Flying for free...Don't do it.

PGT

PGT

Well-Known Member
FB convo with one of my friends:

""lol single pilot, I have never flown either of those [navajo & be55], how hard could it really be though haha""

"I am ferrying for free, and they are paying my airline tickets"

"They asked me today if I would feel comfortable flying a 421B
Single pilot"

at this point I tell him that flying for free is bad and not to do it, lowering standards and all.

his reply:

"haha free multi time and I get to see my grandparents in FL?" and
"so what?I am gonna get either 10 hours of Nav time or B55 time"


Somewhere, someone has failed this person, but I think this mentality is common among new pilots.
 
If only i could do a free ferry flight and "accidentally" gear up without getting it on my record. They might think twice about getting a pilot for free.
 
I think so many people are seeing how many hours you need to get a job (in the current economy) and think flying for free will get them there faster. When you have 250 hours and can't get hired anywhere, you start negotiating in your mind.
 
When I was a flight instructor there was another instructor who was part-time, he was a doctor doing it for the fun of it. He never bothered to pick up his paychecks. Hard to ask for more money when people are willing to do your job for free.
 
I recently overheard a guy at my school talking about some place where you can go spend an absurd amount of money, get multi turbine time, then supposedly they hire you. I think if he had the money he just might do it.

I wanted to slap some sence into him and explain how it is that industry is going in the direction it is but i get the feeling you just can't reason with some people. Especially the ones who are willing to buy a job.
 
Ehhh...I say let 'em.

I focus on putting out such a great product that people will see for themselves why paying me is a better deal than letting some joker do it for free. If a person doesn't see the value in my services, I'm not interested in working for them anyway.

When a pilot works for free, the client gets what they pay for and the pilot eventually gets burned out. All the while I'm making a living and having a decent life. In some cases, the cheap pilots even allow me to make more money. The clients get upset to the point that they come to people like me, looking to get the job done right.
 
You get what you pay for indeed... A few months ago one of my former students lost a p/t Navajo job to a low time "will fly for free to build multi time" guy. His boss said he wanted to keep using my student, but he would have to be willing to work for free as well. He refused. Fast forward several weeks later, when numbnuts low time pilot scares the crap out of the owner and his family in some nasty wx. The owner calls up my former student and asks him to come back, with full pay.
 
dbrault17 said:
That is why you should get a skill no one uses for recreation.
Click to expand...

I always thought garbageman would pay well.

How can an owner/operator trust their investment to a total stranger with no qualifications in the airplane? Makes no cents, no pun intended.
 
And I caught all that flak w/ my little prank. Yet when PGT tried to educate this guy he didn't give a crap. Exactly like I thought. Absolutely appalling...
 
jhugz said:
And I caught all that flak w/ my little prank. Yet when PGT tried to educate this guy he didn't give a crap. Exactly like I thought. Absolutely appalling...
Click to expand...

Well, im not gonna say it wasnt funny, and i wasnt one of the people that gave you crap, but these are two different things.
 
dbrault17 said:
That is why you should get a skill no one uses for recreation.
Click to expand...
Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
MEOD+Decal+1.GIF
 
SpiraMirabilis said:
When I was a flight instructor there was another instructor who was part-time, he was a doctor doing it for the fun of it. He never bothered to pick up his paychecks. Hard to ask for more money when people are willing to do your job for free.
Click to expand...

Or even better yet, Mom and Dad pays your bills, pays for your cool new iphone, and sweet new car...and flight instructing is just for beer money. We have a few of those....ugh
 
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