Anyone ever flown for a good company?

[qwerty]

I was just wondering if there are any good outfits out there to fly for.
Yes I'm young, dumb, and have no experience. I have only had three different flying employers and the pilots get treated like crap.
I know I'm being a baby but what outfits are out there that I could look forward to flying for?

 

[Rvrrat]

Good people make for good companies

qwerty,
A good company is akin to "class" or "professionalism"; hard to describe, but one knows it when one sees it.

Rule 1; It's all about people. Look for an organization that has people in charge who have ethics & principals.
Like choosing a potential mate, finding these characteristics takes time and observation.

Rule 2; Follow the money. Is all the effort put forth going toward pumping up the bottom line meaning the company has no real long term game plan or is the company being smart and reinvesting in itself and taking care of the people who make the company happen.

Take the time to investigate, you'll be much happier with the results.

 

[skydiverdriver]

I have flown for two good companies. Mountain Air Cargo, and Comair. Both have capable aircraft, good maintenance, and standard pay for their industries. Nonwithstanding the recent strike at Comair, we actually have it pretty good here compared to our competition. And, most freight pilots I talk to tell me horror stories about flying freight. I have none, as my employer was pretty good. Hope this helps you.

 

[ATRCA]

"Rule 1; It's all about people. Look for an organization that has people in charge who have ethics & principals."

Well, I guess that excludes every airline on the planet. Good luck in your search and remember with regard to pilots and MGT its us against them and thats the way it will always be.

 

[starchkr]

Good companies huh?

I have a GREAT one!

Airnet...

Management is great. Maintenance is wonderful. Aircraft are all in excellent working order, note i didn't say they were the prettiest a/c on the planet, but most are done up in our nice paint. The only thing lacking that i have noticed is communication channels... it seems that for some reason everyone knows something that the others do not.

Pay is great, above average i believe, and only based on 4 days a week, add a fifth day and make 31K first year. Quarterly, departmental and insurance bonuses totalling something like 12% of your pay per year. All holidays OFF!!!!! most runs have EVERY WEEKEND OFF!!! (sorry to those airnet guys now flying our weekend runs... but they have 3 WEEKDAYS OFF!!!) Personnally i have a day run and work from 11am to 6pm M-F... great normal life, and very rare in this kind of business, especially one who is known for night freight. Working away from CMH (outbased) is GREAT!!! It is almost like i own my own business, because i have noone looking over my shoulder, i can leave early if my cargo shows up early, and i have ALL the interaction with ground crews and anything else that pops up. OH yeah, don't forget about the floater positions we have available... those guys rake in the dough, something like 40K+ your first year to do that.

One last thing to say how great of a company this is and how well our equipment and records are taken care of is the fact that this month we were APPROVED by the DOD to carry government personnel and freight on our aircraft. A VERY difficult and in-depth process which can only be accomplished by a select few.

So, that's how i feel about us.

 

[bobbysamd]

Good companies

Ya know, when I left professional aviation I had about come to the conclusion that all aviation companies are bad news. I felt that way primarily because of the disrespect and dishonesty exhibited to pilots. Overall, that probably will never change. I've since reflected on my blanket conclusion about companies and realize there are some which are good.

You probably don't want to be a career instructor, although there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The business needs good, dedicated flight instructors. The foreign airline training operations in the U.S. seek out dedicated flight instructors and treat them well. Two examples are Air Training Center Arizona in Goodyear, Arizona, and International Flight Training Academy in Bakersfield, California. IFTA is a clone of ATCA. Facilities are state-of-the-art, equipment is first class, and money and benies are excellent. Good students, hand-picked by their airlines.

I worked for FlightSafety's school in Vero for just over a year ten years ago. I left primarily because I didn't care for the disrespect I was shown. Since I was there, new managers have taken over and I understand the place is better. Pay is alright. Equipment is very well-maintained. They are taking delivery of new Seminoles. Benies include good health and a 401-K. Facilities are excellent. Cost of living in Vero isn't bad. Good place to work at for a while, maybe longer. I hear other FSI facilities are good places at which to work.

