Westwind Co-Pilot Wanted

[rfresh]

This is a true story:

A friend of mine owned a C-172 and was a relativelay low time GA pilot. One day he saw an ad in the Los Angeles Times advertising for a Westwind Co-pilot. He called. The company was a charter operator and the chief pilot told him he had to fly the Westwind over to Paris to pickup the owner and that he needed someone to fill in the right seat. He said the total trip would be around 30 hours and he wouldn't get to touch the wheel in flight. He just needed a warm body. The captain was also a CFI so this would be a legal Part 91 trip.

My friend asked how much did it pay? The Captain laughed and said that's a good one - it will only cost *you* 3000.00 - I'll let you come along and sit in the right seat. Quickly thinking my friend said "Deal".

I said are you nuts? You're paying him 3000.00 to sit in the right seat and not get any stick time? He replied 30 hours in the right seat of the jet means he can log it as SIC and for 3k that comes out to 100.00 an hour.

The next nite the Captain told him to meet him at the plane and that he would let my friend do 3 bounces. My friend never flew a jet before and it was nite - he told me he couldn't have been more lost - strange cockpit, dark out, etc. He did his 3 bounces and the Captain said be here tomorrow at 8am for our departure.

He made the trip and even tho this Captain was an a**hole, my friend somehow got along with him. I met this Captain a few times and I did not like him at all.

My friend, as time went on, got calls from this captain when ever he needed someone to help him ferry one of their biz jets somewhere for a Part 135 charter. They ferried under part 91 so the captain didn't have to use his higher priced 135 pilots to stage aircraft. So, as time went on, my friend got more and more stick time in the biz jets. Soon, he had more jet time than C-172 time. Funny how things turn out eh?

 

[81Horse]

And your point is ... ?

 

[G21Agoose]

This is a true story:

A friend of mine owned a C-172 and was a relativelay low time GA pilot. One day he saw an ad in the Los Angeles Times advertising for a Westwind Co-pilot. He called. The company was a charter operator and the chief pilot told him he had to fly the Westwind over to Paris to pickup the owner and that he needed someone to fill in the right seat. He said the total trip would be around 30 hours and he wouldn't get to touch the wheel in flight. He just needed a warm body. The captain was also a CFI so this would be a legal Part 91 trip.

My friend asked how much did it pay? The Captain laughed and said that's a good one - it will only cost *you* 3000.00 - I'll let you come along and sit in the right seat. Quickly thinking my friend said "Deal".

I said are you nuts? You're paying him 3000.00 to sit in the right seat and not get any stick time? He replied 30 hours in the right seat of the jet means he can log it as SIC and for 3k that comes out to 100.00 an hour.

The next nite the Captain told him to meet him at the plane and that he would let my friend do 3 bounces. My friend never flew a jet before and it was nite - he told me he couldn't have been more lost - strange cockpit, dark out, etc. He did his 3 bounces and the Captain said be here tomorrow at 8am for our departure.

He made the trip and even tho this Captain was an a**hole, my friend somehow got along with him. I met this Captain a few times and I did not like him at all.

My friend, as time went on, got calls from this captain when ever he needed someone to help him ferry one of their biz jets somewhere for a Part 135 charter. They ferried under part 91 so the captain didn't have to use his higher priced 135 pilots to stage aircraft. So, as time went on, my friend got more and more stick time in the biz jets. Soon, he had more jet time than C-172 time. Funny how things turn out eh?

No. It's not.

 

[jergar999]

This is a true story:

A friend of mine owned a C-172 and was a relativelay low time GA pilot. One day he saw an ad in the Los Angeles Times advertising for a Westwind Co-pilot. He called. The company was a charter operator and the chief pilot told him he had to fly the Westwind over to Paris to pickup the owner and that he needed someone to fill in the right seat. He said the total trip would be around 30 hours and he wouldn't get to touch the wheel in flight. He just needed a warm body. The captain was also a CFI so this would be a legal Part 91 trip.

My friend asked how much did it pay? The Captain laughed and said that's a good one - it will only cost *you* 3000.00 - I'll let you come along and sit in the right seat. Quickly thinking my friend said "Deal".

I said are you nuts? You're paying him 3000.00 to sit in the right seat and not get any stick time? He replied 30 hours in the right seat of the jet means he can log it as SIC and for 3k that comes out to 100.00 an hour.

The next nite the Captain told him to meet him at the plane and that he would let my friend do 3 bounces. My friend never flew a jet before and it was nite - he told me he couldn't have been more lost - strange cockpit, dark out, etc. He did his 3 bounces and the Captain said be here tomorrow at 8am for our departure.

He made the trip and even tho this Captain was an a**hole, my friend somehow got along with him. I met this Captain a few times and I did not like him at all.

My friend, as time went on, got calls from this captain when ever he needed someone to help him ferry one of their biz jets somewhere for a Part 135 charter. They ferried under part 91 so the captain didn't have to use his higher priced 135 pilots to stage aircraft. So, as time went on, my friend got more and more stick time in the biz jets. Soon, he had more jet time than C-172 time. Funny how things turn out eh?

