The fourth episode of Aviation Start, FLYING’s career-focused video podcast hosted by Jamail Larkins, takes on one of the most talked-about and least understood ways to earn a living in the cockpit: contract corporate flying.
“People believe you can go and make 50, 60, $70,000 a month,” said guest Jay Kadir, a 26-year-old contract pilot who flies the Gulfstream G-IV. “It’s true. I’ve seen it. I know people who’ve done it. It’s not as easy or simple as just that. It takes a long time.”
Kadir grew up largely in Dubai, and summer trips home to the U.S. aboard 777s and A380s convinced him he had to learn to fly them. He earned his certificates in Bozeman, Montana, assuming, like most new commercial pilots, that the airlines were the only destination.
Seeing private jets on the ramp and watching friends fly contract corporate changed his mind.
Rather than instruct at a flight school, Kadir worked as an independent CFI, setting his own rates and schedule, and used that flexibility to pursue contract second-in-command work in the Eclipse 500, HondaJet, and Citation 500, 501, and 525 series. About a year and a half ago he moved into the G-IV, which is now his primary aircraft.
Larkins noted the demand behind the opportunity: More than 59,000 corporate pilots fly in the U.S. today, and nearly 33,000 more will be needed over the next decade.
What the Day Rates Look Like
Contract pilots are paid by the day, and the rate tracks the airplane. A single-engine piston such as a Bonanza A36 pays roughly $500 to $750 per day, Kadir said, while day rates on newer Gulfstreams and Bombardier Globals run as high as $4,500.
“You mentioned $50,000 months. That is 100 percent real,” Kadir said. “But you have to be on consistent trips and you have to be in the aircraft that provides you with a day rate like that.”
The trade-off is that a Part 91 contractor is self-employed, typically working through an LLC on a 1099 basis, and funds all of his own training. Any jet, or any aircraft over 12,500 pounds maximum gross takeoff weight, requires a type rating, and where a Part 135 operator would pay for an employee’s type, the contractor writes the check himself.
Kadir considers that an advantage.
“I always say try to self-pay if you can, because at that point you’re not indebted to anyone,” he said. “You’re able to completely control who you work for. And that’s the beauty of being a contract pilot, the flexibility.”
The Other 360 Days
“Contract flying is all foundational,” Kadir said. “It’s literally about who you know. You have to build your network. And building your network does not happen overnight.”
Kadir and Larkins first met at a Corporate Angel Network event at NBAA-BACE, and Kadir still attends the convention specifically to meet aircraft owners. Jet owners know jet owners, he said, and a strong reputation with one client becomes a referral to the next.
Larkins encouraged aspiring corporate pilots to start that work before the commercial certificate is in hand: Attend the monthly meetings of state and regional aviation associations, show up at chief pilot forums, and volunteer at events, even if it’s working the registration desk.
In-person events only go so far, Kadir added. NBAA-BACE, AirVenture, and Sun ‘n Fun together account for about 10 days a year.
“The other 360 days of the year, how are we all talking and connecting? Social media,” he said.
His approach is outreach rather than content. He searches an airport’s location tag on Instagram, finds photos of aircraft that have passed through, and messages the pilot who posted: “Hey, I saw that you flew this Citation into Wichita. I’m a contract Citation pilot. If you ever need someone to fly as your SIC, let me know.”
Most never respond, he acknowledged, but done in volume, the replies turn into work. And while his nearly 50,000 followers are on Instagram, he said a lot of his business actually comes from Facebook, where type-specific, contracting, and regional pilot groups are where trips get passed around.
The payoff for building that pipeline is control of the calendar. Kadir calls AirVenture his favorite week of the year and simply declines trips that would conflict with it, something no airline bid or Part 135 rotation can guarantee.
“Being a contract pilot allows for me to ensure that I’m here,” he said. “I control my schedule. I am asked whether or not I want to work.”
His closing advice to student pilots who decide on day one that they are headed to the airlines: “Have those goals, but be open-minded to different possibilities.”
Episode 4 of Aviation Start is available now on FLYING’s YouTube channel and all major podcast platforms. Aspiring aviation professionals can get matched with eligible scholarships from a database of more than $20 million at aviationstart.org.
