Flight Options questions

[joedirt]

Can any recent hires at Options give me some real info on pay and upgrades. What does the B200 pay as FO and how long to upgrade to captain? Is there any benefit to staying as B200 captain and passing on upgrades to the little jets? Fractstats doesn't mention the King Air in its pay schedules.

 

[Focker]

I can't answer that but there are guys out here who can, so I'll move it back to the top for you. You're right fractats won't be much help on those questions.

 

[GUNRUNNER22]

I have been told by a buddy of mine over there that the King Air pay is the same as the Beech Jet.
I think the real question is what do you have to do to get a call from Mr. G? I have been calling him about twice a month for the past 4-6 months and updating my resume about twice a month.
Any advice would be helpful...

Thanks

 

[FracPilot]

Pay grade is the same for the King Air, all 500 series Citations, and Beechjet. Pilots are not allowed to move to the same position in another aircraft at the same pay grade, with the exception of pilots moving from the King Air to a jet. If you bid and are awarded PIC in the CJ, you are stuck in the CJ until you can hold a larger aircraft with a higher pay grade as PIC, or bid SIC - at the corresponding pay rate - in a larger aircraft.

I am not sure what upgrades are running in the light aircraft. I think it is around 12-16 months in the jets, but I am not positive on that one. I'll let somebody else closer to the heart of that issue answer it to give you a better idea. I have no idea what upgrades are running in the King Air.

Upgrade times will likely change after the seniority list merger is finalized.

 

[Dep676]

Far as I know we are still hiring. Had 2 classes this month. You really need someone to walk your stuff in. They are getting about 800 to 1000 resumes a month right now. Yeah they changed the website and I don't think there is a link to apply online anymore.

 

[hawkercpt]

the keys is...

You almost have to be a buddy of someone to get in. They are hiring 20 to 30 per month, at least that's what I heard. Without someone walking a resume in for you, your chances of getting are non existant. They are receiving 100+ per week. The walk ins at least get into the will be looked at maybe pile.

Good luck, but think before you leap. Your looking at very possibly 2 years in the right seat of a King Air, Beechjet, or Citation before you will be upgrading to a FO in something bigger. Even longer to be a PIC. Upgrading has become non existant since the merger.

 

[olderpilot]

Flight Options

Does anyone know what the beginning salary is for Flight Options? Can you commute?

 

[waka]

I'm not exactly sure what the starting King Air/Light Jet FO pay is...I think it is around 34k plus per diem ($40 and change per day paid at 16 days a month regardless of whether you're sitting at home or not)

If you declare that your domicile is Cleveland, you get $400 extra per month although, you are responsible for making yourself available for duty at CGF by 3am on day 1 of your 8 day tour (there is also a 9 on and 6 off option that pays a little more). The company will pick up the hotel the night before your tour begins. On day 8 they only have to bring you back to Cleveland and you find your own way home. However, sometimes they (if cost effective for them) will airline you out of your town to your aircraft and sometimes they will buy you a ticket home. It's dicey.

You can declare any other domicile as long as it is within an hour of an airport served by at least 3 airlines and has at least 6 flights per day, one of which comes in after 11pm. With this option the company buys you airline tickets to and from your domicile but, you don't get the $400. Personally, since I am 6 hours driving time from Cleveland I like the peace of mind and not having to worry about travel to and from my assignment.

I've been here 1.5 years and I think it's a good place to work.

In case I wasn't clear, (sorry, I'm in a hurry) the normal schedule is 8 on and 7 off with an optional 9 and 6)

Good luck.

 

[Lrjet55]

I have a non-money related question for you guys. I was down at FLL yesterday and I saw two FLOPS guys going to work wearing polo shirts with the Options logo on it. Did you guys get a different uniform or do you have a management company with different unis?

 

[FracPilot]

Polo shirts

That is our casual dress. For all live legs, the crew must be in uniform. For anything else, casual dress is allowed. Deadheads, test flights, etc.

 

[learflyer]

Yeah, the guys in the polo shirts probably just airlined in to FLL and were doing a dead head somewhere for the next day's live leg.

