Flight Pay

[hurler]

What I am told, is that its like playing twister for the poor wrench, and pray it doesn't have one of those friken NOTARS fishtail all over the place set ups.

 

H

[Deep Throat the third]

Actually the Notar is allot easier on the maintenance side of things.

[donnybrook]

you guys think a first year engineer should make 75-80 grand a year?!

[MD500]

you guys think a first year engineer should make 75-80 grand a year?!

 

thats what i was thinking.........what exactly are first year engineers out there getting? salary wise and flight pay wise or if your a contractor what your daily/flight pay? there's gotta be some of you on this board

[jetbox]

thats what i was thinking.........what exactly are first year engineers out there getting? salary wise and flight pay wise or if your a contractor what your daily/flight pay? there's gotta be some of you on this board

 

First of all, as a first year engineer, you shouldn't expect to make more than $60 000 (that's on the high side by the way)

 

Second, during your first couple of years as a licensed engineer, you have no business working on a contract basis. Only experienced engineers should be roaming around the country looking after a/c by themselves and here's why:

Getting your license doesn't all of a sudden make you a whiz at maintenance. You're still nothing but a licensed apprentice. You have many things still to learn and some of those things you'll only learn from experienced co-workers.

I've seen many engineers that jumped on the contract bandwagon soon after being licensed and their performance almost always ends up suffering because of a lack of understanding of the systems, inability to effectively troublshoot, developing bad maintenance habits, not being exposed to good maintenance or all of the above.

 

Instead of worrying about how much money you're making, you should be concentrating on honing your skills and expanding your knowledge. Once you do that, the money will flow all by itself!

 

Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not trying to be pratonizing. Just trying to give you a little bit of advice.

[thekingshead]

I think you should ask for as much money as you can get!

 

Your out in the bush away from home and you should be paided the top dollar! If your machine is flying around transporting souls then who's to say you should be making less money because you are freshly licensed. The responsibility is the same weather your a new engineer or a 20 year licensed engineer.

 

It really blows me away why, As Pilots and Engineers we continuely let companies pay low wages and expect everyone to work longer hours.

[MD500]

First of all, as a first year engineer, you shouldn't expect to make more than $60 000 (that's on the high side by the way)

 

Second, during your first couple of years as a licensed engineer, you have no business working on a contract basis. Only experienced engineers should be roaming around the country looking after a/c by themselves and here's why:

Getting your license doesn't all of a sudden make you a whiz at maintenance. You're still nothing but a licensed apprentice. You have many things still to learn and some of those things you'll only learn from experienced co-workers.

I've seen many engineers that jumped on the contract bandwagon soon after being licensed and their performance almost always ends up suffering because of a lack of understanding of the systems, inability to effectively troublshoot, developing bad maintenance habits, not being exposed to good maintenance or all of the above.

 

Instead of worrying about how much money you're making, you should be concentrating on honing your skills and expanding your knowledge. Once you do that, the money will flow all by itself!

 

Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not trying to be pratonizing. Just trying to give you a little bit of advice.

 

i never said getting my license is going to make me a whiz at maintenance, i never said i had nothing more to learn, and i'm not worrying about how much money i'm going to make but i want a fair wage and i have no idea what other people are making. as for contractors i know some places where everyone that works there is a contractor including the apprentices........like the kings head says if i'm taking on as much responsibility as someone with years of experience why should i work for #### all........

[jetbox]

Now Now, take a deep breath! Nobody expects you to work for free, you can read can't you?

as a first year engineer, you shouldn't expect to make more than $60 000

if i'm taking on as much responsibility as someone with years of experience why should i work for #### all........

It's because of that kind of attitude that you will never be truly successfull in this business. Just the fact that you expect to be paid the same as a 20 year veteran raises a huge red flag in my opinion.

A newly licensed engineer is comparable to a 400-600 hr pilot. By your rationale, a 600 hr pilot should make the same as a 6000 hr pilot! If you can't understand why this makes no sense then good luck with your career my friend!

 

 

 

 

By the way, experience brings wisdom, and wisdom saves money, and that's why experience is worth more money. The only reason I'm giving you a hard time with this is because I was as ignorant and cocky (a lot more actually) as you are at that time in my career. All I'm sayin' is concentrate on becoming a truly excellent engineer and within a couple years, you won't have to worry how much money you're making cause it will be lots!

[Blackmac]

Jetbox:

 

What gives you the right to come out with a finite salary. If you have 20yr AME working in the bush his base salary should be the governing factor and most companies in there right mind would put this person in a multi machine operation as a supervisor.

 

A first year AME should be sent out on a one machine operation with a relatively experienced bush pilot the first time around, unless of course he had bush time as an apprentice.

 

As far as maintaining the helicopter his responsibility is the same as the experienced AME. In my experience low time pilots and first year AME'S are similar in one aspect, the responsibility for the helicopter is paramount. If you are going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on machinery, don't try and save a buck by underpaying the people that are responsible for making and saving you money in the long run.

 

The normal way to cost the hourly rate of a helicopter is 10% of it's cost, anybody with basic addition and without a rocket science education can figure that out.

 

Doesn't say much for the operators in this industry.

 

Can you tell me why a car mechanic makes more than the average AME with no lawsuit hanging over his head if he f##ks up.?????

 

It's not the individuals that are to blame, but the gutless industry that will not raise tarriff's to were they should be.

 

Please to not come back with the usual answer that if the tarriff's are to high some clients will quit using helicopters. They are the cheap skates that cause all the problems and laugh all the way to the bank.

 

Don

[PerfectTrack]

In my humble and know it all experience, I personally think this crap about responsibility is hogwash. Many operators have you under their wing under an AMO and that affords you some protection from lawsuits if you follow their proceedures, if you don't, you took the responsibility to ensure yourself a shortened and costly career on your own accord.

Your responsibility is not on the line 100% of the time so why should you expect to get paid like that. Assume that $10000 a year is for you to be that "responsible" engineer (we all easily make that), the rest you earn is through all the other facets of your daily work schedule.