Flying that keeps you home the most?

[Gulfstream 200]

my take...(for whatever its worth..)

having done both the day trips and longer hauls for corp/charter outfits, I can tell you that you have more quality of life doing the longer trips - FOR A GOOD COMPANY. (thats the key)

Day trips of 12 hours of duty - plus driving - leaves you nothing but exhausted when you get home, only to be stressed b/c you have to do it again the next day, and the next...etc..

Now, do a 6-7 day Intl trip, come home - be left alone for a week or so...MUCH BETTER. My kids and wife also agree. It simply adds up to more quality time. Now, there are some outfits that will run you 28 days a month if they could - thats not what Im talking about. BUT, the longer Intl trips are always more scheduled, less likely to "pop up", and are easier to plan your life around. Not to mention that Intl trips are done in nicer equipment (usually) and Intl accomodations beat any Marriott Courtyard dump you may shack up in for 9 hrs in the states!

Flying day runs for execs might sound good now, but its a long, tiring day sitting and some Arkansas FBO or something like that....only to land back home at 4-5 pm (boss wants to see his family) BUT you have to put the thing away and do the paperwork, sit in traffic, then get home as the kids are going to bed, and then get up 0430 to do it again the next day....it $ucks.

Personally, I get very bored flying around the US. No flying job pays a tremendous amount of money- so I figure might as well get some satisfaction out of it..go challenging places, see the sights, check out the babes, etc....then get home...

So, I guess I am saying that dont shun the longer leg flying, the quality of life issue may not be what you think it is....

Good Luck.

 

[fatburger]

Intel, AOL and LimitedBrands have corporate shuttles that I know of.

I think there are a few more.

 

[SkyWestCRJPilot]

When I started off I wanted to fly corporate because of schedules I've read on this thread about being home a lot. I started off flight instructing and once I hit 1200 hours instead of applying for a regional like others with my time I started flying freight. I knew I had to network to get connected with people in the corporate business world. In the mean time I flew the freight and tried to make connections. After 16 months of flying freight my first flight instructor told me to apply to his regional. I kept telling him no, I wanted to go corporate for better schedules. I had since learned that there were some corporate jobs where you were home a lot and others where you were gone all of the time. And getting a corporate job seemed a lot like who you knew and not so much based on merit (flight experirence). When my former flight instructor told me his schedule of flying two day trips back to back and being gone only two nights a week I was shocked. That was great compared to my freight schedule where I was working 5 days a week, on duty for 15 hours each day. I was home at night but I was only sleeping and not getting much of that. Sure I had weekends and bank holidays off but I was gone all of the time. I also realized the regionals, unlike the corporate world, hired much more on merit, not so much on networking. I had more than enough hours and I applied and soon they were all calling me for interviews (this was in 2000).

I've since learned that airline flying is the best lifestyle for me. I love to fly but I hate hotels. Fortunately with some seniority you can bid schedules that allow you to be home a lot. That may mean sitting reserve instead of bidding a high paying 4-day trip line where you're gone all of the time. It may mean moving your family to a junior domicile to be home and not commuting. It may mean delaying upgrade or transitioning to the fancier airplane. At an airline you have that option to bid what you want. That freedom to pick your schedule is great. Last month I flew local trips where I was home every night. This month I'm doing standups where I'm gone 3 or 4 nights a week but home every day during the day. It's great and works for me. I've been here 3.5 years and I will be making over $50K this year.

I don't know your situation with the military but I imagine that type of flying may keep you away from home the most, more than any flying job, especially now. I know a few guys that are gone 6 months, a year, and more over in Iraq and Afghanistan. All have families and that's tough. I think they are doing a great service for our country but that's gotta be hard on families.

Also, you'll probably hear about AIDS. Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome. Being gone from home a lot is a big cause of it.

Whatever you decide on doing, good luck.