 

[Lrjet55]

Thats cool. So i guess that if you are dead heading somewhere the company wont change your schedule at the last minute? Either way thats still pretty cool.

 

[waka]

That isn't completely true. It's fairly rare but, during dead legs (in polos) we have been diverted while enroute by dispatch via a message from ATC a couple of times. Fortunately, irons were available at the FBO's both times.

 

[FracPilot]

On day 8 they only have to bring you back to Cleveland and you find your own way home. However, sometimes they (if cost effective for them) will airline you out of your town to your aircraft and sometimes they will buy you a ticket home. It's dicey.

Not true. If your tour begins or ends in Cleveland, you're on your own as far as getting there/home. If your tour begins or ends anywhere else, they airline you. I live over 1000 miles from CGF, claim CGF as a domicile, and have been airlined to/from places such as CMH, TOL, and even CAK. Once in the past 18 months I have had to get myself home from CGF. I have pass privileges, so it is not a big deal for me to get myself to/from CGF. I do not recommend anybody WITHOUT such privileges claim CGF as a base unless they live within an easy driving distance.

 

[SheGaveMeClap]

You find out between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM Eastern time the night before your tour starts where it will begin. Depending on where you live, you may or may not have time to get to CGF for a flight the following morning. If they have you wheels up at 5:00 AM the next morning out of CGF, best of luck to you getting there on time.

If you are close enough and can tolerate driving to CGF every week, they'll get you a hotel the night before your tour starts. You can risk living somewhere not within driving distance, being CGF domiciled and trying to catch a flight down to CLE at the last minute (probably a VERY expensive flight), but if you don't make it there can be trouble. Seems like those who are domiciled in CLE have been starting their tours there recently. We have people all over the eastern half of the country who claim CLE as their domicile for the extra pay, but without pass priviledges and jumpseat agreements, they've got nay-nays bigger than I. I've got piece of mind knowing I will be flying into and out of my domicile every week. Besides, if I do get lucky enough to sit standby at home, I know it will be in my own home, not in CGF.

There's scheduled shuttle service between CLE Hopkins and CGF during the day. Before or after hours, they'll arrange a taxi or a sedan to transport you between airports.

 

[SheGaveMeClap]

The 9/6 schedule wasn't an OT day. There was a fancy little formula they used to figure it out, but I don't recall what it was. I think it was about 1.25 times your normal daily rate, or thereabout.

At any rate, I've heard they've done away with the 9/6 schedule now anyway. Two friends of mine were on it and they've since been switched to 8/7.

 

[Joe Jet Pilot]

Extra Days

Working extra is few and far between. If you want to work extra and all of the planets are in line you might get it. As far as the pay, it all depends on your base salary. A 3rd year PIC will make more then a 1st year PIC. I'm not sure how the formula works out, (I will try to pull out the employee manual and let you know).

I'm at 3rd year PIC pay and my last OT day after taxes was around $450.00 not including per deim.

Hope it helps.

 

[SheGaveMeClap]

I just happen to have the employee manual disk in my computer. Haven't looked at it since I got it in February, but I guess it's time to brush off some of the dust.

An overtime day is derived by taking your monthly rate divided by 16.60, and multiplying that number times 1.5. The more years with the company, the number will increase. In my opinion, for first officers it's not worth losing the day off. For captains it's worth their while. As Joe Jet mentioned, overtime days are few and far between anymore. Hope this helps.....

 

[Joe Jet Pilot]

Thanks Clap

I didn't feel like getting into the book on my days off!

 

[ukipilot]

You also get the same overtime if on your last day going home, that being day 8, you end up getting home after 3A.M. Local time or you end up doing a 16 hour duty day, do to where I live, I have been getting about 1 per month, when I was at Travel Air, I used to always get home before 6 P.M. but at Flight Options, They airline me on the first flight out on day 1 and airline me home on the last possible flight, and I usually end up getting the overtime due to doing a 16 hour day, last rotation I had to airline out of domicile and rent a car and drive home, they missed getting me into my domicile airport. it is not a big deal it happens

Also the company is looking at going to an 8/8 schedule, that would be much better than a 7/7, at least you would not end up having the same days off all of the time with an 8/8 as you would with a 7/7