** Fractional, could just happen **

[ductleak]

Dear fellow pilots:

I have finally seen a little light at the end of the tunnel with NETJETS. I have had my eyes on NJA ever since the start of my aviation career. I submitted an application almost a year ago and I, like many of you, received an update form. Now, I know that several people also received this form and I am aware that NJA is not CURRENTLY hiring. I was informed that they may start scheduling interviews in the late Fall of this year.

Currently, I am with a regional airline and I am gaining tons of experience but, this has not been my goal from this start. I feel very fortunate to have a job right now and to be flying but, NETJETS is where I would love to hang my hat, as we say down south. I have some corporate experience and hold a citation 7 type rating... I was wanting some pointers from you guys and girls at NJA on what to do to prepair for an interview and what to expect next from NETJETS. I would like to hear from some of you that have left the regional airlines and how you view the choices that you made now that you have been at NETJETS for a while. I really, in my heart, think that NETJETS is probably the best place for me and my family. Any pointers and suggestive ideas / thoughts will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[JBL]

"I would like to hear from some of you that have left the regional airlines and how you view the choices that you made now that you have been at NETJETS for a while. I really, in my heart, think that NETJETS is probably the best place for me and my family."

Hi ductleak. Yours is the latest post I've seen regarding guys hoping to leave the airlines for NJ, so I'll give you my opinion on the potential move(to avoid the flame that will surely come my way from the current NJ guys & gals, again I say...only an opinion).

I flew for a regional for 5 years and a major for 2 and a half before getting furloughed. I then went to NetJets. It took my just over 16 months to get fed up with the place enough to quit. There are major lifestyle changes between the airlines and a fractional. I see that you have some corporate background so you know what I'm talking about. I'll try to give you some pros and cons. Take it for what it's worth.

Airlines publish schedules that pilots bid on. Seniority rules as far as schedules go. You don't like early shows, bid the late stuff...etc. At NJ, seniority means very little unless used for pay and vacation. Once you start a tour all bets are off as far as what time to show, where you're going, what time you'll be done, and if you will get a decent night's sleep. That was my biggest beef with NJ. Some tours you sit around in a hotel with a broken airplane and some tours you're pager is going off the minute your 10 hours of rest end with an asap. You can't get your body into a routine with eating, sleeping, or anything else for that matter. And even when you get a brief that is a sure thing, it will change 3 times by morning.

I did both the 17 day and the 7 on/ 7 off schedule. I liked neither really. The 17 day has a bad habit of turning into 6 on/ 3 off/ 6 on/ 4 off/ etc...even some 6 on/ 2 off (although the contract is supposed to keep that to a minimum). The 7&7 just was too long to be away from the wife and kids, but the 7 off was nice and that schedule also turns 1 week of vacation into 3. I have 2 young boys so being gone for 7 days was hard on me, but even harder on my wife. That is a real concern all NJ guys have to address at some point.

The pay sucks, but I do believe the NJ pilots will get a substantial raise (God knows they've earned it!!) when the contract gets wrapped up.

The flying is challenging at times. You'll see the whole country, Canada, Mexico, and the Carribean. Neat to do, but often times the exotic places are a royal pain in the ass to deal with. Customs paperwork has turned into a nightmare for me more than once. Each station wants something different. (US Customs is the most inconsistent Federal agency I've ever dealt with. Just like a box of chocolates...you NEVER know what you're gonna get when they greet you with a "smile"). You will visit airports that really have no right being called an airport, and the best thing they have to get you in there is an NDB built in 1957. Like I said, challenging at times.

Bottom line, if you don't mind not having a reliable schedule on the road, you can handle being home as few as 3 days out of 15, and you don't mind visiting podunk USA, maybe NJ is the place for you. To balance the discussion I will say that the hotels you'll stay in and the crew food you'll eat put the airlines to shame. The bad thing about it is that you really can't fully understand the lifestyle until you're living it...i.e. you may end up like me thinking it will be ok only to find out that you absolutely hate it. The difference between you and me is that I took the job after my airline gig was taken away, you would be quitting the airline life intentionally. This would make it an tough pill to swallow if you get there and don't like it. Your call. Good luck either way.

