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Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Feb 23, 2005
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west Texas
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Dave Taylor
In the past someone posted a link to a site that listed airplanes & daily rate, if someone can recall that, thanks.
If not, I need a rough idea of what a going rate would be for a high performance piston single, moving pax (vs cargo), could be night/ifr.
 
Thanks!
Funny, I was rolling numbers around in my head and landed on $500.
 
Pax in a single engine piston day/night IFR/VFR

All expenses of course, and I’d need to pocket at least $1000 day, just a matter of risk and my time, I’d frankly be more likely to cut a deal on a single engine turbine with FIKI for reasons above
 
Also make sure it’s actually really 91

Contract pilot, all weather in a piston single seems like a guy who could put a chunk of coal between his cheeks and make a diamond, I’d be cautious of it being a 134 1/2
 
500 seems light. I'm at 720 and was contemplating a boost to 800 as a reasonable solo day-rate for light singles/twins. Insurance isn't getting cheaper, and the airlines seem to be taking a lot of the oxygen out of the room at the low end.

I'll discount for interesting planes or situations, but not very often.

"Moving pax" is an arched eyebrow from me. That's a whole can of worms to consider, and rate goes up with each complication I need to consider.
 
SamSES said:
Pax in a single engine piston day/night IFR/VFR

All expenses of course, and I’d need to pocket at least $1000 day, just a matter of risk and my time, I’d frankly be more likely to cut a deal on a single engine turbine with FIKI for reasons above
Click to expand...

I think what you're saying is you'd charge more for single-engine piston than for single-engine turbine. That might make some kind of sense due to risk assessment, but not from either a cost-of-recurrent-training-and-insurance or what-will-the-market-bear assessment. I can't imagine you getting much work for $1000 a day for single-engine piston in most of the U.S., but if you can, then great.

SamSES said:
Also make sure it’s actually really 91

Contract pilot, all weather in a piston single seems like a guy who could put a chunk of coal between his cheeks and make a diamond, I’d be cautious of it being a 134 1/2
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree that every Commercial pilot needs to be cautious of this, but there's nothing in the OP's post that indicates any reason to be suspicious. I've flown a lot of single-engine piston contract work, day, night, VFR, and IFR, all perfectly Part 91 compliant (flying the owner in his own airplane).

schmookeeg said:
500 seems light. I'm at 720 and was contemplating a boost to 800 as a reasonable solo day-rate for light singles/twins. Insurance isn't getting cheaper, and the airlines seem to be taking a lot of the oxygen out of the room at the low end.
Click to expand...

Obviously market and location is paramount here. You're in about the most expensive market in the U.S., higher rates are likely normal there. If you can get 720 (strange number by the way, how'd you arrive at that?) or 800 a day for single-engine piston work, I say go for it! I suspect the market for the OP in West Texas is similar to me in Oklahoma City.
 
RussR said:
Obviously market and location is paramount here. You're in about the most expensive market in the U.S., higher rates are likely normal there. If you can get 720 (strange number by the way, how'd you arrive at that?) or 800 a day for single-engine piston work, I say go for it! I suspect the market for the OP in West Texas is similar to me in Oklahoma City.
Click to expand...

You'd think so, but man, I get sent all over the place -- and often due to lack of people willing to fetch a plane in W Texas, Michigan, or all over the neverbeyond. I'd say 75% of my trips either begin or end here in the bay, but there seems to be a dearth of pilots out there all over, which I'd think supports a more "national rate"

...At one point I fixed my day rate at a multiple of my hourly. I think it's been jacked around since then, and yeah, my OCD is another reason I wanna go back to a big round number :D
 
RussR said:
all perfectly Part 91 compliant (flying the owner in his own airplane).
Click to expand...

Bing-o

Hey what do the regs say about flying family members vs the person actually listed as owner?
And, many of these aircraft are owned by an llc....so how do we or the FAA know who is the owner?
How far does the Pt91 business thing play?
Owner. Owner's wife, kids (what if owner is not aboard?)
Owner's mom, dad, sis/bro, in-laws, what about owner's friends?
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Bing-o

Hey what do the regs say about flying family members vs the person actually listed as owner?
And, many of these aircraft are owned by an llc....so how do we or the FAA know who is the owner?
How far does the Pt91 business thing play?
Owner. Owner's wife, kids (what if owner is not aboard?)
Owner's mom, dad, sis/bro, in-laws, what about owner's friends?
Click to expand...
All 100% Part 91 if the owner is paying the bills.
 
MauleSkinner said:
All 100% Part 91 if the owner is paying the bills.
Click to expand...

is this stated somewhere?
I like to track down the horses mouth, I’m not doubting you.
And, I think there’d be suspicion if the pax did not have some direct relationship to the owner or the company ie 134&1/2 with under the table payments
 
$500/day is probably about what I’d charge.
 
Last edited:
Let'sgoflying! said:
is this stated somewhere?
I like to track down the horses mouth, I’m not doubting you.
Click to expand...
It doesn’t fall under Part 135.
And, I think there’d be suspicion if the pax did not have some direct relationship to the owner or the company ie 134&1/2 with under the table payments
Click to expand...

Owner’s wife, kids, parents, siblings, in-laws, & friends all have some direct relationship with the owner.
 
If you follow the CSIP instructional rates you will be in the ball park.
 
MauleSkinner said:
It doesn’t fall under Part 135.


Owner’s wife, kids, parents, siblings, in-laws, & friends all have some direct relationship with the owner.
Click to expand...

“Friends” is where the trouble can start to brew
 
RussR said:
I think what you're saying is you'd charge more for single-engine piston than for single-engine turbine. That might make some kind of sense due to risk assessment, but not from either a cost-of-recurrent-training-and-insurance or what-will-the-market-bear assessment. I can't imagine you getting much work for $1000 a day for single-engine piston in most of the U.S., but if you can, then great.



Yes, I agree that every Commercial pilot needs to be cautious of this, but there's nothing in the OP's post that indicates any reason to be suspicious. I've flown a lot of single-engine piston contract work, day, night, VFR, and IFR, all perfectly Part 91 compliant (flying the owner in his own airplane).



Obviously market and location is paramount here. You're in about the most expensive market in the U.S., higher rates are likely normal there. If you can get 720 (strange number by the way, how'd you arrive at that?) or 800 a day for single-engine piston work, I say go for it! I suspect the market for the OP in West Texas is similar to me in Oklahoma City.
Click to expand...


I agree with the free market analysis

If they are looking for a professional pilot, working as a professional pilot, I could burn my day off flying for $5-600 or work a hard day off at my day job flying turbines I know & trust and make more, this would be true of most anyone working 135 or 121 or flying expensive 91 equipment, so they are basically looking for a CFI level type person to do this flight, however day night IFR/VFR single engine piston X/C pax ops is a bit above the mission profile for the average CFIs who isn’t also full time pro plots and p/t CFI, and if they are also a pro pilot p/t CFI rewind to the first part of this where it’s flying pax and paying less than working a HDO.
 
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