How does pay for executive plane flights work?

[gregs]

I have no idea how these things work...

Say a company owns a corporate plane (King Air or a Lear Jet). They call up the pilot(s) and say they want to fly tomorrow to a city in the next province, stay 2 nights, then fly back. Let's assume the pilots are available and are not on some kind of regular salary with the company.

What do the pilots get paid for? What expenses are covered?

Thanks!

[turbo-prop]

If it is more of contract work then for the king air at least $400 a day plus meals or per diems and accomadation.

[gregs]

Alright. And does the $400 per day include the time in the air, or is that extra?

[undashflyer]

That $400 is inclusive of flying/sitting/waiting/drinking coffee in the lounge.

You add the per diem (if allowed) and accommodation is usually paid by client or you pay and add to your invoice to the client/company contracting you.

[airdude]

Hi there,

I have been a corporate pilot for 12 years and I can probably explain what I do for a livimg by comparing it to an airline job...here it is:

Just like the air canada pilot, I started flying small airplans up north fr a while, until I got a better job flying King Airs for a cheese compangy.
I got a descent salary flying the boss around, had a schedule and got about 60 bucks a day to spend on food and/or beer.

Then jus like the airline guy who changes airpane size, I got a better job...flying another rich guy's learjet. Got a big raise, got more vacations and days off and got better per diems.

After a few years, I got on to a Challenger, flying an even richer guy around the world...got a better salary, better conditions and better per diem. Just like the airline guy, I was making in the 100 000$ a year, on a schedule with plenty of time off and nice destinations.

I am now fying a falcon 7x for one of the richest guy in canada, and just like the airline guy, making lots of money for not doin' much!

The difference is that I fly a much more interesting aircraft, to better destinations, got my left seat much quicker, I do not know routine and most of all, I am not bored like my fellow airline guy!

Thats about it!

(to all airline guys out there, please don't be offended !)

[jet a1]

hey airdude, couple questions for ya...first, where up north did ya work? second, could you go into more detail about your schedules at the various stages of your corporate flying. were you beeper bound most of the time etc?
thanks.

[Hawkerflyer]

I fly for the richest guy in Canada, C'mon man!!

[Hedley]

IMHO short-term contract kerosene piloting should start at $500/day plus expenses. For larger aircraft, $1000/day to $1500/day might be more appropriate.

[Stu Pidasso]

The good Corporate Flight Departments are becoming in very short supply.

In favour of Fractional Ownership, Contract Management outfits like; Netjets in the US, Chartright in Toronto, etc. These places have had a huge impact on Bizjet flying as they offer the owners a cheaper operating environment.

The sidebar is, for the Pilots it is a far worse job than working directly for the Owner/Company. These outfits are a half a notch above your average Charter Job.

The one thing you have to remember about Corporate Flying is, the jobs 'come and go.' There are plenty of great Corporate Flight Departments that are long forgotten. Quickly turning you into another Aviation Gypsy. On balance, most guys I have known in this business gravitate to the big Airlines, at some point in their career.

Lots of the "Career Corporate" guys do it late in life. They end up with lots of happy memories, but wish they had jumped to the Airline earlier.

(Spoken from personal experience)

The Bizjet life is great in your younger days, ripp'n around the globe in a beautiful Aircraft.

...tough to beat the Airline as life marches on.

[down north]

Dear airdude,

Does "The Richest Guy in Canada" realize the guy who flies his multimillion dollar Falcon has horrid spelling & grammar skills??
No offense, but to me you sound like "The Dumbest Guy in Canada!"

[Cap'n P8]

Dear airdude,

Does "The Richest Guy in Canada" realize the guy who flies his multimillion dollar Falcon has horrid spelling & grammar skills??
No offense, but to me you sound like "The Dumbest Guy in Canada!"

Or English might not be his first language. And if he is who I think he is, he is a good fellow. (I haven't forgotten about that bottle of wine!)

[RenegadeAV8R]

Guys, please don't be so hard.

Dear airdude,... has horrid spelling & grammar skills??

From other posts from airdude, it seems that his first language is french (more likely french-canadian).

Also, he wrote

I am now fying a falcon 7x for one of the richest guy in canada...

We don't know if he is flying a Falcon or frying a Falcon, but he really wrote "for one of the richest" not "the richest".

