Question about Pilot's Salaries

[jonf]

I'm still new and trying to get as much info as I can before I decide what exactly I want to do with my life so another one of my questions is about what pilots get paid. It seems like the average is around 50-70k from what I hear. What kind of jobs pay more and is it pretty rare that a pilot will make 6 figures? Thanks!

-Jon

[Goldy]

I'm still new and trying to get as much info as I can before I decide what exactly I want to do with my life so another one of my questions is about what pilots get paid. It seems like the average is around 50-70k from what I hear. What kind of jobs pay more and is it pretty rare that a pilot will make 6 figures? Thanks!

-Jon

 

You wanna make money? Then fly jets. You wanna fly fun, then fly helicopters. Those two elements ( money and helicopters) rarely work in any positive manner.

[delorean]

Keep in mind, that some 50-70k pilot jobs may only have you working 180 days a year or less. If it's an offshore job, it could be 7on/7off or 14on/14off. EMS is usually 7/7 or 4/4 with half of those being nights.

 

On my standard schedule without overtime............I work Sat & Sun (day shift), Mon - Thurs (night shift), then I'm off for 8 days. I never work a day shift during the week which could allow me to have a full time Mon-Fri 9-5 job if I was crazy enough to do it. Plenty of room for a part time job in there.

 

If overtime is available, I do that--$500 a day when you add in the pay for drive time, per diem, and mileage. There's plenty of guys in EMS and the GOM making 100K+ with OT.

[jonf]

Keep in mind, that some 50-70k pilot jobs may only have you working 180 days a year or less. If it's an offshore job, it could be 7on/7off or 14on/14off. EMS is usually 7/7 or 4/4 with half of those being nights.

 

On my standard schedule without overtime............I work Sat & Sun (day shift), Mon - Thurs (night shift), then I'm off for 8 days. I never work a day shift during the week which could allow me to have a full time Mon-Fri 9-5 job if I was crazy enough to do it. Plenty of room for a part time job in there.

 

If overtime is available, I do that--$500 a day when you add in the pay for drive time, per diem, and mileage. There's plenty of guys in EMS and the GOM making 100K+ with OT.

 

 

Thanks for the helpful info. So when they say 7/7 does that mean you might only be working 7 shifts just like another other job, for example a 9-5. Is it more like you live there and can't really do anything except work for those 7 days you are on shift. Or if you don't commute and you live where you work, is it just like any other job. You work a shift either in the day or at night and the rest of the time you have off to do what you please/

[delorean]

7/7 means 7 shifts on 7 shifts off.

 

In EMS you [usually] work a 12 hr day or night shift; in the GOM, a 14 hr day shift.

 

For the FAA under 135, at all times, you MUST have 10 hrs of consecutive rest in the previous 24 hrs. The FAA does not define "rest" however, the only thing that counts against it is commercial flying. Commercial flying does not include military time and public service (police, DEA, etc.) The 135 company you're working for cannot assign you any duties during your 10 hrs rest either. The FAA does not have any jurisdiction outside of the FARs, so they cannot regulate what you do on your time off. Your 10-12 hrs off is your to do with as you see fit (some companies will provide housing for you if the base is out in the boonies.)

 

Most companies will put a rule in their policies manual or employee handbook saying you have to have X amount of hours rest before you come to work as a CYA deal. But that's between you and them, not the feds.

 

Here's the deal though, if you work days as a manual laborer then go to work your EMS night shift exhausted, you're not going to last very long. It will catch up to you. And if you have an accident/incident or bust a reg, the FAA is going to throw the book at you with a careless & reckless charge. They'll find a way......

 

So, just work a second part time job or sometime out of your home and you'll be fine. Show up to work well rested and don't talk about your other bid'nuss and no one will be the wiser.