Duty Time Policy

Effective October 3, 2025

Pilot Show Times

Pilot show times are 1 hour before your first scheduled flight. Pilots must also show up 1 hour before a flight they are riding on to another base and are expected to help the PIC preflight.

Showtimes for flights after your first flight are 30 minutes minimum, if possible, because tour guides often show up early and if we are ready to fly it helps keep on schedule for later flights

Weight and Balance

Pilots are expected to fly our airplanes if they are airworthy and legal to fly. This includes weight and balance. If the airplane is loaded to gross weight or lower, the aircraft will be below max landing weight at arrival, and the CG is within limits for the flight, you are expected to fly.

Manifesting

Because the offices set up flight following and do manifesting the day before, changes to aircraft assignments and passenger manifesting must be approved by the operational contact AND the office in charge of the flight. Last-minute changes cause headaches for our understaffed offices.

Days Off and Vacation

All requests for unpaid days off or paid time off (PTO) vacation time must be approved by the Chief Pilot or Director of Operations.

The object of pilot scheduling is to ensure that there is a pilot available for each operational aircraft while ensuring that pilots have time off for their well-being.

Medical Leave

If you are ill, have a medical appointment, or a family emergency, notify the Chief Pilot or Director of Operations as soon as possible. We will work with Operations to cover any flights

Flight and Standby Pay

DVT and PHX

If a pilot is placed on standby duty in Phoenix, they will be paid their day flight rate. Duty on and off times will be shown on the Daily Flight Availability spreadsheet. The pilot is expected to show at DVT or PHX, as assigned, at the same time as the earliest scheduled pilot, so that he/she can cover if a pilot calls in sick or other unexpected issues arise. The standby pilot must remain at DVT (or PHX) until all scheduled flights have departed, and then may return home. The pilot must be able to return texts and phone calls within 10 minutes until off duty. If Operations then assigns a walk-up flight to the pilot, the pilot and Operations will negotiate a reporting time and departure time for the flight.

Away from DVT and PHX

Anytime a pilot spends a day away from Phoenix but is not scheduled to fly, they are considered on standby and will be paid their day flight rate. Duty on and off times will be shown on the Daily Flight Availability spreadsheet. The pilot must be preflighted and ready to fly at the start of the duty-on period. While on duty, the pilot is expected to respond to texts and phone calls within 10 minutes and be within 20 minutes of the airport at all times.

Ride Along Policy

Pilots can bring friends on tour, cargo, and repo flights, except for ADV (Grand Canyon West) tours, charters, and private tours. Ground tours are not included and you are responsive for your ride along passengers while the revenue passengers are on a ground tour. Ride alongs must act as though they are revenue passengers.

This is a privilege, not a right, and all ride alongs must be approved by the Chief Pilot or Assistant Chief Pilot. You must provide your passenger names and weights to the office the day before so that they can add them to your manifest.

Any abuse of this privilege will result in it being revoked for that pilot.