Day in the Life @ your Frac

[LXJ31]

Inquiring minds want to know...

I'd like to hear what DarnNearaJet has to say on the subject. Seriously, step up and speak your mind. Whats the worst thing that could happen?


Respectfully.

 

[Semore Butts]

Pretty well covered it, except for?

All great posts! Just grazing the surface of the fractional life.
I know to the unknowing what I'm gonna say may be un- informative, I'm sorry. For those of us who are in the fractional business, it will make complete sense. If you young ones don't understand the antecdotes I'm using, go ask your mom and dad.

Describing the life of a Fractional Pilot is like listening to Abbot and Costello doing the "Who's on first base" gig.
It's like Forest Gump and his "Box of Chocolates" (You just never know what your gonna get).
It's like General Custers scout saying "there are 10,000 indians up there!" (Well lets just go and see)
It's like wearing "Basketball Cleats".
It's like trying to eat a "Soup Sandwich".
It's like trying to fly "The perfect flight".


Everything situation in life is a choice, you hold the key, freak out! Pitch a bitch, raise hell and complain about it.

Or, Grab the checklist and yell YYYYEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH BBBBAAAAABBBBBYYYYY!!!!!!, Should we shag now, or shag later?????? (Austin Powers)

"I like it here I love it here I've finally found a home!" (Army Basic)

OK enough. I was talking to a friend last night that has a friend that is in a position to give me a job at one of the up and coming airlines. (I know, I know, I hate jerks that make statements like that, but this is legit). I told him thanks alot, but I think I'll stay in the Fractional Business.

The flying is great, always plenty of new, and plenty of "here we go again".

The pilots are great, their ability to "corrolate" the various daily situations is incredible! I have learned an immense amount about the "other world" of flying since leaving the military.

Yes there is room for improvement in the "Fractional Environment" (Elements of the 3rd Armor, 101st Airborne, 8th Air Force, and many others are working on this as we speak).

It's a tough career to cultivate a romance in, but your "on the clock" on the way to work.

You don't have someone "serving you your lunch" in the cockpit, but if you are in the cockpit, the company is buying you lunch.

I hope this helps in some little way, I just can't type that fast.

May God Bless our troops, and help us overcome those "heathens" (Not quite a quote, "We were Soldiers")

May God bless the "Bus Drivers", the "Freight Dogs", and the "Frac Dogs", and may those pricks at yellow cab, have a flat!

Semore Butts

 

[Archer]

So what's the main differences between Fractional and Corporate?

If I may ask...which is better?

 

[marqmarq]

Better? It's all about security, lifestyle, aircraft quality, trips and $ for me. I have no direct experience with corporate, but rather fractional/charter. So here's my 2cents.

Security is always a big issue with corporate jobs, the old adage is "the flight department is the first to go". True? I don't know. But is there security in the majors? Fractionals? People are sweating it out across the board. Who knows anymore?

Lilfestyle with the Fracs is great when you are home. Lots of uninterupted days. Living out of a suitcase every other week can take its toll, but for many it works great. Corporate flight departments are kinda like Part 61 flight schools, they can be first rate and treat their folks great or they can be miserable. Schedules are usually more amorphous (sp) with the good and bad qualities of that.

Aircraft quality/Mx in the fracs, from my observation is great. We don't fly broken airplanes. Trips are not urgent enough to risk safety. I imagine that corporate pilots in some cases face more pressure to return to home base, but that's an opinion.

Trips in fracs are great. There are places I have gone that I didn't know existed. The corporate guys I know tend to fly to the same places more often. But we all probably see TEB too much!

$. For now, better corporations win this hands down. Hopefully, the gap between frac pilots and corporate will be bridged soon.

So, I'll play Switerland and be neutral. Pick your poison and good luck and enjoy life.

 

[BigFlyr]

So what's the main differences between Fractional and Corporate?

EDITED...

As a Frac Pilot you don't spend as much time hanging around FBO's since typically once your passengers have reached their destination, you're off to another place for a different trip flying an empty airplane or you're done and going to a hotel. Also, you may or may not start and finish your trip at your base so you spend a lot of days (work days) traveling on airlines.

Then again, you have a schedule at a fractional... No calls on days off!

 

[niteflyr]

Corp vs Frac

Just a note about the days of FBO sitting, I was under the impression corporate pilots sit around FBO's more than frac pilots. Fly in for a meeting, sit all day and then fly back home.

I know this varies by airplane in the frac company I am in. Luckily I am on one of the busiest planes so it is usually drop off and take off for the next pick up. Owners are always suprised when you tell them it will be another airplane taking them home in 3 hours because you are leaving within the hour. Some pilots prefer the FBO time some fleets get. They don't like the busy schedule some of the other planes fly. I prefer to keep moving, makes a 14 hour day and 7 day tour go much quicker.

 

[NJA Capt]

You don't spend as much time hanging around FBO's as a Frac pilot since typically once your passengers have reached their destination, you're off to another place for a different trip flying an empty airplane or you're done and going to a hotel. Also, you may or may not start and finish your trip at your base so you spend a lot of days (work days) traveling on airlines.

Then again, you have a schedule at a fractional... No calls on days off!

BigFlyr,
Your post was a little ambiguous. Were you saying frac guys sit in FBOs more than corp guys? Or did I just read it wrong?

Most corporate pilots fly 1-2 legs per day compared to frac pilots' 4-6 legs per day. Frac pilots spend much less time in FBOs as a whole, than do corp pilots. The average frac pilot is only on the ground for :45 to 1:00 hr, vs corp pilots 2 to 9 hours.

Frac pilots cover a larger portion of the country than do most corporate ops and have more varied destinations. Corporations only travel to cities they have plants or associates, or to the family's vacation home(s). Most of corporate ops are confined to a geographic location (ie...SE/NE U.S., or a 2-3 state area.), though many corporations do fly domestic and intn'l.

Fractional companies (generally) offer more types of aircraft to advance to and usually offer faster upgrades.

These points are generalizations at best. There are frac pilots that sit in FBOs for 8 hours, and there are corp pilots that fly 6 legs per day (Though probably not consistently). There are fracs with 2 aircraft types and corporations with 5+. Corp pilots on long layovers usually get a day room at a hotel for a few hours instead of waiting at the FBO. At NetJets, that is almost unheard of. If we are sent to a hotel, the company has to give us 10 hours of "uninterrupted" rest. We are also limited to 14 hours of duty, whereas, at most corporations, you are on duty until you finished.

 

[BigFlyr]

BigFlyr,
Your post was a little ambiguous. Were you saying frac guys sit in FBOs more than corp guys? Or did I just read it wrong?

I could have chosen my words more carefully... I meant that as Frac Pilots, we don't spend as much time hanging around FBOs as a Corporate Pilot would... While Corp. guys are usually waiting on their passengers, we're flying to another destination to pick up passengers. That being said... See Ya' at an FBO's coffee machine!