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Does a new aircraft mean different pay?

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AbOvo

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2003
Posts
135
In your experience does a new aircraft mean your pay as a pilot get renegotiated?

For example your company currently operates a Challenger and then adds a GLEX to the fleet. Do you automatically go in and renegotiate your compensation?

What if they ditch the Challenger and get a Hawker? Would you expect the boss to try and change the pay? How would you respond?

Given the current market a lot of us would just wait it out but I'm thinking in terms of a normal market.
 
Does the new airplane come with additional responsibilities? More time away from home? If not, how do you justify a raise? I'm all for making more...but what exactly do you say to your boss when asking for a raise if you aren't doing anything different?
 
I would say a raise isn't out of the question. You are flying an airplane that generally pays better, per industry standard. However I would tread lightly in this economy. Like the previous poster said, will there be any additional duties/time away from home? I would think a respectable company that downsized their jet would not cut your pay, IMO.
 
i agree with bizjet800. In this economy I would be thankful for the status quo........... we just went from a G4sp to a G450 .......... the position i have is the same, the mission is the same......... i am looking at it this way............ my boss just added a layer of safety to my employability for the next 10 to 15 years should i need to be looking for another position down the road.......
 
My observation over the years when this happens it does not mean an automatic adjustment. After some exerience in any equipment, I would expect to get paid at least the industry average. So you really need to let it ride for a while and as you gain experience your position will gain strength.
 
My flight department has been struggling for quite a while with the fact that a Gulfstream V Capt should be paid more than a Hawker Capt. We fly both, but the pay really hasn't been adjusted since we added the Gulfstream a few years ago. We also have live with a "total compensation package". That is salary, bonus, retirement, 401K, etc, etc is figured into your total pay. So no matter how you look at it, we are underpaid for flying a Gulfstream internationally. We also don't get compensated for performing major additional duties. Sometimes I think I'm back in the military again. I am not talking about a mom and pop operation, but a Fortune 100 company. If there was available positions, I believe our company would lose half of our pilots to better paying jobs. So to answer your question, there is NO guarentee you will get any increase in pay, especially if HR will not support the flight department. But other than the pay issue, this is the best flying job I have ever had. It is too bad that some flight departments can't see beyond the end of their noses and pony up fair pay to retain quality employees. No one is leaving now, but who knows in the future.
 
Great advice! Reality seems to be dependent on the person making pay decisions (HR, CP, or principal) and their awareness to pilot compensation. In a normal market the reality is that a pilot will find a job in line with industry standard if the current job doesn't pay at the right level. The Chief Pilot will know this but the HR or principle may not. Well they won't figure it out until they see the bill for sending a replacement crewmember to school to the tune of $50k. Our current market means there are a lot of qualified people available for hire. Sitting tight for a bit seems to be the M.O..
 
As usual, terrible pay advice from pilots....

If you went from a 100K Challenger 300 job to a Global Express you should, without a doubt, get a raise. I cant imagine the number should be less than 130-140K on a GLEX to start, minumum.

Please stop with the "there are a lot of guys who would want any job" BS...you have a job, your company is doing well enough to buy a new Global?? - get paid what you should.

The post 6 months from now will be...."I want out of my job because THEY aren't paying me enough"....of course they're not, you never asked for more because, like many pilots, you are so terrified of losing your job you will take whatever they give you.

Now, if you are in the range already, say a GLEX/GV/DA900 pay, well, then fine...but I would never fly a Global for Challenger 300 prices!

The only thing for certain is that playing "lay low because of the economy" will likely guarantee only one thing - no raise for you.

At least bring it up so they know your concerns. Raises at many places wont happen until a new pay year starts anyhow. That puts the pressure on. Star players often get great raises and bonuses, even in a terrible economy.

Good Luck.
 
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Well, we have been raising hell for the 4 years I have been here about the pay to no avail. If HR and management will not pay, they will not pay. I guarentee you that my company would not only show you the door, they would let it hit you in butt on the way out if you gave them a raise or else scenario. There is little you can do about it other than quit and start over. Now that would be bad advise, especially in this job environment. You could take the advise of my wicked stepmother, "Wish in one hand and sh*t in the other and see which one fills up first". Well my other hand is filling up fast and I would bolt if there was something better on the horizon, which there ain't. So unless I win the lottery soon or the Obama rescue plan magically opens up multitudes of Gulfstream jobs, here I sit. I'm sure there are many others like me out there, waiting for the tide to turn.
 
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91 gig I had flying a Lear, boss found a Gulfstream 500 and was putting it into pre-buy. Asked me and the chief pilot (it was just us two at the time) to come up with a yearly budget for the G500 with 5 pilots. We were making $90,000 and $116,000 on the Lear, including bonuses. We put into the budget $140,000 each for 4 line pilots and I think $160,000 for him. The boss said, "thats fine."

But this was a few years ago before everything started tanking.

It depends on the jump in aircraft you're making. If you're flying a Lear 25 making $60,000 as captain and getting a GLEX......can't hurt to put a salary suvey in front of him. Maybe not ask for top dollar in this market, but its gonna be either you getting more money or he's gonna hire someone else thats gonna ask for $130,000.

If you're going from a GIV to a GV...I wouldn't say anything at all right now. Be happy with a new plane and a new type rating.
 

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