Flex and CS Questions

[johnsonrod]

As I mentioned in a previous thread, I am currently an unhappy ERJ Captain and I am looking at alternatives to 121 flying. Fractional flying appears to be very popular among many of my colleagues who have departed for NJA, Flexjet and CS in the last year or so (especially since NJA's new contract).

I have received a number of great PMs from current Netjets pilots and their comments have been very helpful. For Flexjet and CS, I am already familiar with the domicile arrangement (CS has far more choices than both Flex and NJA). However, I still have some questions for Flexjet and CS pilots out there:

Flexjet:

1. Which fleet is best to start on in terms of QOL: L40/45, L60 or CL300? Doubt the 604 would be available. I know the CL300 is bigger and more comfortable up front, but it also flies much longer legs more frequently according to some Flex pilots I have talked to - many transcons weekly. Which fleet would you select and why? Which would you avoid?

2. Does your domicile (ONT, DAL, PBI or TEB/EWR) impact where you are likely to fly most often? For example, if you are ONT based, would you be more apt to fly West Coast trips even though you can fly anywhere throughout the US?

3. How will recent orders for L60XR and Challenger 605s impact near-term hiring at Flex? When will these new aircraft start to arrive?

4. How many more CL300s and L40XRs are expected to arrive this year?

Citationshares Questions (similar):

1. If offered the CJ1, Bravo, Excel or CJ3, which would you select and why? Which fleet flies the most and least in your opinion? Can a newhire request a specific aircraft or is assignment purely based on need at the time?

2. Similar to Flex question, if you are a pilot based on the West Coast (let's say on the CJ1), would you be flying mostly West Coast trips with the possibility of flying throughout the country? Would a West Coast CJ1 pilot be flown to Miami to pick up trips or would Florida-based CJ1 pilots who are available pick up those trips?

I am sure some of these questions have already been answered elsewhere. I will probably be sending my resume out to Flex, CS and NJA in the near future and this type of information is helpful. I know each has positives and negatives - I am happy to see progress on the salary/benefits/QOL front.

People can PM me too if you want. Thanks for your help.

 

[DO-82 driver]

NetJets is blowing their chance to long term own the market because of their policy of offering 5 domiciles.......Why would they ever restrict themselves to 5 domiciles????? Stupid....Stupid....Stupid.....

Whether is it becasue of a true business conviction or because of a peson's HUGH EGO, we are going to be losing hunndreds of highly desirable new hires because to NJA's stupid insistance that they fly out of 5 highly expensive airports.

I don't know where you decide to go, but NetJets is really losing out. It happen 6 years ago and its going to happen again.

NetJets may be the current leader in the Fractional industry...... Our managment surely isn't.

 

[johnsonrod]

NetJets is blowing their chance to long term own the market because of their policy of offering 5 domiciles.......Why would they ever restrict themselves to 5 domiciles????? Stupid....Stupid....Stupid.....

Whether is it becasue of a true business conviction or because of a peson's HUGH EGO, we are going to be losing hunndreds of highly desirable new hires because to NJA's stupid insistance that they fly out of 5 highly expensive airports.

I don't know where you decide to go, but NetJets is really losing out. It happen 6 years ago and its going to happen again.

NetJets may be the current leader in the Fractional industry...... Our managment surely isn't.

I know there is no way that I could afford to live in the LA area for NJA. I'd be living in Compton as a newhire FO I am sure - either that or spending hours and hours in traffic to somewhere I could actually afford. LA is not doable from a cost perspective unless you have friends or family in the area (live like Kato Kailen).

I know Flex offers Ontario as a base - it might be a bit cheaper further East from the LA Basin I would suppose...

 

[Heavy Set]

I would suppose preference of fleet type partly depends on whether you have a "3 hour a$$" or not. Having flown jumbos around the world in my past life, my a$$ is flat and now I can't sit for more than 2-3 hours straight before I am hurting... Sometimes flying the Lear 40s or CJ3s on shorter hops would beat long-haul flying any day even with the tighter fit up front...

 

[XTW]

Citationshares Questions (similar):

1. If offered the CJ1, Bravo, Excel or CJ3, which would you select and why? Which fleet flies the most and least in your opinion? Can a newhire request a specific aircraft or is assignment purely based on need at the time?

2. Similar to Flex question, if you are a pilot based on the West Coast (let's say on the CJ1), would you be flying mostly West Coast trips with the possibility of flying throughout the country? Would a West Coast CJ1 pilot be flown to Miami to pick up trips or would Florida-based CJ1 pilots who are available pick up those trips?
quote]



1. When offered a job, you pick the base and the company assigns the aircraft based on needs at the time. Bravos and Excels seem to fly the most. CJ1's probably the least. All just observation.


2. Hard to say. I live on a coast and have airlined across the country to an aircraft, and I've picked them up at base. Luck of the draw and position of the fleet on crew change day.


X

 

[rk772]

When working for companies such as NJA or Citation Shares, are you allowed to bid a new domicile or are you stuck with your initial decision.

 

[On Your Six]

For Flexjet, I have heard the CL300 fleet is great due to new aircraft - very comfy up front. On the negative side, a CL300 driver there told me he was exhausted all of the time from multiple transcon trips every week. Sounds like they are worked hard like the Citation X fleet over at NJA (but with more room up front in the CL300).

That CL300 is a very capable aircraft - and the aircraft is probably used to take advantage of this capability (great range and operating performance).

 

[ArtVandalay]

1. Which fleet is best to start on in terms of QOL: L40/45, L60 or CL300? Doubt the 604 would be available. I know the CL300 is bigger and more comfortable up front, but it also flies much longer legs more frequently according to some Flex pilots I have talked to - many transcons weekly. Which fleet would you select and why? Which would you avoid?

There is no such thing as a better QOL at flexjet by aircraft. We all do and get the same type of schedules. You might as well ask for any lear if you get hired here because you'll be in it at upgrade in less than 2 years anyway.

2. Does your domicile (ONT, DAL, PBI or TEB/EWR) impact where you are likely to fly most often? For example, if you are ONT based, would you be more apt to fly West Coast trips even though you can fly anywhere throughout the US?

The domicile makes no difference where you fly. You are going to airline out 80% of the time anyway.

3. How will recent orders for L60XR and Challenger 605s impact near-term hiring at Flex? When will these new aircraft start to arrive?

To my knowledge we are hiring at least another 75 by this May and will probably continue throughout the year just to cover attrition and the new schedule. Those aircraft orders help on top of that.

4. How many more CL300s and L40XRs are expected to arrive this year?

I think we get one CL300 every other month??? Our biggest fleet is the lear 45 at 26 airplanes. The CL300 is supposed to surpass that in the next year. We have 18 now.

 

[Guitar Guy]

When working for companies such as NJA or Citation Shares, are you allowed to bid a new domicile or are you stuck with your initial decision.

At NJA, there doesn't appear to be any allowance for a new-hire to change domiciles until he/she qualifies for HBA (Home Base Airport). At that point, one can change his/her HBA every three months simply by notifying the company of the change - there's no bidding. However, it's going to be a very long time before a new-hire can get HBA under the current contract.

 

[b6hopeful]

How long exactly (or as exact as you can guess)? From what I understand the top 70% by seniority is eligible for HBA. Hiring 400ish a year it can't be that long can it? It seems to me that if deliveries/attrition stay on track then it's only a matter of 2-3 years. That's a drop in the bucket over a 30+ year career. If I've got things wrong here please fill me in....