Originally Posted by LRSRanger

I appreciate your responses. Today I spoke with their regular pilot, or rather, she cussed me out for 2 minutes while I listened patiently. I refused to get into her yelling match, because in my opinion once you start yelling you have already lost the argument. Apparently she was upset not only that I am refusing to accept her rate, but that I sent an email along with my invoices in which I put forth my rates, and my reasoning behind them. Seemed like she is taking the whole thing really personally, which I don't understand. In any case she flatly refused to pay me for the day with the mechanical. On one hand I want to let it go as its only $400, but on the other hand I want to pursue based on principal. Crap like this persists because nobody is willing to stand up to it.

As I am leaving California in 2 weeks I will not be around to see the matter through in small claims court, I might see an attorney about it though.


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Originally Posted by satpak77

Anybody know what a "fair rate" is for King Air 350 PIC/Captain, contract pilot day rate ?

Originally Posted by LRSRanger

To start off, I'm a 1099 contract pilot. I maintain all my own training and currency, my clients pay for nothing other than services rendered in either their own plane or a dry lease from a 3rd party. Everyone at my airport is charging $400/day, whether they are flying a bonanza or a King Air. I understand that this is a bit low for a turboprop, but as I am here short term I am falling in line with the other pilots and not rocking the boat.

Recently, I flew for a company two days in a row. The first day I flew them for 6 legs, 5.8 hours and 12 hours of duty. As I have billed daily in the past, I was planning on sending them an invoice for $400. The next day I got a short notice callout to fly a few of their employees in a C414. On climb out, I started having issues with the right engine, and decided to discontinue the flight, returning to our originating airport.

As I bill for daily pilot services and have billed them daily in the past, I sent them an invoice for $400. They balked at that and said they are only willing to pay for an hour or two of my time.

So essentially, they want to pay hourly or daily, whichever is cheapest for them, determined on a case by case basis. I have told them this is unacceptable to me, and they can either pay hourly or daily. I don't want to bill 1 or 2 hours when they use 1 or 2 hours, and only bill for 8 if I am on duty for 14+... (My hourly is $50/hr minimum $200 charge)

Am I out of line? I feel that it is unfair to allow them to pay me hourly for short days and daily (a low rate anyway) for long days. I'm getting the short end of the stick both ways. Not to mention that in the case of an emergency or even an abnormality their pilot should be thinking about the successful completion of the flight, not how he is only getting paid $50 for the day.

I think one of the problems is that their regular pilot is really nice to them. She doesn't bill anything for mechanicals and short repo flights. I'm pretty sure her husband makes good money, so she is a bit of a hobbyist. Another pilot that flies for them is super low time, and is just happy to be flying for them part time and not instructing. They are spoiled with cheap labor.

To wrap it up I sent them 2 bills last night, both hourly. I'm sure they won't be happy.

Originally Posted by Panzon

We should evolve this thread into a discussion of Terms and Conditions that any contract pilot could present to a prospective client in advance. So far we have discussed:

1. Daily rate

2. Hourly rate

3. Cancellations due to mechanicals

4. Cancellations due to the client's decision



What can we add?

Originally Posted by feltf4

This is why we don't get paid enough...



I told a guy that I want $800 a day when he asked for me to fly his 414 and b100... He laughed. And then I laughed... Because what it comes down to is a plane is a plane is a plane. I have them pay for my services. Not the equipment I'm flying, but what flying am I doing?



Long story short. I worked full time for them and was on salary plus flight pay of 400 for 414 and 600 for b100..



I charged 700 for any PC12 work I've done.



In that PC12 I had a mechanical and needed to cancel the day which caused them to hire a king air to pick up the pax... Guess what I got 700 for the 3 hours I was there...



Don't sell yourself short. You used whatever judgement you needed to make that day... Was it worth 200$ to you... If it was not I hope you tell them to keep their money and move on... Because that's ludacris.

Originally Posted by LRSRanger

We need more folks like you. Your rates seem pretty high (not a bad thing, if you can get it I don't see why we all can't), if you don't mind telling what corner of the country are you in?

I'm just about to start flying the PC12, was thinking that any daily work I would ask for $600/day. I'm planning on billing $500 for King Air work, $450 for piston twins, though I do have an offer to regularly fly a Cirrus for $375/trip.


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Originally Posted by Mink

Sounds like you need to get the word out to other contracts about the "she" in your phone discussion, and do your best to ensure nobody else will work for that asinine outfit. It's a small community, and "she" needs to learn that.