jknight8907
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2004
- Posts
- 215
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User997 said:I live in a retirement town, so there's no shortage of old retired guys with airplanes who need babysitting. A lot of people are negative about it, but I personally enjoy it, and always recommend it to new pilots just starting out. You create good friendships with the owners, get to go see some fun places for free, and the best thing for you would be building the experience and getting to expand your repetoire of different aircraft flown.
Currently, I'm reguarly babysitting in a new Mooney, Cessna 310, Baron, and an older V-Tail Bonanza. For a low timer it sure is good experience flying different types of aircraft. It also allows you to put a few extra hours in the logbook to help you on your way as well.
I've also found it to be a very valuable networking tool. Older, wealthier people always seem to have older, wealthier friends as well, and if they like you, they'll always pass you along to the next friend who has an airplane and wants some instruction, or just needs some babysitting as well. And who knows, you might get a big break getting a "real" job with someone they might know that is hiring.
Typically I don't charge for it, unless the person I'm flying with is really a handful and requries more instruction then observing. I just look at it as two friends going out flying. Typically it's just me sitting over in the right seat keeping it warm, working the radios, just making sure they're keeping out of trouble.kingaira90 said:Do you charge for it? If so how much. If not are you just looking at it as free hours and networking opps? Seems like it would be an easy way to make some extra bucks if you can charge for it on days off from the regular job. And I could figure out which aircraft I need to own when I am old and grey ;-)-kingaira90
User997 said:Typically I don't charge for it, unless the person I'm flying with is really a handful and requries more instruction then observing. I just look at it as two friends going out flying. Typically it's just me sitting over in the right seat keeping it warm, working the radios, just making sure they're keeping out of trouble.
They always use me for their BFR's, IPC's, checkouts. And the real perk is that each guy I fly with lets me use their airplanes when I want to for only the cost of gas. So it all washes out in the end.
It's also understood that if we're going somewhere over night that they pick up my expenses (food, hotel, etc).
Most of the guys I fly are over 65 and they realize that they're too old to be flying their high performance aircraft (like my 83 year old guy in his Mooney) without someone a little sharper sitting next to them. I hope someone is as kind enough to me when I get that age and still can't let go of the flying bug.
No, all these guys are legal and current, however judging by most of their performances, they have no business being! If someone needed me to fly along as you had stated, where I was going to be the sole PIC, then I agree that should be a payment type situation.some_dude said:If you are required (either by insurance, or because the owner doesn't have an instrument rating, or a BFR, whatever), you really should be charging them.
In other words, if they couldn't go flying without you, you should be getting paid. If you weren't along, would they be paying someone else to go?
User997 said:Most of the guys I fly are over 65 and they realize that they're too old to be flying their high performance aircraft (like my 83 year old guy in his Mooney) without someone a little sharper sitting next to them.