 

[ukipilot]

Well one thing that he forgot to add is that yes you do get to see lots of places, I also worked for the airlines, I love the fractional side better, being gone for 7 days is not that bad, I look at it as a break from doing house work, and my wife enjoys having the house to her self for a week, I enjoy being on the road, and that is what really makes the difference, if you need to be home all of the time then this job is not for you, since you have no home base per say. if your spouse can't be away from you for a week, then they have problems that can't be fixed on this site, one big advantage at the fractional is that at my company, my local airport is my domicile, I live 5 min. from my airport and that is were I commute to/from work. The reason that life here is better, is that you commute on their time not yours as you already know, I get airlined on day 1, go to a hotel, fly to day 7 and airline home on day 8, then I have 7 days off after that, and the best part is that I don't have to beg for a jumpseat on my off time to get to work on time and I don't need a crashpad since my home town airport is my domicile, 2 things that I don't miss

 

[RJL]

Great info JBL - Thanks.

 

[Semore Butts]

I'll listen to your opinion anytime

Here comes the flames JBL!!!!!!!!!!

Well done, great discription of life at the fracs.

I personally prefer the frac side based on the amount of time I spend in airport terminals. Airlining to and from work is the worst part if the job for me.

Other than taking part in the "watching of the chicks", I would hate to spend every working day at the airport.

That's my 2 cents, have what ever the hell kind of day you want!

 

[Diesel]

You know jbl i was going to jump all over you for your post. Then I read it throughly and saw just what it was. A very honest assesment of our life here.

I have a unique perspective because the wife is an airline captain, and I'm on the fractional side.

There are a ton of pros and cons. There are tooooooo many to list. It really depends on the type of person you are. If you are willing to leave a 121 right now you my friend are making quite a ballsy move. Not because one is better than the other. It's because there is such a huge difference between the two.

I can't even begin to explain the differences. What I can tell you is you will never work as hard as you will in flying if you come to the fractional side. Sure we have all this support, catering, dispatch, wx, yada yada yada but it all boils down to you. You are the last line of defense and the one people turn to praise/kill you.

This is a tough job. Some days you want to go nuts some days you just have a huge smie on your face.

 

[CRJ700 FO]

Ductleak,

The best info I found on preparing for the interview was found at

aviationinterviews.com

I was one last guys hired before the hiring stopped. I too jumped over from a regional and while there are many differences, I know I made the right choice.

IF you have any specific questions, PM me and I'll send you my email address.

Good Luck

 

[Heavy Set]

How was the transition from the CRJ-700 to the G200? Did you find the G200 much easier to fly? How far does the G200 fly for Netjets - do you hit Hawaii and/or Europe?

 

[CRJ700 FO]

I found the transition to be relatively painless. Especially when you factor in the the difference in attitudes between FSI guys and instructors from a regional. That's the biggest difference. Flight Safety will do anything too help where at the regionals you were on your own for the most part. The instructors didn't care one way or the other.
The G-200 seems to have a lot of common systems, ie many similiar to the planes I have previously flown. The cockpit of both have a lot of the same components but the layout is a little different.
The CRJ was nice but I actually enjoy flying the G-200 more. Maybe its just the type of flying now ( 121 vs. fractional )

 

[rocker]

JBL is right on. I was happy as I could be to return to flying after being furloughed from the show. Let me tell you, Netjets is not a good flying job. The pay sucks, the lack of having any real layovers sucks, and generally speaking the flying sucks.

I used to look forward to layovers in the airlines, and I saw a lot of interesting places and had some great times. At Netjets all you will see is your hotel room, often the closest one to the airport. They will be Hilton family hotels, generally, but either way you are in field layover hotel hell. There are the rare layovers in nice places, close to the beach, etc., but Netjets has an "A" team of company boot-lickers, that, unless you are part of it, you will never see those destinations.

I am actively looking for a 121 job. Do not give up your 121 work rules to come back down to a company that thinks nothing of calling your hotel room at 3 am after you were given a brief for a 2 pm show. Then putting you on duty for 14 hours. Another favorite trick is you get to some destination after being on duty for 9 hours or so, and then they ask you to standby for another 3. You are tired, and want to get the hell away from the airport and go to the hotel, because you suspect another 3 am call may be coming, and Netjets says standby. Or even better, call back in 20 minutes, and after that call, too busy, call me back in another 20 minutes.


I could go on, but this job is worse than flying for a regional, and I've been there, done that, and couldn't afford the T-shirt. I would think that unless you are flying for someone like Mesa, or Trans-States, your regional job will in the long run be much better. Maybe the majors will start hiring again someday, maybe they will flow-through the contractor code-share pilots. Who knows. But one thing is for sure, at Netjets, you will be abused, have a crappy quality of work life, and be flying little jets to little airports the rest of your career.