Why does the website say 56k avg for SIC? Can you make above your base as a SIC or not?

Yes, easily. Lots of hard days offered especially during peak season.

That math doesn’t realistically check out.

Base SIC Salary: $35k before tax
Per Diem: $3.21/duty hour
Schedule: 4/3 means 17 days on per month
Max Duty On: 14hrs

3.21x 14hrs x 16days x 12mo = ~$9,000
*Meals per Diem is NOT INCOME* but for the purposes of total compensation I will include it here.

56,000 - 9,000 - 35,000 = $12k left you have to cover with hard days. As an SIC the hard day rate is $300 +$150 “banked” (read: withheld) until you fulfill your contract. The website doesn’t mention this either… just says $450.

Let’s be an optimist and pretend that time value of money doesn’t exist and my hard day dollars earned today are worth the same in 12-18mo when I fulfill said contract…

$12,400 / 450 = ~28 hard days required per year or ~3 per mo
$12,400 / 300 = ~42 hard days required per year or ~4 per mo

Both are technically possible, but all of this assumes you receive per diem all your days on (there are plenty of standby days) and are able to even get hard days. We are so fat on SICs at the moment (anecdotally here) I haven’t seen any SICs able to get any hard days since last March… There have certainly been a handful but not consistently every month. To add to this, the company guarantees 13 days off per month. By working 3-4 hard days you are eliminating ~25% of your time off… that’s a big damn commitment.

The point is the number on the website is misleading at least and quite honestly disheartens me that they’re calling it the “average” for pilots. Instead of misleading potential new hires about pay to make the situation seem better they should just pay the base salaries they say are already the average.

So I've been seriously considering TW as a potential job. I have a few interviews lined up, one being with TW. How realistically could a SIC work 1 hard day/week? Wherever I go, I'm looking to work and upgrade ASAP as well...how many hours can a SIC typically see a month? (Working min days vs 1 hard day/week if we're able). The $35k TA is a big commitment, and one I'm willing to agree to, but only if it makes sense for hours and compensation.

I have seen only two SICs work A hard day since last spring. I’ve heard though last winter in the Caribbean they were plentiful. No matter what career in this industry you work, I would always recommend budgeting your life for the min. guaranteed pay…

Any advice for someone who exceeds the Part 135 PIC mins (total time and xc time especially, 1400/800) but has very little real world IFR experience? I only just hit 75 hours instrument, most of that under a hood. I’ve spent awhile now teaching in the mil contract world for Initial Flight Screening, which has been awesome but its all been primary/VFR flight training and it’s time to move on.

I’ve had an app in at PlaneSense for awhile but have never heard anything, even with sending updates. Would applying to Tradewind as an SIC be alright at my hours, with the intent of I could probably upgrade once I got the hang of the operation, or are they expecting at my hours that it’s Captain or nothing?

I'm not sure about their hiring situation, but there aren't many places in the world where you will learn to be as proficient in IFR ops than after a summer season at TW in the NE.
Hand flying those ILS's down to "Nantucket 1800" minimums, NY airspace, pop up clearances, all the fun stuff. Awesome experience.

Yea, but their pay is absolutely embarrassing for that part of the country. Gas station workers make more than their SICs.

Ok, go fly around the pattern on the right seat of a 172 then.

Beggars who elect to be choosers find they get less scraps.