that family getting into a limo on the way to the airport. Go figure.
 
Ditchpilot - I wish there were a "like" button for your post! I agree that $400 is way too low for the 650. Frankly I have considered hanging up the 650 altogether since in my area this is what all of the owners want to pay a contract FO. The truth is that there are WAY more Hawkers in the world and I get paid a lot more (almost double, actually) to fly them. And besides that, the 650 will be dead in a few years as many of the airframes start to time out.

Part of my problem, and this is one of the things I'm struggling with, is that there are two major 142 centers at DFW that have a number of trained and current "professional" right-seaters (and for that matter a number of IP's) who are available for contract flying. This means that most jet owners can get into their airplane with little or no thought to crew expenses since there are so many guys who are ready to take contract jobs where training & currency costs are no factor.

One the one hand I am a big free-market guy. On the other hand, it really bothers me that so many owners in my area are willing to take total advantage of the large number of trained and available contract pilots.

In the end I don't know if I have the right answer.
 
Have you given any thought to part-time IP'ing in your spare time? I have several friends who work @ FS or CAE part time to maintain currency as well as network. They are always looking for new folks. Just a thought.
 
Part of my problem, and this is one of the things I'm struggling with, is that there are two major 142 centers at DFW that have a number of trained and current "professional" right-seaters (and for that matter a number of IP's) who are available for contract flying. This means that most jet owners can get into their airplane with little or no thought to crew expenses since there are so many guys who are ready to take contract jobs where training & currency costs are no factor.

One the one hand I am a big free-market guy. On the other hand, it really bothers me that so many owners in my area are willing to take total advantage of the large number of trained and available contract pilots.

In the end I don't know if I have the right answer.
you can be a free market guy and still call folks out for whoring out their services. Especially at the training centers. Remind senior management that you are a client and are tired of competing with their employees on contract flying. They are pretty receptive to this.

This is part of free market principles ... Freedom to tell someone when they are screwing you over.
 
$1200 per day is what you're worth. ask for it.

dont bring the bar down. these places can afford it easily.

While I agree with you, that doesn't mean anyone is going to pay $1200/day for a Hawker or CE650 pilot.

Actually, I guarantee they won't.

If you ask that much, you'll never get any work.
 
Reality

While I agree with you, that doesn't mean anyone is going to pay $1200/day for a Hawker or CE650 pilot.

Actually, I guarantee they won't.

If you ask that much, you'll never get any work.

This is absolutely correct. Nobody will pay that, and asking for it will just send potential clients elsewhere.
 

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