What to Include in a Contract Pilot Job Posting

The aircraft and crew position are two of the first details pilots use to determine whether an opportunity is relevant to their experience. On PilotMP a Contract posting starts with the crew type and seat — PIC, SIC, or both — and the aircraft, selected from your fleet or from the aircraft list. Aircraft-specific experience and the applicable type rating narrow the field more than almost anything else in the posting, so name the exact make and model rather than a family or a size class.

• Aircraft make and model as flown, not a general category
• Crew type and seat: PIC, SIC, or both
• Aircraft registration, with the option to show it on the posting or keep it visible to crew only
• Whether the requirement is Contract work or a full-time position
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State the schedule you actually expect rather than a range you hope to narrow later. PilotMP records the flight dates you enter, an estimated departure time (or TBD), and whether a flight ends the next day, which counts as two flight days. Nothing is inferred from route distance — the schedule the crew sees is the schedule you describe, so it is worth entering it deliberately.

• Flight dates for each flight in the assignment
• Estimated departure time, or TBD when the time is genuinely not set
• Whether a flight is expected to end the next day
• A return flight, when the assignment includes one
• When you expect the crew to be available before the first departure
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Give crew enough routing to judge the assignment. A Contract posting takes a departure and destination by ICAO identifier for each flight, plus any intermediate stops with the expected time on ground. Where the pilot is expected to report, and whether they are positioning to the departure airport, matter as much as the route itself.

• Departure and destination for each flight, by ICAO identifier
• Intermediate stops and the expected time on ground
• Where the crew is expected to report before the first flight
• Base or home-base context when it affects positioning
• Keep client identities and sensitive itinerary details out of the public posting
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On PilotMP the type rating requirement follows from the aircraft you selected, and you set the experience minimums yourself. Each experience minimum can be marked as required or preferred, which is the distinction crew rely on when deciding whether to apply. Use required for genuine thresholds — an insurance minimum, a company standard, an operational necessity — and preferred for what would strengthen a candidate without excluding one. A wish list entered as required narrows the field without improving it.

• The type rating applicable to the selected aircraft
• Minimum total flight time, or PIC and SIC minimums when both seats are posted
• Minimum jet time and time on type
• Whether current training on type is required for the assignment
• Records you want attached to the application: type rating or training, pilot certificate, medical certificate
• Operator or insurance requirements stated plainly in the notes for crew
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A Contract posting is either priced by you or opened to quotes. You can publish a daily rate — separately for PIC and SIC when both seats are posted — a flat rate covering all days, or request quotes and let crew propose their own terms. When crew submit a quote, PilotMP can separate the flight day rate, applicable non-flight or travel-day compensation, per diem, and travel costs so the operator can review the proposed terms clearly. Saying which structure applies is what makes competing quotes comparable.

• A daily rate per seat, a flat rate for all days, or quotes requested
• Whether the figure is per flight day or covers the full commitment
• What per diem and travel are expected to cover, once quoted
• Anything included beyond day rate, stated in the notes for crew
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Travel expectations are where otherwise clear postings become ambiguous. When an assignment has an outbound and a return flight, PilotMP asks how the crew should handle the time in between: remain on location, where the operator is responsible for lodging, meals, and local transportation during the stay, or return home between flights, where only the individual flight days count toward the posted duration. State the rest of the travel picture in the notes for crew, since positioning and return travel are confirmed with the pilot's quote.

• Remaining on location versus returning home between flights
• Whether the crew is expected to arrive the day before the first flight
• Whether the crew returns the same day or the following day
• Who is responsible for travel to and from the assignment
• Whether travel is reimbursed or arranged, and any limits that apply
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Pilots evaluate an assignment by the days it removes from their calendar, not by flight days alone. A Contract assignment can include positioning, flight days, days on location without flying, and return travel. PilotMP shows the posted flight days and trip span, and positioning and return travel are confirmed with the quote — which means the posting should already describe the overall commitment you have in mind rather than leaving crew to estimate it.

• Positioning days before the first flight
• Flight days as posted
• Days on location between flights
• Return travel after the last flight
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The notes for crew and the mission briefing provide additional assignment context that helps a pilot decide whether the opportunity is a good fit. Keep it to what is appropriate for a posting that is publicly visible, and leave confidential material for the conversation after an application.

• Schedule considerations that may affect crew availability
• Whether the schedule is firm or may shift
• International operations or travel-document expectations, when relevant
• Crew composition and who else is on the trip in role terms
• Uniform, appearance, or company standards that apply
• Whether the assignment could lead to recurring work
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Most postings that attract the wrong candidates are missing one specific detail rather than being poorly written. These are the ones worth a second look before publishing.

• Dates given as a rough window instead of the expected schedule
• A posting that never states whether the seat is PIC or SIC
• Compensation described only as competitive or negotiable
• No indication of positioning or return travel expectations
• Experience minimums marked required when they are preferences
• Aircraft identified by family or size class instead of model
• A posting from which the total time commitment cannot be worked out