Jobs with day trips?

[jes77jes]

I'd really like to get into aviation and i have a long way to go. I am wondering if there are very many companies that only fly day trips. How likely is it to get jobs like this, and if so can you make enough money?($60k a year or so) thanks for any help.
Jesse

 

[khsgt]

ROTFLMAO

60K/yr....hmmm.....yea.....right......I love a good laugh...good luck maybe third or fourth year with a regional.....

now day trips....you might have a little more luck there, but the difference between no chance and a miniscule chance (think lottery) is very little.

greasy side down.

 

[Timebuilder]

Maybe if your dad is on the board of a furtune 500 company, and likes to be home every night.

Then you have a slightly better chance of getting a job like that.

 

[SheGaveMeClap]

Jesse,

Instread of being a sarcastic ba$tard, I'll give you a straightforward answer. Once you get all of your ratings and build the required time, you could probably find a decent Part 135 charter company to work for who does mostly day trips. I flew Part 135 for a year and never spent a night away from home. It really depends on your location and the size of the charter company.

I've met some freight guys on the road flying Metros and 1900s that had a scheduled run and they were home every night. Most of them (the Captains anyway) were making somewhere in the 50k range. With a few more years at the company, they'd make in excess of 60k.

You won't find a cushy corporate job that does strictly day trips, and the airlines are out of the question. They won't be the most glamorous jobs, but in the long run you could easily find what you are looking for. Good luck.

 

[Timebuilder]

Here's why I gave you the answer I did: both myself and a friend flew piston twins for a charter outfit, making day trips for about six months. Under no circumstances were we EVER gong to make more than 20k per year there.

As cost go up, charter co's keep looking for the hungriest young pilots, the ones who still believe that they will have a great job waiting at a major airline, even in this trend of growing regionals and fractionals. These small operators hope that you are willing to make incredible sacrifices now for a great career later. I think you will see far smaller numbers of pilots who actually achieve that dream in the next twenty years. While it is good to dream, and great to have persistence, you must temper your dreams with wisdom and insight.

My two cents.

 

[khsgt]

Instread of being a sarcastic ba$tard, I'll give you a straightforward answer





sorry, I coudn't resist. As a young guy trying to break into the industry, i would feel very lucky to manage 30K next year.

 

[msw]

Become a professional helo pilot. The "up side" is that a very high percentage of them probably always spend their nights at home. And $60K a year is easily possible for tenured, experienced corporate or public sector (forest service, fire-fighting, etc) helo pilots. The "down side" is that the number of jobs available is miniscule when compared to the fixed wing community. And most of those jobs will go to the highly experienced helo aviators that come of the military.

 

[LrBob]

Hey i did a contract flight for Wal-mart-and the guy i flew with said he flys 5 days a week and is home almost every night-not bad

 

[jes77jes]

$60 k

Thanks alot for the replies, I'm always open to more info. As far as the $60 k/yr statement. I would never in a million years expect that kind of money early on. However, I should have stated, in 10 years plus, could a person earn somewhere in that range?
thanks,
Jesse

 

[Timebuilder]

If you mean 10 years of flying before 9-11, I'd agree. If you mean 10 years of flying from now, I'd give a qualified maybe.

There are many qualified pilots trying to get the available jobs. As more time goes by, many pilots will decide that their old seniority number is nothing more than a memento of their former job, and will press harder for the positions that they are passing up right now. We are looking at least 20 years of downward pressure on the industry. Sure there will be jobs, and pilots will get hired. Downward pressure means that there will be fewer jobs and less progreession in careers. This means, highly competitive markets, low pay, and long upgrade times.

If you are in any way surprised by the tenor of some responses here, you must realize that you are a 90 hour pilot who is asking about a job that most expereinced pilots would like to have, but don't.

Myself included.