Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

4 Answers

How much experience needed to become a jump pilot?

Asked by: 5522 views General Aviation

I just wanted to know how many hours of flight time a DZ would look for when they hire pilots. A flight instructor I used to fly with worked at a DZ but I never asked him how much experience he had when he first started. Would I be able to apply for a job flying at a drop zone right after getting my commercial? Or would they just laugh at me?

Thanks for the input. I don't know if this was the correct place to ask, but ill find out. 

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

4 Answers



  1. Mike on Jun 24, 2014

    I would say it’s very unlikely to get a job flying jumpers right after getting your commercial. For a 182 my drop zone’s insurance required 500 total time. I believe they wanted 25 hours in a 182 and a certain number of jump runs as well. I had around 700 hours when I started. As far as getting a jump pilot job, it REALLY helps to know somebody. They want to know that you are someone they can get along with, keep them safe, and not break their plane.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Steven Porter on Jun 25, 2014

    Most require 500 total time for insurance reasons. I was able to get a job at a DZ 5 days after my CPL check ride at 300 hours just by emailing them. This was because the flew only piston cessna’s, and they had an insurance company approved standard operating procedure and training program (3 flights) that waived the minimum hour requirement among other benefits. So the moral is, call them and ask. Especially at the start of the jumping season (depending on where you are at).

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. zdanz25 on Jun 26, 2014

    Thanks for the input guys, also, are you both flight instructors as well as jump pilots?

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  4. Mike on Jun 26, 2014

    Yes I am.
    I agree with Steven in that most 182 operators that I have talked to require 500 hours for insurance. He proves it’s not an end all, be all number, though. Getting your CFI will make you a better pilot (including jump pilot). I highly recommend it.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.