Getting a Foot in the Door

[FO4HIRE]

Couple of quick questions, sorry if any are repeats, and if you have nothing nice to say dont say it at all. I appreciate any info!!

Im 25yrs old and a current 121 CRJ capt with about 3000+
I am so fed up with TSA, schedulers and pay departments that i have been thinking corporate latley. just haveing trouble deciding wether to do the netjet thing or to wait for a nice 91 type of operation ie Nike,GM,Limited... like i said im currently employed im not going to do anything to jurasstic to soon.

Anyone done both? I realize everyplace is going to have its ups and downs. I have no prob thowing bags ect..

I really have no connections on the inside. so besides flooding everyone with resumes. would it be worth walking in to a local outfit and just shooting the S*#t with the guys. hell at this point i would work on the ground for a couple weeks/months just to get in???

anyinfo would be great thanks again!!

 

[G100driver]

FO no disrespect, but if you wait around for a nice corporate gig you will be waiting for a long time. You need to start making contacts in the corporate world. That is how almost everyone gets hired. The adds that you see for these corporate flight departments are put out by HR to ensure that they do not get sued. Also, most of the jets that you see out there are not owned by these big corporations but companies you have never heard of or owned by wealthy people that work really hard not being noticed.

If you want to fly corporate most likely you will need to do the dreaded 135 thing or go to NetJet's while you are out making you contacts. Who knows, you might really like it. My friends that work at NetJets seem to be VERY happy now that the contract is done.

Good luck to you.

 

[Problow]

My best advice is to go for a charter job like the Netjets, fltops, citationshares and get the one on one experience that charter and corporate pilots face. At the airline it is all done for ya and when you come to this side you do it all yourself. The scheduling of pilots and other crew memebers if needed, maintenance on the airplane has to be maintained by the pilots or some departments hire a mechanic that tracks this for ya, but either way you have to have experience to work this around the owners schedule. There are so many more things that the airline pilots don't have to do that you would need some experience to land that once in a life time type job. Charter would be the best way to accomplish this experience and it would take the airline RED ALERT off ya when talking with potential Part 91 employers.

Now if you did know someone at a Part 91 department then you can throw all I said out the door. But since you say you don't work on the charter job because not to many part 91 departments will talk with you because of your background.

 

[AA717driver]

I know my company has a real problem with "low time" people. The suits consider less than 7000 hours in a "little airplane" (smaller than a Gulfstream) low time. Yeah, I know it's B.S. but that's the game.

BTW, I got hired because I knew someone.TC

 

[FO4HIRE]

greatly appretiate it!

so should i opt to work as a lineman part time to get my foot in?

not really saying i will wait forever for the perfect deal but im not just going to take any corporate job to go corporate.

im flexible no family, so really im just looking which way to startd heading and making connections. east coast, west coast? should i be "that guy" and go hang out at the NBAA in orlando?

crap flt is leaving,
thanks again

 

[G100driver]

Go live where the action is. NY, LA, Dallas, Chicago. Start knocking on doors. Ask for lunches or overpriced coffee with regular line pilots. They can introduce you. You will start to meet people.

 

[AA717driver]

not really saying i will wait forever for the perfect deal but im not just going to take any corporate job to go corporate.

Better keep that to yourself. In corporate when they say they want "team players" they mean it. You must be willing to do what they ask to be one of the team. There ain't no grievance committee.

In fact, you probably WILL have to take a job that is "below" where you want to be just to get your foot in the door. Remember, there are a whole lot of people with a whole lot better airline credentials than you have trying to do exactly what you are trying to do--and airline credentials don't mean squat to most corporate operators. Come to think of it, coming from the airlines you almost have the effect of a conversion factor applied. Say you have 10,000 hours. You might be up against a guy with a pure corporate/charter background with half that, yet he'll be equally or slightly better qualified in the eyes of the chief pilot than the airline puke with 10k.

Again, your best bet is to make the transition via 135 or a frac. (I would say 135 just because it shows you aren't afraid to take a "demanding" [read crappy] job to get where you want to go.)

Good luck.TC

 

[Swaayze]

Yep, darn near impossible without connections. I have been really trying to get interviews with corporate/charter operations in the DFW area for almost a year now. I have only a little 135 charter time (air ambulance actually, so not really that applicable to the customer service req's of most operators). My resume screams "airline pilot" and they're just not interested. In the past they've been burned too many times by guys going back to airlines I guess. I have sent resumes to practically every job posting I could find on the internet and/or from any other sources, and I cannot get a call for even the most entry level position (I would gladly fly entry level airplanes for decent money and a good QOL, they're more fun anyway!). To date I haven't gone knocking on doors, mainly because it's just never been my style, but I suspect that may be the only real way to get a foot in the door.

Good luck!

 

[General Lee]

If you are qualified in terms of hours, try Netjets or Flexjet first. Perhaps you will like the fractional lifestyle - plus, you'll fly high-quality aircraft that are flown by many of the top part 91 operators out there. You will get some good type ratings that could be useful when you approach the "better" corporate gigs.

I would suggest you try the fractional world first. I know a few guys who now work at NJA (furloughed Delta) and they have no intention on returning...

Bye Bye -- General Lee

 

[SNAFU22]

Network, Network, Network. I did part 135 for a year and worked in a aircraft paint shop whilst at the 135 outfit. Paint shop was at the same airport. I would introduce myself as part time charter pilot, full time belly sander. I got to know a lot of 91 operators. One of them just happend to be looking for a sic, I happend to be in the right place at the right time. for a low time guy I consider myself pretty lucky. I love my job!