Is jump piloting a viable option for a low-time commercial pilot who wants to get paid while quickly building time? It worked for Ethan. Ethan had a fresh commercial certificate and just 272 hours when he took a Jumpers Away course in late May 2021. At completion four days later, he had 20 hours of 182 jump plane time, lots of jump runs to 12,000 feet, and a thorough knowledge of the regs and jump pilot procedures. A week later, Ethan was hired by Crystal Coast Skydiving, earning $15 per load. Fast forward to late November and Ethan had logged an additional 267 hours flying some 500 loads of skydivers. In December Ethan took a job flying a Lancair for a Texas law firm.
According to Ethan, “I would never have been able to get this opportunity without Jumpers Away. I’m forever thankful.”
According to the DZ owner of Crystal Coast Skydiving, “Ethan arrived as if he had been flying jumpers for years. He knew Part 105 like the back of his hand and nailed the spot and altitude first load he flew for us and every load since then. Not only that but he also had SOPs in his bag of tricks that most skydivers don’t think of. Like premature deployments on the step, jumpers hung on the step, etc. It totally eliminated us having to train a fresh diver driver ourselves and gave me peace of mind that he has had the proper training, which is huge! Thank you Jumpers Away!”
If you have your commercial, train now and increase your chances of flying jumpers in 2022 and filling your logbook with hours while getting paid. Check out JumpersAway.com.
