hook_dupin
Well-Known Member
Also... which facility do you work for?
Low timer looking for work
- Thread starter WS6pilot
- Start date
You'd be well suited to any mapping job with your background in traffic control as a lot of projects involve collaborating with ATC when working in bravos and charlies. There are a two Pictometry vendors in upstate NY, Landcare and another one that escapes my mind at the moment which might be a good fit as the other vendors don't seem to get much work in the New England area, but Sky Lens and Air America are a solid way to build time as well. They do some limited flying in the summer, but typically start interviewing and hiring in early to mid-August through September.
There are also some traffic watch jobs. I've seen Dallas and San Francisco listed quite a bit over the years, but I think they might be looking for 500 hours TT. There are some decent aerial survey operator jobs where you'll mostly be monitoring the data collection, but on relocations and as safety pilot you can rack up an ok amount of time and make good money.
WS6pilot
Well-Known Member
@hook_dupin I work in a small GCA in NH. I just sent my resume to Skylens, hopefully something good comes out of it. I will be applying for the survey outfits come this fall if nothing becomes up before then. @Goreman11 do you know what there typical minimums are?
Thanks for all the heads up guys, i got my fingers crossed something will work out.
WS6pilot
Thanks for all the heads up guys, i got my fingers crossed something will work out.
WS6pilot
Sambeaux
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the heads up man. Do you know anyone on the inside that I could speak with?
Goreman11
Well-Known Member
Northern States aviation and landcare are in upstate NY. I got on at NSA with about 325tt for the fall season, if you can convince the boss that you're safety conscious and not a dummy you can get on with time lower than the stated mins. I got 600 hours in 6 months flying picto
alaskadrifter
Landing gear operator
Hageland takes low time pilots, not sure when we will have another class though.
WS6pilot
Well-Known Member
@bimmerphile and @srn121 when would be a good time to send in my resume to the picto vendors? I'm on as a technician with the guard till the end of the fiscal year but that is before the season starts and I would really like set up with all the correct documents to apply when the time is right.
Just for other low timers in my shoes or similar the list of survey operators is(feel free to edit my list if I missed any):
Landcare
Northern States Aviation
Air America
Desert Wind Aviation Services
Air Assiates
Thanks,
WS6
Just for other low timers in my shoes or similar the list of survey operators is(feel free to edit my list if I missed any):
Landcare
Northern States Aviation
Air America
Desert Wind Aviation Services
Air Assiates
Thanks,
WS6
Desert winds is now Skylens, whose chief pilot is a member on our boards. NSA started taking resumes in August thru September and into October if needed, other operators I can't speak for
That's confusing that they haven't decommissioned or redirected deserwindairservice.com if they changed their name. There appears to be two sites now, listing different pilot minimums:
http://desertwindairservice.com/employment.html
http://www.skylensaerial.com/employment.html
DWAS is defunct, assets were purchased by a new owner so they're really unrelated
To echo bimmerphile up above, the assets of Desert Wind, who no longer exist, essentially make up SkyLens. As he mentioned, the chief pilot/flight ops manager/one of the owners is a lurker on here. I'd encourage you to submit your app to specifications as soon as possible so you can get in the stack of potentials for the fall season. I'm a vet, and my understanding is that the company likes to hire vets, so maybe that's in your favor.
Full disclosure: I currently work for SkyLens, and couldn't be happier, but my opinions are my own and do not reflect management or the company.
W-2 employee with LA state withholding. $55 a day starting (raise after 90 days) plus $25 a day non-taxable per diem for every day of the season that you're on the road (training is per diem only, I think). On top of that, hotel and rental car are paid (subject to limits; if you're good at searching/negotiating you can get some good digs, and the points are yours). Plus, performance bonus for flying extra hours, and an end of season bonus. Paid airline ticket at beginning and end of season from home of record. No company paid retirement or health care is the only negative.
Overall, it's a good package. I ran a quick comparison against CFI and figured I was coming out ahead. Anecdotally, some guys here who have CFI'd have mentioned how much better off they are here. While the hours obviously vary depending on weather, I've clocked roughly a 100 hour month since starting, with almost all of that cross country. I honestly can't see moving on to a different time building job any time soon.
Note: Any opinions are my own and do not reflect management or the company
Not having retirement is tough but not having health insurance could be a big deal and really affect the take home pay if someone decides to shop for good health insurance on their own... the flip-side of not having it when you need it is even more expensive.
Thanks for the great information.
daydreamer
Well-Known Member
$85/day.
What kind of hotels so you stay in?
Breakfast included?
That will save me money on the road. Just worry about lunch and dinner
When you said $25 non-taxable; how is that paid, seperate check?
Yeah, I hear you. I've got VA coverage, so I haven't priced out minimum coverage on the ACA exchange, but that's a cost to figure in as well. As for retirement, even at the regionals the match is pretty minimal. I think if one were to set up a Roth IRA with Vanguard or similar, and make regular contributions plus rolling in whatever you've already got elsewhere, you'd be fine for the year or two that you do this enroute elsewhere. Heck, that's worth doing anyways as a supplement to an employer-based 401K, but that's a subject for the investments forum.
The hotel you stay in is up to you, subject to a $60 per night base price cap (I've tended to search Government rates, or various corporate rates that I have access to, for example). That translates into mid to lower tier properties like Choice Hotels (Quality Inn, etc.) unless you can swing a crew rate at a Holiday Inn or Hilton brand (can be done). The breakfast is up to whatever the property you select has, but obviously it saves money and time to have it. Like I mentioned earlier, points and stay credits are yours, including on the rental cars, so sign up for every frequent stay program you think you might use. Lastly, as I've found out, the schedule can change on a daily basis, so get used to the idea of making a reservation and then canceling it. Keeps things interesting.
The $25 is included in your bi-monthly check and broken out as non-taxable. Typically, you'll want to maximize flying if the weather is good on a day, so expect to eat stuff you pack at the FBO while you refuel mid-day (Say Dinty Moore tins, or the like). If you're smart, you'll get a hotel room with a fridge and microwave so you can save money on dinner as well. You could go out as little or as much as you like, but, just like at the airlines, it has a direct impact on your take home. Live cheap and you can really save at this gig considering that your expenses are essentially paid for the 7-ish month season that you're on the road.