How is your old Westwind flying these days?

 

[Gulfstream 200]

This is a true story:

A friend of mine owned a C-172 and was a relativelay low time GA pilot. One day he saw an ad in the Los Angeles Times advertising for a Westwind Co-pilot. He called. The company was a charter operator and the chief pilot told him he had to fly the Westwind over to Paris to pickup the owner and that he needed someone to fill in the right seat. He said the total trip would be around 30 hours and he wouldn't get to touch the wheel in flight. He just needed a warm body. The captain was also a CFI so this would be a legal Part 91 trip.

My friend asked how much did it pay? The Captain laughed and said that's a good one - it will only cost *you* 3000.00 - I'll let you come along and sit in the right seat. Quickly thinking my friend said "Deal".

I said are you nuts? You're paying him 3000.00 to sit in the right seat and not get any stick time? He replied 30 hours in the right seat of the jet means he can log it as SIC and for 3k that comes out to 100.00 an hour.

The next nite the Captain told him to meet him at the plane and that he would let my friend do 3 bounces. My friend never flew a jet before and it was nite - he told me he couldn't have been more lost - strange cockpit, dark out, etc. He did his 3 bounces and the Captain said be here tomorrow at 8am for our departure.

He made the trip and even tho this Captain was an a**hole, my friend somehow got along with him. I met this Captain a few times and I did not like him at all.

My friend, as time went on, got calls from this captain when ever he needed someone to help him ferry one of their biz jets somewhere for a Part 135 charter. They ferried under part 91 so the captain didn't have to use his higher priced 135 pilots to stage aircraft. So, as time went on, my friend got more and more stick time in the biz jets. Soon, he had more jet time than C-172 time. Funny how things turn out eh?

haha, funny!

so your "friend" paid 3K to ride in a POS Westwind?

that is funny......and kinda pathetic!!!

 

[pilotguy143]

and people wonder why companies can pay pilots next to nothing (or in this case pay the company :-/

 

[sleddriver71]

It's pretty easy to understand why professional pilots get paid such lousy wages when there are dingbats like this that actually agree to pay someone else to do them a service. No one with any self respect would agree to pay $3,000 to warm the right seat. What a joke.

 

[wildbill]

Maybe I am wrong, but in Europe don' t both pilots have to be type rated in the aircraft if it requires a type rating. If that being true, how about the three grand plus an airline ticket home?

 

[Blueline]

Not to mention the fact that being a "low time GA pilot", he probably doesn't have his AMEL...

 

[User546]

And your point is ... ?

That his friend has further cheapened the pilot industry, which results in making it harder and harder for us real pilots to make a decent living in this industry.

 

[Magic1872]

yeah well your friend can't log anything unless he has his multi engine rating

 

[rfresh]

That his friend has further cheapened the pilot industry, which results in making it harder and harder for us real pilots to make a decent living in this industry.

My friend does have a ME so he was able to log the SIC jet time. I thought some of you pilots would get a kick out of him quickly figuring out he stumpled upon a way to get SIC jet time for 100.00 per hour. I wonder how many other pilots would have done the same thing?

I still think that Part 135 Chief Pilot is a piece of work. A few months later I saw another ad in the LA Times by that same company, this time he was offering to trade pilot time in a Citation for a new car. This captain doesn't even own the aircraft, he is only the chief pilot, the jets are owned by other business men, so he was using their asset for his own personal gain. I wondered if anyone ever took him up on his offer.

 

[User546]

Was I the only one that was thinking, this kid should've been PAID $3,000 for the trip. After all,this kid was doing the Chief a favor by giving him a warm body to fill the seat. If he hadn't found anyone, he couldn't have made the trip.

Thats like my car breaking down, and me calling the mechanic and asking if he wants to pay ME to work on and fix my car.

Only in aviation...

 

[aussiefly]

yeah for real. I hate stories like this. If you occupy a seat that has to be filled you must be paid for it. Otherwise your doing yourself and the industry a diservice by taking a job away from a brother pilot.

Now if its just a ride along that doesnt normally require a right seater imho thats different but to fill a seat that should go to a contract pilot is tantamount to being a scab (even though its technically not, I cant think of an appropriate word).

All it does is screw the industry for the rest of us and beside who wants to do captain toolbox a favour?? It only allows him to get away with it again!.

anyway thats my rant.

 

[hawkerjet]

I'm still trying to figure out how they did the trip. Especially since France is so friendly to " N " numbered aircraft. Not only does he need a westwind type rating but his medical has to match also and that means a First class. That is the latest wrinkle in ramp checks in France that was designed to get uder the skin of american pilots. Either they never got ramped or someone is full of _hit!

 

[81Horse]

... he stumpled upon a way to get SIC jet time for 100.00 per hour. ...

No -- we don't get a kick out of this. Somebody should have been paid $100 per hour for this time -- and that somebody should have been the pilot in the right seat, not the "Chief Pilot."

 

[Diesel]

Well they don't call it the Canoe for nothing.

 

[C601]

That his friend has further cheapened the pilot industry, which results in making it harder and harder for us real pilots to make a decent living in this industry.

Right on.....