How do you calculate the number of pilots required?

[cvsfly]

We are a Corporate/ Part 135 company, 1 turbo-prop, 2 pilot operation (insurance requires 2 pilots) and average 25-30 hours. The duty sheet I keep for the FAA, I also note all duty time spent in the office, RONs, On-call days, and true scheduled rest days, etc. I have tried to argue for a third trained and checked pilot, but the owners don't see that as an option. We get contract pilots with advance notice with a pilot on time-off. If we don't have the back-up, we don't fly. We fly 300 hr a year, 400 would be ideal - at least as far as aircraft utilization. Over that you are on a busy schedule where you better hope you have no office obligations or aircraft cleaning chores (or Part 135 obligations). With 1 aircraft, you also need at least 90% dispatch reliability for hours approaching 500 hrs/yr (very little breaks and quick inspections)- which means an in-house maintenance facility.

 

[Publishers]

There are a ton of variables depending on the equipment and the nature of the flights. Longer range bigger equipment will result in higher number of flight hours but not necessarily more days.
We had Citations in corporate service and the aircraft was used mostly during the week for out and backs or an occassional overnight and back. Flew about 350 hours during that time and a crew of two was sufficient with a backup contract or one we borrowed if needed.
In charter, 2.5 seems to work well with a contract back up as we do about 400 to 450.

 

[CE650SC]

Our Worst Enemy

I think this is the whole problem with the industry. Bosses getting the wrong impression. And guess where he gets these impressions? From other Pilots!!

This is a great point - but let me take it a step further since we're on this topic.

While I agree with you that we are our own worst enemy in the kind of nonsense you mentioned other guys have said to your boss - the other thing that often happens in flight departments is hiring a third or fourth guy and not paying him well. Many times a department will get set up quickly under the advice of a salesman or a guy who has always wanted to be "Chief Pilot" and it is done incorrectly. Typically the pay is substandard, the benefits are lousy, and almost always they are not crewed properly. Everyone is excited because the company has a new airplane, the pilots have "titles" they've never had before, and the newness is exciting. Somewhere in the 6 to 12 month range when the excitement wears off, and the guys with "titles" get tired of flying every weekend and holiday - they go to the boss and say "we need another pilot to help with taking on some of the workload." Problem is that this was never put into the budget when purchasing the airplane, so now they have to get the number crunchers and HR involved. Once they get these guys involved - You ARE SCREWED! HR only knows how to do things one way and usually in a company, whose primary business is not aviation, they know nothing of the job that you are doing. The number crunchers will want you to hire someone for very little pay and they will find through their research that it is more than feasible. Now the current pilots are tired of being gone all of the time and never being able to plan anything with their families so even though they are hesitant they buy off on the idea of looking for someone with less time than them that will take the job for much less pay so he can get "Quality Time" in a jet. It is the beginning of the vicious cycle! The new guys gets hired in with all of this promise only to find out that he has no future in this department because the position he fills is only going to pay the small amount he is making and that is it. He quits, you begin interviewing, you hire, you train (for $30,000), he hits the wall because he becomes more qualified, he quits - well, you get the picture. After this happens a few times HR will say "What is the problem? Our training budget is out of the roof - we've got to do something." You will suggest hiring a well qualified pilot and paying him well. The number crunchers will say they can't afford it in the budget and HR will say that it will not work in their Corporate Structure. So they will come up with "Training Contracts". Your new guys will sign a one or two year contract so they can guarantee they will be there for awhile but the cycle will continue.

Meanwhile - the pilots that have been there all this time are not getting paid what they should and haven't had a raise in a while because the training budget is so high they are not in a place to fight for higher pay for the new hire. The guys that have been there for some time will end up quiting for a job that will pay them better and the new guy will step up to the "Chief Pilot" position for less pay than the last guy was making because he or she wants the title - YOU SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING?

All of this to say - even if you have to work a little harder because you are understaffed, don't fix the problem by paying someone nothing to help. Be professional and research as much as you can. There are all kinds of materials available now days and many consulting firms that will only look to help you in building a world class flight department. Try to stay away from salary surveys if you can because my experience has been that they only screw us all. Consider what your boss would pay a corporate lawyer or engineer to work and live in the same area you are living in. What is the value of his life and the multi-million dollar asset he owns. What would it cost the company if (God forbid) an accident happened. What is it worth to take every step to keep it from happening?

I hope you make headway in your endeavors and that it will turn into a premiere flight department!