How short of pilots are the dropzones?

[tooueay 0]

Is there really a shortage of pilots at the dropzones you guys are at? I've been hearing of dropzones looking and it amazes me with all of the guys on furlough. Something ain't right.

Give me ambiguity...or something else.

[lippy 918]

By the end of this season our 2 C-182 DZ was down to 1 plot, who'd been there pretty much seven days a week for 6 months straight.

I got nuthin

[diverdriver 5]

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Is there really a shortage of pilots at the dropzones you guys are at? I've been hearing of dropzones looking and it amazes me with all of the guys on furlough. Something ain't right.

If they haven't flown jumpers before I bet they won't want to start. Flying jumpers has a bit of a stigma in the aviation community. Some understand what it's about. Most do not.

I don't think that most pilots want to work for peanuts either. And folks....reality check....DZs pay peanuts for the job pilots do. It is hard work and high risk. No health insurance. I completely understand why these furloughed airline pilots aren't flocking to fly jumpers.

Chris Schindler

[lippy 918]

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I completely understand why these furloughed airline pilots aren't flocking to fly jumpers.

I understand why airline pilots aren't flocking to fly jumpers, but what about the guy who's got wet ink on his commercial license who needs to get his hours up before he can do anything else. That's most of the jump pilots I've had.

I got nuthin

[PhreeZone 20]

Most insurance carriers have mins on pilots that will be covered while carring cargo and people. Plus just wet ink is'nt enough experience most times to fly jumpers alone.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[lippy 918]

OK, 'wet ink' was a bit of an exageration...But, most of the jump pilots I've flown with were fairly inexperienced, although I'd consider all of them, with the exception of the one who almost killed my load one day to be very competent pilots, who were trying to build their hours before they moved on to bigger and better things.

I got nuthin

[Dutchboy 0]

It isn't just hours, but what you do with them for people looking for airlines, etc. 1000 hours flying a C182 up and down won't get you an airline job.

What most airline bound pilots really want is twin time and turbine time. To fly these planes at most DZ's you need to have enough experience to get hired at an airline to qualify for their insurance.

Flying jumpers doesn't pay. The pay is so low that you can actually make more doing flight instruction. You can also log "better" flight time when doing virtually anything other than flying jumpers.

I know a guy that has over 3000 hours multi time, mostly turbine (twin otter), and nobody would hire him because he has no instrument or cross-country time.

I know another guy who owns the C182 a local dropzone leases. He never flys his own plane because he can make six times the money per hour doing AFF and tandem jumps.

The only thing flying jumpers would do for a forloughed pilot is allow him to have recent flight time should they ever call him back.

Don't get me wrong. I like to fly jumpers, and have taken most opportunities to fly them. I'm not shooting for an airline career, however. (Really, I actually like being a flight instructor).

[CrazyIvan 0]

One thing I have to say, the pilots at my home DZ, are very good, maybe I'm lucky

__________________________________________
Blue Skies and May the Force be with you.

[Luna 0]

We were just talking to our DZO about this last weekend, and I was frankly shocked at the incredibly small amount of money that the pilot is paid by the DZ. According to all of the regulations we have read, the pilot is held responsible by the FAA for anything and everything that goes wrong on a flight, from jumpers not wearing their seatbelts to ensuring that every jumper has an in-date reserve. Obviously it is totally unrealistic for the pilot to actually check everything that they are responsible for, so they just have to trust all those jumpers to be doing right by them. But if something goes wrong, it is their butt on the line. For the small amount they get paid, I would never do it. I have total respect for anyone who does, especially those of you who are not just doing it to get more hours to move on, but who are really committed to the sport. Another case of people who must truly love their job!

I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

[riggerrob 643]

"Flying jumpers has a bit of a stigma in the aviation community. Some understand what it's about. Most do not."

Please explain this stigma.

As for getting paid peanuts ... I thought that all new commercial pilots got paid peanuts until they had a thousand hours. The ultimate rape of young pilots is the disrreputable commuter lines that ask young pilots to pay for their time in the right seat!

Oh and my wife has been bitching about me borrowing money to earn my commercial pilot license since I get paid better for doing tandems.

[freeflir29 0]

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I know a guy that has over 3000 hours multi time, mostly turbine (twin otter), and nobody would hire him because he has no instrument or cross-country time.

Dude...Mike has something like 9000 hrs. Lots of it Otter time but still doesn't qualify for his ATP. He was ready to be hired on by an airline....right before Sept 11th. Best damn jump pilot I have ever seen though....it would be close between he and Randy that used to fly at Raeford. I have seen the other end of the spectrum as well. We had the Horak kid (Dad used to own Emerald Coast) up here last year....he was the WORST jump pilot I have ever seen. Supposedly, he had over 1000 hours flying jumpers in Otters. I could have done a better job than that.

[phatcat 0]

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Is there really a shortage of pilots at the dropzones you guys are at? I've been hearing of dropzones looking and it amazes me with all of the guys on furlough. Something ain't right.

OOooo, ME ME ME!!! I'll fly! A Twin Otter is really just a big Skyhawk right? How hard can it be?