[TTJJ]

Down North, your comment was repugnant. The poster's first language is obviously not English.
I am quite sure that “one of the richest guys in Canada” would not hire “the dumbest guy in Canada”.

As you seem to be a newbie to aviation as well as to this site, (working the ramp in Yellowknife while waiting to get your IFR and a PPC as you so state), might I suggest not calling people in this Industry, especially those with bags more experience than you, names such as “the dumbest person in Canada”? It demeans our profession.

Also, for what it is worth, please remember that the anonymity of the posters here is decidedly un-so.

Good luck with your job in The Knife. Hopefully the move to a flying position won't take too long.

[hawker driver]

The good Corporate Flight Departments are becoming in very short supply.

In favour of Fractional Ownership, Contract Management outfits like; Netjets in the US, Chartright in Toronto, etc. These places have had a huge impact on Bizjet flying as they offer the owners a cheaper operating environment.

The sidebar is, for the Pilots it is a far worse job than working directly for the Owner/Company. These outfits are a half a notch above your average Charter Job.

The one thing you have to remember about Corporate Flying is, the jobs 'come and go.' There are plenty of great Corporate Flight Departments that are long forgotten. Quickly turning you into another Aviation Gypsy. On balance, most guys I have known in this business gravitate to the big Airlines, at some point in their career.

Lots of the "Career Corporate" guys do it late in life. They end up with lots of happy memories, but wish they had jumped to the Airline earlier.

(Spoken from personal experience)

The Bizjet life is great in your younger days, ripp'n around the globe in a beautiful Aircraft.

...tough to beat the Airline as life marches on.

I have to disagree with you on this one. Working for a Frac is in most respects better then most corporate jobs today. That is not to say there are not some good corporate jobs left out there but they are few and far between.

Some of the benefits of a Frac are that you get hard days off every month, most work a 7ON/7OFF schedule.
If your boss decides that he can't afford an aircraft in a corporate job you are out on the street. If a Frac owner decides he wants out there are still hundreds of other owners who have shares in the aircrafts.
The safety departments in the Fracs are fully staffed and professionally run. The small corporate operator has either one of their three pilots assigned the job of safety officer or an outside contractor to look in on things once a year.
With a fleet of over 90 aircraft when there is a Mx problem, another can rescue the trip with a minimum delay.
There are plenty of pilots so if you have a personality conflict you can put the other pilot on your "No Fly List"
You do more then just ORD-EWR-ORD three times a day. A lot of good different destinations.

Pay maybe less then some airlines but I will take the stability in my life and no commuting to work any day.

[cdnpilot77]

Salary plus a company credit card to cover all expenses and some extras such as clothing allowance etc. I have other duties for the winter as there is not that much flying but the flying is primary to everything obviously.

[Stu Pidasso]

Hawker Driver:

Do you fly in Canada - as I can't think of anyone with 90 Aircraft? The salaries at the "Contract Management" outfits here are pathetic. Most of these operations also offer up the Aircraft for Charter, as a means to generate revenue and offset costs for the owner.

The people making money here are not the Pilots.

[hawker driver]

Hawker Driver:

Do you fly in Canada - as I can't think of anyone with 90 Aircraft? The salaries at the "Contract Management" outfits here are pathetic. Most of these operations also offer up the Aircraft for Charter, as a means to generate revenue and offset costs for the owner.

The people making money here are not the Pilots.

You are correct I was thinking of the American Fracs, I forgot you were talking about the Canadian frac's.

That is not to say that a Canadian Frac's can't prove to be a career job. It will take a while and require some determination by the pilot group to make it a better place. Lets not forget that Netjets pilot did not get their golden contract the first time around. It was the 3rd contract and 13 years for them to make their job a career destination that is paid as well as and better then some airline positions in the US.

As for chartering to generate revenue for the aircraft owner to offset costs, I have heard from a few guys who run small flight departments that when all of the extra revenues and costs of doing charters are totaled the financial benefits are minimal compared to the ware and tare on the airframe.

Pilots have to remember that they are there to sell their professional service and not subsidize the operating costs.

[LegoMan]

I fly for the richest guy in Canada, C'mon man!!

That's impossible, I'm the richest guy in Canada and I can't even afford a plane!