Javierisimo
Well-Known Member
Hello everyone, I know it's a bit too late!, but anybody know if some of this companies are still hiring? I have 410h right now, no family in the US and no wife/gf, so it's the perfect job for me haha.
Lots of Entry Level Survey Jobs (CSEL w/ Instrument Rating to fly 172s for Pictometry)
- Thread starter srn121
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Hiboglossi
The Most Depressing Person
I don't know if any of them are hiring, but it might be worth applying in case they need to replace someone who bails mid-season. That has been happening fairly often the last few seasons with how much the airlines have been hiring. As I've been saying, however, I would advise you to avoid Air America and any other companies where you would be a 1099 independent contractor due to the risks involved.
Javierisimo
Well-Known Member
thanks guys, I'll apply just in case!
pilotforlife33
New Member
Yes you get one week off. Pay is low but you don't have to share or pay for nice hotel rooms. Well worth it. Also you are guaranteed 56 hours pay with 16 hours time and a half even if you never turn the airplane on. So far it has been great and money is worth it because all the pilots have to pay for is food. Everthing else the company pays for.
Finny
Well-Known Member
If you guys don't get per diem for food make sure to save your recipes and expense that on your taxes.
Rosrex7
Well-Known Member
I just flew a cross country from Texas to Utah almost 20 hours in 2 days in a 172.. This is my first season doing pictometry . It's not too bad flight Windows are short in the winter but it's a great experience. Still have a ways to go. Flew about 100 hours since October.
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Sounds like we work for the same vender.
Save your receipts anyway, you can write it off regardless of if you get per diem you just get less back.
To anyone considering air America I'd strongly advise looking elsewhere. I worked for them years back and loved it, but their maintenance and treatment of their pilots have both gone severely downhill. They've been going after pilots for damage done to planes and withholding pay checks until their 5k deductible is paid, we had minimal mx issues in the two seasons I worked fleet wide, but I heard quite a few horror stories just two months into this season about engines, radios and instrument panels. At this point unless you're absolutely desperate I'd recommend pretty much every vendor over them.
I also heard distressing news about N21767 and supposedly management insisted on two large pilots with luggage fly a plane back to DAB in the summer time which may have been the reason they crashed in Deming, NM as they would've been well overgross and it was a high density altitude day. The PIC on that flight has yet to regain the use of their legs.
I also heard distressing news about N21767 and supposedly management insisted on two large pilots with luggage fly a plane back to DAB in the summer time which may have been the reason they crashed in Deming, NM as they would've been well overgross and it was a high density altitude day. The PIC on that flight has yet to regain the use of their legs.
Hiboglossi
The Most Depressing Person
Interesying information about N21767's crash. It makes me more disgusted than ever with Air America. Sadly it doesn't surprise me at all that they would insist the pilots fly overgross, I remember once the chief pilot wanted a pilot to fly to SAT to pick up a mechanic and their 2 large pelican cases of tools and fly back to the airport they were basing out of. The pilot said No since they would obviously be overweight with 2 people and a all the tools on board. If any AA pilots are reading this, please keep this in mind if management asks you to do anything sketchy. Better to refuse than please management and die, get injured or lose your certificates.
Word also is that management is also asking pilots to do unnecessarily risky things and potentially illegal things, but always over the phone and never in emails or text as their main priority is covering their ass. Don't go IFR in the mountains and don't fly a plane that's not air worthy. We got all our major squawks fixed no problem when I worked there and they still made a killing, but after hearing what the pilots are being asked to put up with it's only a matter of time before someone has a run in with the FAA or a crash.
z987k
Well-Known Member
I mean... welcome to being PIC in a aviation business. That won't go away until you quit flying for a living.
Look at it this way - they pay you to be smart enough to say no.
You can't be serious.
You and I both know that some operations think that because they're paying you that you don't get to say no.
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z987k
Well-Known Member
Then hand them the keys and tell the dumbass to fly it into the ground himself.
Agreed.
But sometimes it doesn't quite work out that way. Inexperienced pilots paired with demanding management doesn't always work out too well.
Back in my picto days my employer was pretty conservative, so not something I had to deal with much.
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z987k
Well-Known Member
But seriously. If you can't say no, you should not be in charge of an airplane.
ozziecat35
4 out of 5 great lakes prefer Michigan.
I agree with the sentiment, but c'mon man, a 250 hour wet CSEL? When I got picked up at my survey operator, I had 230 hours or so, and luckily it was a small, family run operation and safety was stressed. You gotta let the leash out slowly. Some of these guys literally don't have the mental maturity to know any better, that's where they need good mentors to show them when to say no and when it's safe / legal to push their limits in order to increase that experience bucket.
Hiboglossi
The Most Depressing Person
I agree to a certain extent, in fact that was my philosophy when I was at Air America. I got lucky since they never asked me to do anything too sketchy, but if they had I certainly would have said no. Many of the problems at Air America are because the pilots are low time, and so are willing to fly unsafe airplanes in unsafe conditions just to build hours. I was very strict about what conditions I would fly in. For instance, when I had to cross mountains, I would generally do it day VFR only. I was often shocked at what squawks and weather conditions other AA pilots would fly with, but they did it any way to build hours.
That said, from what I have heard from pilots who are there this season, a pilot was recently let go for refusing to fly a legally unairworthy aircraft. That's an excellent reason to avoid Air America, since you could find yourself unemployed with a termination on your record if you say "No" too many times for management's liking. And that's besides the whole 1099 issue, which is enough reason to avoid AA anyway.
Obviously you should say no to flying unsafe aircraft, but the general culture at Air America is to fly anyway even with maintenance issues or in bad weather. Go against the grain too much and you will likely be fired- best to avoid the company in the first place and go somewhere you will at least be eligible for worker's comp if you get injured flying their airplane.