Pay to fly

Pay-to-fly or pay-to-work programs, sometimes referred to as "pay-to-fly" or "p2f", also known as 'self-sponsored line training', are an aviation industry practice whereby a professional pilot operates an aircraft on revenue-earning commercial operation by paying for it.

Prices range from around 14,000 euros to sometimes over 85,000 euros for a 'flight hour package' of generally 500 hours on an airliner, no salaries involved. When remuneration is offered, substantial loans to third parties (brokers), are enforced, that outweigh (pilots') financial gain.

Typical 'customers' include, but are not limited to, 'low timers' (inexperienced pilots) and low-hour type rated pilots (e.g. B737 type rated -or qualified-, A320 type rated etc...) that pay to work to build hours and improve their odds at finding an employment as airline pilots, thus challenging the 'pilot shortage' mainstream consensus.

The practice extends to airline-dedicated pilot training, in the form of type ratings available for a check, no employment guarantee at stakes, where pilots further shift from investment-worth company assets to source of revenue.

On 2 November 1924, Harold Pitcairn founded the Pitcairn Flying School and Passenger Service.

Rebranded Eastern Air Lines in 1926, it flourished for decades after the 1950s until acquired by Franz Lorenzo in 1985 amidst indebtment and labour dispute in the new Airline Deregulation Act market. Management decisions (e.g. asset transfer to Continental Airlines) combined with further labour unrest against IAM, TWA and ALPA during the 1989 Easter Airline strike led to the company liquidation in 1991.

In 1988, Thomas L. Cooper, one of its former Boeing 727 captain who flew during the 1989 strike, launched a small charter company named Gulfstream International Airlines (GIA) offering flights around South Florida, the Bahamas and Cuba in Cessna 402s. Early on, Captain candidates paid $15,000 up front starting in 1992 with intermediary business Avtar International doing the recruiting and advertising, selling multi-engine time in Cessna 402s with the assurance from the Miami Flight Standard District Office that this time was loggable. At the time, these pilots received compensation only following successful completion of Initial Operating Experience (IOE).

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Wikipedia