It’s a favorite management tactic – quoting the hourly pay of its pilots. We know why they do it – because it makes us appear quite greedy. Heck, who wouldn’t be happy making $24/hr their first year on the job. While it might be technically correct – the hourly wage that is – it is extremely misleading.

First, let’s examine the “average” American worker. One who works 40 hours a week, 9 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday. When this worker shows up for work at 9 AM, until 5 PM, they are getting paid. This worker will be at work (we’ll call this on duty) around 2000 hours in a typical work year¹. With a salary of say, $40,000, this means they make $20/hr².

The vast majority of our earnings as pilots come from when we are actively operating the aircraft. This essentially boils down to when the door closes to when the door opens. When we show up for work at 6 AM for a 7 AM flight, we generally start to be paid at 7 AM.

Can you imagine, as an average worker in America, only getting paid when you are actively “working” on something? All of a sudden you have to clock in and out for simple tasks such as getting a cup of coffee, walking to and from meetings, driving to a construction site, etc. Think that would lower your bottom line earning potential?

This is why our hourly pay is higher. Take the first year pay at Air Wisconsin. It’s around $24/hr. While we may be at work (on “duty”) for 30-50 hours per week (and gone from our home upwards of 90 hours per week), we are only paid for 18 to 20 hours in a typical work week, which is about half of what the “average” worker makes.  In other words, our hourly pay should be double just to be able to earn the same.

Unfortunately, it’s not, especially for the first few years as a pilot. $24/hr equates to an adjusted $12/hr hourly wage as a pilot, working full time. It the second year, our pilots make an approximate adjusted $17/hr. When a pilot upgrades to Captain, he makes an adjusted $28/hr.

We’re not upset with how this pay works – it’s the way it’s done and it’s been done that way a long time. However, what we really don’t like is when management quotes our hourly rates without any sort of explanation. It just isn’t a “true” picture of what we are earning, and is extremely misleading to the American public.

Footnotes:

¹ 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, assuming an unpaid 2 weeks of vacation/time off
² $40,000/yr divided by 50 weeks per year = $20/hr