How much to charge for day pilot services?

[inthegoo]

I am a former SkyWest captain who left 18 months ago to be a stay at home dad and have met some VFR only guys around the local airport that need a day pilot to tag along on their business missions once in a while when the wx sucks, their equipment ranges from C-210 to Piper Navajo but all are VFR only guys. I have maybe 1 day every other week to spare and want to provide day pilot services to these folks, do any of you have any experience with this? How much to charge? I was thinking like $500 per day?

-Goo

 

[BushwickBill]

Good on you for asking for money. 500 is a lot for what your doing. I say go for it. Likely they will just tell you that so and so will do it for free.

 

[acpilot]

Sounds like a great gig but $500 seems really high. I hope you can get it though! Do you have recent high performance piston time? Some insurance companies care, some don't. An inexperienced piston pilot can do some serious damage to those engines (I was skeptical when a Ce400 series contract pilot told me this, then he showed me cracked cyls and cases they kept in the shop).

Good luck in any case! Let us know how it works out.

 

[ditchpilot]

we pay contract guys 350/day piston.

 

[Rick James]

We pay $300 for a Piaggio co-pilot, and $500-$700 for a typed and current CL604 co-pilot.

 

[guido411]

Who's flying a Navajo VFR only? Sounds like an underwriter's nightmare.

I'm with the rest of the crew, $500 sounds high but let us know if you get it. We pay $500 for turboprop PIC and jet SIC (thought any jet SIC we use is PIC qualified).

 

[inthegoo]

Thanks for the info, I do not have recent high performance piston time, though I have 500 hrs of 414 time from like 12 years ago,

Yeah I agree about the Navajo VFR only nonsence, and he is flying his whole family around including grandkids to vacation and stuff, somebody is gonna need to get home one of these days to get to work and he is gonna be backed into a corner, he thinks his autopilot will save him if he encounters IMC, wow! I told him to get the damn rating, he has like 4000 hrs with no IFR rating, I bet he's done his share of scud running, scary!

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Maybe it's me......but flying with a scud-running idiot in a Navajo who thinks an autopilot is going to save him is NO WAY worth $500 a day.

If you just want to do a little flying and make some side cash I know guys who have a small group of good people they instruct. Select people will pay big bucks for a good CFI.

I'm no longer a CFI myself, but I'd much rather fly with a smart guy in a 172 than a f'n moron in a Navajo.

Good Luck!

 

[Hawker800]

I would say no less than $300 per day plus expenses. Remember that when the weather goes to IFR, you could be considered PIC since the other guy is not qualified. Also make sure that such an arrangement has been approved by his insurance carrier covering yourself in particular. If not run away. Good luck!

 

[BoilerUP]

I'd much rather fly with a smart guy in a 172 than a f'n moron in a Navajo.

BINGO!

FWIW (not much probably) we pay $300/day for a Cirrus PIC in those odd occasions when we need one - midwest.

 

[RipCurl]

I charge $350/day + expenses for piston stuff - PIC, CFI, seat warmer, whatever. Doesn't make a difference to me. However, I have almost no turbocharged piston twin time, so maybe add me as a data point rather than a definitive number.

 

[StarHustler]

When I flew piston contract work, over 3 years ago now, I charged $350 per day plus expenses (food,hotel, etc). I never had any complaints and never had a shortage of business. I flew mostly C-310's, PA-31's, and the occasional B-55. It was actually kind of fun but I never did any 'babysitting' stuff for another pilot. All of my work was single pilot IFR stuff, flying folks where they needed to go.

 

["v"]

How do you get into this kind of flying?? I have a ton of piston twin time both turbo charged and non turbo-charged. Would be nice to make some extra cash on the side. I really enjoyed my single pilot IFR flying

 

[H2OK9]

Here is my thoughts on this....I know it seems like a lot of pay but, you're a professional pilot! you have an ATP. having that insurance in the seat next to a somewhat less experienced pilot is well worth every bit of $500.00 per day plus expenses. You don't pay your auto mech. 20 bucks an hour labor to change your battery cause its an easier job than changing out the brakes at a rate of 79 bucks an hour. Don't sell yourself short! They're paying you for your professionalism and experience.

 

[jet2work]

FWIW I think that $500 a day is gonna scare the guy away. Are you worth it? IMHO .....Yes, However, we get contract guys in jets for $500 a day (typed and current - which the job you mention doesn't require).

What I fear will happen to you is that he will find someone else (like a low time CFII - building time for your old job). That guy will probably do the job for much less ( and deserves much less than a guy with your experience).

Here's what I did in a similar situation years ago when I was flying contract (made $500 a day back then in Hawkers and Falcons). I had a guy with a Cirrus (high net worth) and charged him the dual rate that the local flight school charged for instrument instruction (it was around $30 an hour). And I charged him the whole time we were out (capped it at 10 hours for an overnight) plus expenses. Also I convinced him to let me take one of my kids with me if it was an overnight or weekend day trip (actually, he often suggested it).

Bottom line was, he understood the whole hourly CFI rate and was cool with it. I never gave him dual, and if the weather was lousy I flew from the left seat (and he was good with that). He was getting someone much more qualified, and I was underutilizing my skills, albeit at a reduced rate, but with a fringe benefit (got to spend the day with one of my kids and get paid simutaneously). It's funny now, my kids remember the time they spent with me in that airplane more than they do the times they have been in the jets.

Either way, I don't see this becoming some big money making deal for you ( I wish it were), when you are probably competing against some low time CFII that would do it for free given the chance.

You obviously love your kids, given the choice you have made. Perhaps you can enjoy both your kids and love of flying. God forbid your kids pick up the bug too...

 

[brokeflyer]

ask for $1200 per day.....

then when he gets you down to $500 he'll be getting a good deal.

Don't go cheap, the regionals can already do that.

 

[NCherches]

...$500 a day seems high... in reality $250 a day will fill that seat with as many pilot's still floating around. I know it might not be what he/you want to hear but its simply supply and demand and it sucks!

 

[RipCurl]

Here is my thoughts on this....I know it seems like a lot of pay but, you're a professional pilot! you have an ATP. having that insurance in the seat next to a somewhat less experienced pilot is well worth every bit of $500.00 per day plus expenses. You don't pay your auto mech. 20 bucks an hour labor to change your battery cause its an easier job than changing out the brakes at a rate of 79 bucks an hour. Don't sell yourself short! They're paying you for your professionalism and experience.

Sorry, I've got to agree with jet2work here. You can ask for $500, but they'll probably just say no thanks, and that'll be the end of that opportunity. Don't do it for free, but $500 a day is pretty high for piston stuff. If you can get it, great. But I've lost more gigs than I can count by asking for what I feel is a fair wage. It's not so bad when you fly a Falcon and you're doing this on the side for fun, but when you need the work to pay rent because our industry has been flat for three years, you have to balance the market with your personal standards. Hell, I lost a steady 91 turboprop PIC contract gig because I wouldn't do it for under $400 a day. Guess what? He's got guys lining up around the corner to do it for $200. Sucks man.

 

[peter185]

As a gauge, around Texas pretty common numbers I've seen are $400/day for turboprops, $500/day for light jet, and $800/day for midsize jet. I would think $300-$400 for a piston would be fair.