Buffalo Pay Scale

[WarbirdJunkie]

Currently I am contemplating a ground to flight position for Buffalo Airways. I understand the ground crew makes about $20/Hour before tax. I am wondering what an FO can look at making? Does it vary from plane to plane?

[pild04]

Currently I am contemplating a ground to flight position for Buffalo Airways. I understand the ground crew makes about $20/Hour before tax. I am wondering what an FO can look at making? Does it vary from plane to plane?

Pilot in waiting pay: 36K annually

FO pay: 36K + mileage
Mileage: DC-3, King Air and DHC-6: First year 15 cents/mile; Second year 25 cents /mile
C-46: First year 17 cents/ mile; Second year 25 cents/ mile

Crew housing provided at Hay River base and Yellowknife. For Yellowknife, you will eventually have to look for your own housing.

Information current as of August 2022

[2112]

When your planes are from WW2 and so is the pay structure...

[Donald]

When your planes are from WW2 and so is the pay structure...

Bingo.

A pilot in this job market would be a fool to accept that.

[Vsquared]

I don't quite understand the negative comments. I got offered this job years ago and the pay scale quoted above is accurate. If you do the calculation you're likely to make 45-50k a year if you're flying full time pilot hours, and then get 10k from the gov for nothern living I believe? May just be some sort of tax credit. Look at other FO jobs; you're making more than Carson, Sunwest, PASCO, NCA, CMA, etc etc.
Where it gets risky is if when they move you to the pilot seat they continue working you on the ramp, and you aren't flying a ton of miles.

[flyingcanuck]

I don't quite understand the negative comments. I got offered this job years ago and the pay scale quoted above is accurate. If you do the calculation you're likely to make 45-50k a year if you're flying full time pilot hours, and then get 10k from the gov for nothern living I believe? May just be some sort of tax credit. Look at other FO jobs; you're making more than Carson, Sunwest, PASCO, NCA, CMA, etc etc.
Where it gets risky is if when they move you to the pilot seat they continue working you on the ramp, and you aren't flying a ton of miles.

How don't your get the comments? High COL, -40 winters, you just spent 60k + for flight school, no guarantee for a flying job, and it's under 40k a year?? Even when flying?? Ridiculous

[Vsquared]

Because it’s not under 40k when flying ? Did you not catch the mileage pay ? Do some math even on the low end of annual hours on a king air and convert to mileage. I think the industry is broken just as much as anyone else, but when you do the math this job is literally paying more than 80% of other operators for a low timer. There’s people in Toronto flying a dhc8 for less.

[quote=Vsquared post_id=<a href="tel:1218366">1218366</a> time=<a href="tel:1665184970">1665184970</a> user_id=68013]
I don't quite understand the negative comments. I got offered this job years ago and the pay scale quoted above is accurate. If you do the calculation you're likely to make 45-50k a year if you're flying full time pilot hours, and then get 10k from the gov for nothern living I believe? May just be some sort of tax credit. Look at other FO jobs; you're making more than Carson, Sunwest, PASCO, NCA, CMA, etc etc.
Where it gets risky is if when they move you to the pilot seat they continue working you on the ramp, and you aren't flying a ton of miles.

How don't your get the comments? High COL, -40 winters, you just spent 60k + for flight school, no guarantee for a flying job, and it's under 40k a year?? Even when flying?? Ridiculous
[/quote]

[FishermanIvan]

Nothing like low time pilots getting mileage pay in shitty old airplanes up north for a shitty company that's had their AOC revoked more times than I can count; nothing says "safety" like attaching your paycheque to how often you fly.

[Bede]

If you do the calculation you're likely to make 45-50k a year if you're flying full time pilot hours, and then get 10k from the gov for nothern living I believe? May just be some sort of tax credit.

It's just a tax credit, no cash goes to you. Some northern living allowances are paid out by employers, but I'm pretty sure this doesn't apply.

[Donald]

It's just a tax credit, no cash goes to you. Some northern living allowances are paid out by employers, but I'm pretty sure this doesn't apply.

Technically true, except the credit is substantial enough to result in a large income tax refund.

[flyinhigh]

If you do the calculation you're likely to make 45-50k a year if you're flying full time pilot hours, and then get 10k from the gov for nothern living I believe? May just be some sort of tax credit.

It's just a tax credit, no cash goes to you. Some northern living allowances are paid out by employers, but I'm pretty sure this doesn't apply.

Nothing like a creditable company telling people to rely on a government tax credit to make the salary look attractive....

[RockSalty]

Nothing like low time pilots getting mileage pay in shitty old airplanes up north for a shitty company that's had their AOC revoked more times than I can count; nothing says "safety" like attaching your paycheque to how often you fly.

I get paid mileage and haven’t once let it get in the way of making the right call when it comes to safety, and don’t personally know anyone that’s foolish enough to do otherwise

[FishermanIvan]

Nothing like low time pilots getting mileage pay in shitty old airplanes up north for a shitty company that's had their AOC revoked more times than I can count; nothing says "safety" like attaching your paycheque to how often you fly.

I get paid mileage and haven’t once let it get in the way of making the right call when it comes to safety, and don’t personally know anyone that’s foolish enough to do otherwise

That's great. But it's definitely a thing.

[co-joe]

At least you can't show up and not know what the job entails. You can't be surprised when they send you 18' off the concrete to walk on an icy wing, carrying a bucket of boiling water and a mop with no fall arrest of any kind...

I hate mileage pay with no guaranteed miles. So basically you're playing survivor with everyone else for miles. Oh to be young again.

[‘Bob’]

Nothing like low time pilots getting mileage pay in shitty old airplanes up north for a shitty company that's had their AOC revoked more times than I can count; nothing says "safety" like attaching your paycheque to how often you fly.

I get paid mileage and haven’t once let it get in the way of making the right call when it comes to safety, and don’t personally know anyone that’s foolish enough to do otherwise

I’ve known people who have.

And it shouldn’t matter. It’s the company that should take the hit for bad weather or broken equipment, not you.

Mileage based pay needs to die. It makes pocket snags and duty time fuckery far less fun.

[RockSalty]

Nothing like low time pilots getting mileage pay in shitty old airplanes up north for a shitty company that's had their AOC revoked more times than I can count; nothing says "safety" like attaching your paycheque to how often you fly.

I get paid mileage and haven’t once let it get in the way of making the right call when it comes to safety, and don’t personally know anyone that’s foolish enough to do otherwise

I’ve known people who have.

And it shouldn’t matter. It’s the company that should take the hit for bad weather or broken equipment, not you.

Mileage based pay needs to die. It makes pocket snags and duty time fuckery far less fun.

Honestly can’t say I disagree with you there. Pay checks have been taking a hit lately with how often our equipment has been sitting in the mx hangar. Sucks to think about how skippers at other places get paid a hell of a lot more than I do when their shit breaks…

[Fatmandancing]

What would the first officer or the birddog pilot make in a 60 or 90 day contract make? Just curious.

[‘Bob’]

$500