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Canyon/Tours Salary?


wombosi

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I just found a link that seems to show Maverick helicopters paying $270/day for up to two flights per day, plus $70-$80 flight pay for three flights a day.

Without the flight pay and assuming two days off per week this works out to $68K+. In my view pretty dang awesome for an entry level job.

Can anyone working for them confirm this?

 

Is it hard to get a job with Maverick? How does Papillon compare?

 

Thanks.

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Sounds about right. I have friends at both Papillion and Maverick and this seems pretty accurate from what I've heard. In addition I believe that at both locations you are likely to get tips from many of the passengers that can accumulate to be as much as a few hundred dollars a day. I believe that Papillion is a lower pay scale but similar, I think the differences per year are less than $10,000 difference but that's because Papillion is a tour company that hires guys at 1000PIC while at Maverick you need 1500PIC.

 

Hope that answers your questions

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Sounds pretty sweet.

Is there a lot of turnover at both companies? Do most folks use it as a stepping stone? In other words, is it easy for a qualified pilot to get a job at these places?

 

Thanks again.

 

edit: do you get paid $270 per day whether you fly one, two or zero flights?

how long are the flights?

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It is pretty sweet, as it turns out. 270 a day on a 5/2 schedule works out to $70,200 annually. Turnover is a little bit better than the other vegas comapnies, but eventually people don't want to put up with the desert summers and will leave. They want you to have 1300-1500 hours total, if not more and definitely have a few hundred turbine time. Most of the folks that end up at Mav have either flown tours before, or left the gulf. Most of the people that leave Maverick leave to take an EMS job back where ever they're from, and usually take a pay cut doing so.

 

Also it is $270 a day regardless if you fly zero, one or two flights. The flights are roughly 1.5-1.8 hours of flight time depending on the season and how fast you can get the 130 to go.

 

Let me know if you have any more questions.

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Thanks, Azhigher.

Very cool. These facts alone make me want to go through with becoming a pilot.

 

I am curious though, if people flying tours get bored out of their minds after a week? Month? Year?

Is there a very strict course you fly over and over for the tours, or is there a little room for exploring and making it your own?

 

Also curious about the accident rate. It sounds like accidents in the canyon are "fairly common," but I'm not sure what this means. One or two a year?

 

Thanks again.

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Often times, companies will say they want X number of hours and X number of turbine time and X number of hours in particular models etc, but I hear many companies will hire pilots with less than what they say they require if the pilot demonstrates they are competent and trainable and impresses them with a good attitude. Of course, you never will know if you will get the job or not unless you apply. Food for thought.

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Thanks, Azhigher.

Very cool. These facts alone make me want to go through with becoming a pilot.

 

I am curious though, if people flying tours get bored out of their minds after a week? Month? Year?

Is there a very strict course you fly over and over for the tours, or is there a little room for exploring and making it your own?

 

Also curious about the accident rate. It sounds like accidents in the canyon are "fairly common," but I'm not sure what this means. One or two a year?

 

Thanks again.

 

Different people get tired of tours at different rates. I think it depends on how much you work, and how your company treats you. I've done tours out of Vegas for two years for two different companies and I can tell you it makes a big difference. As far as routes it's pretty specific. As far as accidents, it's pretty rare to have a real bad accident. There are precautionary landings every now and then but aside from the fatal crash Sundance had a few months ago (Mechanical problem, probably) it's been a bit since anything really bad has happened. (Someone can feel free to chime in here and correct me)

 

 

In response to Pohi: I don't want to say any names but I know 3 people who have gotten a job at Maverick with 1500TT (sometimes less) and no Turbine time.

 

Yeah, it happens if they need pilots badly. Obviously they prefer you to have turby time though.

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How does anyone pick up turbine time?? At over 1K an hour... I don't think I'd see a lot of people paying out of pocket for 300+ hours...

 

NEVER pay for turbine time. You work for another tour company first, either in Vegas or AK typically.

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I can't speak for Vegas, but at the South Rim, you will not make 70K working for Papillon. In addition, not only will you make very few tips and no flight hour bonus, you will have to pay for housing and utilities. I'm not saying that I wouldn't take the job for the experience (because I did), but you should not go there expecting to make BIG bucks.

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In response to Pohi: I don't want to say any names but I know 3 people who have gotten a job at Maverick with 1500TT (sometimes less) and no Turbine time.

 

I guess they didn't need pilots very bad when I tried to apply. I had over 2k but the receptionist wouldn't even take my resume because I didn't have 300 turbine. Guess you have to catch them at the right time.

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I guess they didn't need pilots very bad when I tried to apply. I had over 2k but the receptionist wouldn't even take my resume because I didn't have 300 turbine. Guess you have to catch them at the right time.

I suspect you are right. I visited in person, and was not even asked to submit my resume despite having over 1,000 turbine hours. My total time just wasn't high enough probably.

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It all boils down to who you know and/or timing. Sometimes if you have a well liked source at the company, the recommendations are taken seriously and you can get in. Other times you might be fortunate enough to stumble into an operator who is looking for a pilot right that minute. Ask the two guys that came in to visit me today!

 

Expect to visit the company you wish to work for, dress for success and plan on more than one visit. Although we can hire a guy right at 1000, we tend to hire a majority at 1300-1500. We require no turbine time.

 

And remember, money is not everything. If you got into helicopters for big bucks you might want to reconsider. Benefits, schedule and variety can be just as valuable depending on what your goals are.

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And remember, money is not everything. If you got into helicopters for big bucks you might want to reconsider. Benefits, schedule and variety can be just as valuable depending on what your goals are.

 

Probably a quote that every aspiring pilot needs to look at. The deception is that Helo pilots make bank, not so much in terms of actual $$$ in your wallet.

 

Hell, ask ANY CFI on the planet what they make, haha.

Edited by CaptainDune
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Probably a quote that every aspiring pilot needs to look at. The deception is that Helo pilots make bank, not so much in terms of actual $$$ in your wallet.

 

Hell, ask ANY CFI on the planet what they make, haha.

 

Barely enough to pay for gas for my commute to the airport!

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