Consider Avantair

[Raskal]

I've talked to the avantair guys at fbo's before, they seemed ok with the job, but not enthralled. Like many in the industry they are waiting for things to improve at their company.

The days are long but they are at most frax operators. It's a different lifestyle, that's for sure. Personally I despise 7-7 schedules but many love them, so I guess it's what you want.

Avantair is certainly growing but it remains to be seen where exactly they'll end up and just how many aircraft they'll actually get. I wouldn't call it risky but it's not a stable place yet either. Pay is low however, combine that with the schedule...

As for pay, remember, the rest of the frax industry is fighting tooth and nail to avoid being sucked into the NJA pay/bennies range-just talk to any flops guy or sit around Jet in TEB and listen. Don't count on some huge equalization based on another company's agreement.

Either way, congrats on the job. I hope you enjoy it and will eventually be lead to better things-that's the idea anyway

Best of luck.

 

[BEfly]

I heard they (avantair) won't let SIC's fly. That true?

 

[AftCG182]

I heard they (avantair) won't let SIC's fly. That true?

After IOE, we fly the empty legs until we 125 hours in the airplane, then fly with a Standards Captain for a final checkout, I guess you could call it. There are some operational limitations that are also imposed until we get 100 hours in the aircraft. Pretty much the same as all operators.

So, we do plenty of flying as SIC's. Common sense limitations while becoming acclimated to the airplane. The "no fly" limitation is a thing of the past that was in response to something that happened before I came on line, so I really am not able to make an informed comment.

Please write back or PM me if you have any more questions.

 

[AftCG182]

It's kind of obvious, but in the interest of accuracy, I should also note that we fly the empty legs during IOE, too. For some reason I couldn't edit my post.

 

[Jack Mehoff]

how does the p180 deice? I didn't see any boots on the wings in those pics?

 

[Geronimo4497]

Bleed air. There are boots on the engine inlets, however.

 

[AftCG182]

Yup, bleed air for the main wings. Electrically heated forward wings. Boots for the engine intakes. After testing, Piaggio determined the tail didn't need de-icing/anti-icing. Notice the painted main wing leading edges.

 

[PilotChapin]

There is plenty of forced overtime..also plenty of pressure to fly broken planes..put down the kool-aid and wake up.Go to netjets and make twice as much..

I agree. Every newbie is the same, excited to be there blah blah blah. But until they start getting forced to fly broken sh*** is when they will realize what a mistake they made going to avant air. People only go there because they are either idiots, or they just have no clue how the place is run. Seriously, if you value your career dont go there. Blow a tire, or have the landing gear collapse b/c the airplane is a piece of crap and you're out the door my friend!

 

[Flybet3]

After IOE, we fly the empty legs until we 125 hours in the airplane, then fly with a Standards Captain for a final checkout, I guess you could call it. There are some operational limitations that are also imposed until we get 100 hours in the aircraft. Pretty much the same as all operators.

So, we do plenty of flying as SIC's. Common sense limitations while becoming acclimated to the airplane. The "no fly" limitation is a thing of the past that was in response to something that happened before I came on line, so I really am not able to make an informed comment.

Please write back or PM me if you have any more questions.

The funny this about all of this BS is that their mins are 2500TT and they still want you to fly for over 100 hours before you can actually fly the PAX legs. Total BS if you ask me. Do any of the other fracs do this BS?

 

[On Your Six]

No job is perfect - especially at a growing company where you will definitely have teething problems until processes and work policies are developed. I would venture to say that people who started at Avantair at the beginning would agree that things have changed for the better over time (with continued room for improvement).

I don't fly for them but, as I have said, I've spoken to a few of these guys and they generally seem happy. If you look at the current pay scale, it certainly ain't bad for flying an exotic sportscar turboprop around the country:

http://airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/fractional/avantair.html

Could wages/QOL improve if the Netjets TA passes? Most likely unless Avantair wants an exodus of experienced pilots. 7/7 might or might not be a desirable schedule for pilots - I like the fact that you can plan things out for the year with this type of schedule (understanding that you may get some overtime if you are stranded at a remote airport - I guess plan for the middle of the week).

My point is that Avantair (and its pay package) should continue to evolve and get better over time. Hopefully work rules and QOL will improve with operating experience. The P180 is undeniably a very popular aircraft with share owners - those things are selling like hotcakes due to their jet-like performance and low price point. Avantair should continue to grow and this should favorably impact upgrade opportunities.

Is Avantair the perfect job? Probably not. Is it better than most regional jobs? I would certainly think so.

 

[johnsonrod]

No job is perfect - especially at a growing company where you will definitely have teething problems until processes and work policies are developed. I would venture to say that people who started at Avantair at the beginning would agree that things have changed for the better over time (with continued room for improvement).

I don't fly for them but, as I have said, I've spoken to a few of these guys and they generally seem happy. If you look at the current pay scale, it certainly ain't bad for flying an exotic sportscar turboprop around the country:

http://airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/fractional/avantair.html

Could wages/QOL improve if the Netjets TA passes? Most likely unless Avantair wants an exodus of experienced pilots. 7/7 might or might not be a desirable schedule for pilots - I like the fact that you can plan things out for the year with this type of schedule (understanding that you may get some overtime if you are stranded at a remote airport - I guess plan for the middle of the week).

My point is that Avantair (and its pay package) should continue to evolve and get better over time. Hopefully work rules and QOL will improve with operating experience. The P180 is undeniably a very popular aircraft with share owners - those things are selling like hotcakes due to their jet-like performance and low price point. Avantair should continue to grow and this should favorably impact upgrade opportunities.

Is Avantair the perfect job? Probably not. Is it better than most regional jobs? I would certainly think so.

Good points. I think Avantair is probably the highest paying turboprop job in the country at the top end. Not too bad - relatively good pay, unbeatable route variety (beyond the hub airports), good schedule you can plan your life around and fast upgrades. Not a bad option when you think about it - especially relative to regional jobs.

I will be interested to see what Avantair does if/when Netjets' TA is passed. Clearly Avantair will have to boost its pay to retain its experienced pilots. Not doing so could result in an exodus I would think... It will be interesting to watch.

 

[On Your Six]

You can save money on headphones as well. I hear the Avanti is ultra quiet up front. I guess you might have to be careful what you say if the pax can hear you too...

The P180's got a great distinctive engine whine to it too - you can hear it from miles away.

 

[BoilerUP]

I will be interested to see what Avantair does if/when Netjets' TA is passed. Clearly Avantair will have to boost its pay to retain its experienced pilots.

...and CitationShares, and FlexJet, and FLOPS...

Come to think of it, didn't that happen industry-wide the last time NJA ratified a contract?

 

[CA1900]

The funny this about all of this BS is that their mins are 2500TT and they still want you to fly for over 100 hours before you can actually fly the PAX legs. Total BS if you ask me. Do any of the other fracs do this BS?

I can't speak for the other ones, but NetJets does the same thing. Per our FOM, an SIC with less than 50 hours in type/model will do all flying from the right seat, and will not be the pilot flying on passenger-carrying flights.

I don't believe it's a safety issue as much as a comfort issue for our owners and cardholders as the pilot adjusts to a new plane. Doesn't bother me a bit.

 

[BoeingBaller]

If it is such a great place to work why do they have a 18k non prorated one year contract.