Hi,

An aircraft management company is looking to bring me on full-time as an SIC in a Hawker 800xp, Challenger, and Citation 550, and sporadic PIC work in a 340/310. I already do contract SIC work on the Hawker and Citation for them, and I've done this for a few years now (started as a line guy in high school, and got SIC work once I got my commercial). Training has been just 61.55, so no sim training at this point. They cover PIC type ratings, but I am still under 1000tt, so that is down the road.

The boss said he is going to come up with some numbers, but I wanted to get some opinions as to what is reasonable. He spoke of a monthly guaranteed pay, plus extra if I work over a certain number of days per month. Its all part 91, and 90% of the time I have at least a couple days notice, but sometimes its next day or even same day.

Thanks for your thoughts!

If you are looking to move into the left seat, I would ask what their insurance requires. In many cases it will be in the 3-4K hour range. With the kind of utilization you see in part 91 work, that could be almost a decade away.

$500/day, minimum guarantee of 10 days per month would be a low end baseline for that kind of operation.

If you sign a contract make sure it allows you to get out with a reasonable (no more than 30 day) notice that you are leaving.

Thank you for the information. The PIC type would probably be in a Citation - I am not holding my breath for the Hawker of Challenger, as its likely I will be somewhere else by the time I have a few thousand hours.

$600 a day with 10 day guarantee sounds like a good compromise for both parties. You still get a decent salary for an SIC, and if you work more for the month, you make more so you are being compensated if they start working you hard. Plus you can work more if you want to make more money. Seems pretty reasonable to me.

Be prepared for him to come back with something pretty low like 45K salary straight up. Don't forget about taxes, and health insurance and all of that. That 45K salary ends up being about $2500 a month take home pay which isn't much.

Pay for that position should be at least $50k. In this market, I would say closer to $60k or $70k.

That said, staying proficient on 3 different jets can be difficult for experienced pilots. Adding 2 planes on top of that is down right dangerous in my opinion. You may not like hearing it, but there is no way that at 1000 hours, you are staying proficient enough to be a useful crew member in the 3 jets plus being a PIC in the 2 Cessnas.

Excellent point, particularly with the sporadic nature of part 91 flying.

OP, realize that your potential employer will probably give you some blowback for asking for a $60-70k/yr salary when you may “only” be working 3-4 days on a given month.

Remember that you are being asked to effectively be on call 24/7. And that your are being expected to be capable of switching between jets and the 2 cessnas (all of which have their own quirks) at a moments notice. It’s a full time job, and a difficult one. You deserve to be paid that much if you take it seriously.

It’s also why so many people that get into the right seat of a part 91 jet(s) suddenly find themselves thinking “are the regionals really that bad of an option?”

I lasted about 6 months and punched for part 121. Haven’t regretted the decision. Which is why I recommend having a solid exit clause in any contract that may be presented to you.