What I haven't found much of is legitimate part-time opportunities, which is why the contractor route peeks my interest.
It's really expensive to make you into a safe and legal 135 pilot. We have 3 weeks of indoc, where you, the instructor, and your classmates are all getting paid. We send people off for sim training and do training in the airplane. We have to do the yearly 135.293 ride, 135.299 line check, and a 135.297 "IPC" every 6 months (we do all those in the plane). All told, even for a relatively cheap to operate single engine turboprop, it probably costs on the order of $20,000 in training expenses before you even fly your first flight, and it's going to cost maybe half that annually to keep you going.
The FAA really doesn't care if you're part time - You've gotta do all that. And as a part timer, you won't be as proficient as a full timer. So, the company is incurring much higher costs for every hour and day you fly as a part timer. That's why those opportunities are pretty limited.
Planesense does in very limited domiciles, but given the day rates you suggested, one could do way better on a day rate basis than what they're currently paying people to be 8-on/20-off in the PC-12.
Wow. That's a pretty nice schedule. Basically the standard 8 and 6 except you get every other 8 off as well! Wow again.
Is it customary for the contract pilot to be included in the owner policy as an additional "Named Insured"?
I have the same question, which is part of why I started the thread. You'll have to either be specifically named, or meet their minimum pilot requirements. I wouldn't worry as much about subrogation in this sort of aircraft - They know that they're not going to get very far trying to chase pilots down for millions of dollars, so I haven't heard of it ever occurring.
Why do you need approval from your "main" employer to avoid training costs? Is your main employer providing the airplane you will fly? Although I'm sure lots of pilots have done that, I'm not sure it can be legal. Your main employer might be considered running a sham air taxi. Or you.
You need approval from your main employer to be working on the side. Part 135 limits you to 1400 hours per year, 800 in 2 consecutive quarters, and 500 in a single quarter. Now, I'd hate to work for a company that actually worked you that hard, but there are companies out there that expect you to work to those limits. If you run out of hours at the end of the year because of your side gig(s) you didn't tell them about, you're likely not going to have a job any more.
contrary to some statements above, I also contract for a 135 operation, as well. It can be done, but you have to train under their certificate and have to do all of the training events that the regular full time pilots do
Hm, OK. I guess the interpretation of "employed" in 135.115(a) is a bit less than literal. There is no definition of "employed" in 1.1 or 110.2, nor are there any chief counsel interpretations of it. In any case, you definitely need to go through the operator-specific 135 training and checkrides like you said, so any "surprise 135" or one-off stuff is definitely a no-no.