ERAU was the best aviation job I had. Pay was excellent, with incentives to earn more money. I don't recall if there was a 401-K, but with a union there now I'd bet it has a retirement plan. Well-maintained equipment. Stimulating learning environment. Downsides included problems getting aircraft, which made it hard to work at times, and a lot of ridiculous monkey business.

A lot of people say that SkyWest is a good company. I've heard that EJA (Executive Jet Aviation, not the P-F-T outfit) is very good.

You need to evaluate a company in terms of your needs. Don't expect much from a place if you are just looking for an experience-building opportunity. Look at it in terms of professionalism, facilities, pay and longevity among employees. One other clue: I've learned that I can tell a lot about a place from its H.R. function. If a place seems disorganized or frantic or in any way untoward during the interview process, that's the tip of the iceberg. Chances are, you won't be treated right.

Good luck with your job search.

 

[surplus1]

Querty,

Being young does not equal being dumb. We all had to start somewhere and no matter how long you fly for a living you will always be able to learn more than you knew the day before. That's one of the things that makes being a pilot interesting. We never know it all.

Inexperienced? Don't worry about it. Experience has been defined as: "The exchange of the errors of youth, for those of age".

I've worked for three "good" companies that I'd mention, each quite different from the other.

One was a foreign air carrier based overseas, with some flights to the US. Best job I ever had, they treated us like Kings (literally) and paid me very well.

Another was a not so well known freight hauler based out of the Detroit area. The work was hard by comparison, there was no union, the pay wasn't very good (but livable), and the equipment isn't as new as one might like. During the time I was there, the equipment was well maintained mechanically, but not "pretty". The place had a "reputation" that wasn't shiny at all, but it turned out not to be true. I wasn't sorry to leave, but enjoyed it while there. It's still in business but I don't have a clue what it's like today. That was quite a while back. Why do I call it "good"? The people were great.

The other is Comair. Good equipment, well maintained, ok schedules (I'm senior), not so good pay but better than many regionals, poor labor relations (improved since the strike) and a good future (until it was sold to Delta). What makes it a good place? The pilot group. Some of the very best people I've ever had the privilege of flying with. To me, that makes up and then some, for all the other hassles.

Most major airlines are good places to work especially if what's important to you is money. Some far better than others. Much depends on what you like and what you don't. While I haven't personally flown for a major US carrier, I have several close friends in the left seat at every one of them, so I get a lot of feedback.

Opinion. How "good" a place is has a whole lot to do with what you make of it yourself. There are always different strokes for different folks.

Good luck to you.

 

[rattler]

Give me a break, we are pilots for crying out load! Everyone knows pilots always complain, and believe that the grass is always greener somewhere else. The best company to work for is the one that pays your bills.

 

[FamilyMan]

starchkr,

I know Airnet is a great company, could you please elaborate on the DAY flying. Are there many positions?

Thanks,
FamilyMan

 

[navigator72]

Woo hoo

The skydiving company I work for is great! They pay good, buy lunch and the owner knows that it is the plane that keeps us going. He takes excellent care of the plane, whenever something goes wrong (even if it is cosmetic) it is taken care of.
My 2nd flying gig, flying fire patrol and scenic flights is great too. The maintenance is impeccable and the boss is a great easy going guy who pays good money. I guess I have been lucky so far....I have heard some amazingly bad horror stories about the companies. There are decent operators out there, Use caution and don't settle for being treated like crap!

Goodluck

 

[starchkr]

FamilyMan,

We have a VERY limited amount of Day runs in our system. I know of only two completely daytime runs, however we may have a few more out east. The two i know of are in Saint Louis with a very senior pilot who does not have any desire to move so he will undoubtedly keep that for a very long time. The second is mine, and i will most likely be here for awhile with the slow movement that is plaguing most airlines right now. Like i said though there may be other places that some of the other guys could fill us both in on.

Now we do have many runs that begin in the early evening and run until the early morning hours, such as show at 5pm and be back at base around 2 or 3am. Then there are the kind where you show up at 10 or midnight and fly until 8 or 9 in the morning (well not just fly but sit).

The lears for now as far as i know have no more day runs, there was one that i knew of that was awesome, it was based in Kansas City, but that run has moved to Des Moines and i have no idea of what the hours are anymore. Again, there are those evening runs and late night runs just like the props though, since most of the jets converge on CMH for meets throughout the night.