Is being a pilot at a regional like being Tom Cruise in Top Gun?

[FL000]

A friend of mine just got a job flying a citation excel. He has about 1800 hours. Started him at 45K

not a bad gig if you want to spent your life hooked to a pager and retire making 60k.

 

[EagleRJ]

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~rn6d-hnd/people/kelly_mcgillis.jpg

Hot, (although a long time ago)

Still not bad at almost 50. Kelly_McGillis

She owns a bar in Key West now!

 

[erj-145mech]

It's just like top gun. Just the other day, I turned to my F.O. (Maverick) and said "You still have the number for that truck driving school we saw on TV?" He turned back and said "I don't like you cause your dangerous." That's right... I am dangerous.

Try this, Iceman, the later years:

http://www.usna.edu/FlyNavy/Squadron%20Photos%20Archive.htm

its on the left at the bottom of the page.

 

[FN FAL]

Can't sit back and relax, can't get a bite to eat, can't watch a movie, can't do anything but sit there and be ready to go at a moments notice. Flying corporate once, I missed lunch and dinner because for six hours the passengers were "just a few minutes away".

When I flew 135 pax, I had this regular customer, a lawyer chick. She was notorious for telling you a time and then coming back hours after that. One trip she says, "Don't bother getting lunch, I'll be back by one!"

Her cab wasn't out of the parking lot and I was already grabbing the crew car and heading to lunch on the company credit card. About two weeks later, the owner of the FBO was pissing and moaning about the $25.00 bowl of chili and hamburger he had to bill the client.

Sometimes you just gotta say screw em.

 

[SkyBoy1981]

I used to fly corporate before moving onto a small regional. Had a chance to do a 121 charter the other day and it brought back memories of the worst part of corporate flying - waiting around the FBO for the perpetually late passengers.

Can't sit back and relax, can't get a bite to eat, can't watch a movie, can't do anything but sit there and be ready to go at a moments notice. Flying corporate once, I missed lunch and dinner because for six hours the passengers were "just a few minutes away". Didn't want to run out to grab something, didn't want to order something, and the company didn't want to order crew meals all becuase the passengers would be there in a "few minutes" and wanted us ready to go. Two hours of waiting the other day killed any desire to return to that side of aviation because in my experience waiting was the norm, not the exception. In 121, if the passengers are not there on time, tough, they get left behind.

One other benefit to airlines - even the most crappy regionals - not having to clean up someone elses sh!t. Doing lavs was such a nasty job.

Reading this post sure brought back memories for me. Thanks for the reminder...makes me even more content with being a "regional puke".

 

[CapnVegetto]

1. It makes a difference (which you can admittedly make up for if you're making more money) if you can invest in your 401k in such a way as it reduces your taxable income. Don't know that you can do that on your own.

2. My per diem is better than when I worked at a 135 company.

3. If you're junior anywhere, even at a small 135 company, it's likely you'll be screwed by scheduling. This industry is as much a lifestlye as it is a job, like it or not.

4. See #3.

5. At least I have some kind of protection. How's it work at a charter/135/part 91/etc place when the boss takes a dislike to you due to a personality conflict or just playing favorites? What's your protection there? Company wants me to do something outside the contract, well I have an alternative or at least some recourse.

6. Seniority list: Your quality of life improves as you're at the company longer. You get the chance to upgrade when you're number's up, not when your chief pilot decides based on politics/buddy system/nepotism/etc. Slow upgrade can be anywhere, not just at a regional, just depends on your company's health, attrition and expansion.

7. Pass benefits are great. My family and I can travel very cheaply as long as we're saavy about flying standby. I can jumpseat for free. How many $59 tickets are there? A lot less than you think, and for not a lot of routes, and bought well in advance etc.

Not everything's great, not everything's better, but in my case the positives greatly outweigh the negatives.

1. Roth IRA's No taxes when I pull it out. Those airline pensions are lookin' real good right now. No way management would renig on those.

2. No per diem. I have a credit card. When I want a $30 dollar steak dinner, I swipe it. When I want a McNugget meal, I swipe it. I've run up a $100 bar tab and not a word said to me.

3. I'm the most junior captain at a small 135 company. I NEVER get screwed. All trips are given on a rotational basis, as are ASAP callouts.

4. See #3

5. Labor law. You can't fire someone for looking at you wrong.....that's called wrongful termination. We don't have a contract. Most other industries in this country don't have contracts. We work with managment and they help us out when they can. If they ask me to do something outside the regs I say no. I don't grieve, or BS, I just say no. They fire me, I call the feds, and the slimiest shyster lawyer I can find. I have a problem, I go to the boss's office and we sit down and work it out. I don't file a grievence and wait for years to have it resolved.

6. Seniority list & union. Designed specifically to protect the dumbest most inept motherf-ckers there. You get hired, don't wreck or kill anybody for about 2 to 4 years, you upgrade. You could be the dumbest, stupidest, $hittiest pilot at the company, but your ability has no bearing on it......your number is up, so you upgrade. Meanwhile, every other business in the universe promotes based on ability. ALPA guys love to spout off about the 'chief pilots' buddies' and crap like that, but I don't see a problem anywhere else. Works fine at CitationShares. Works fine where my father has worked for 30 years.

7. I had pass benefits too. But where the hell am I going to go for my 2 days off after flying 25 hours on 4 14 hour days in a row? All I want to do is sit on my a$$ for my days off. I'm tired. The whole time I had benefits, I never used them for anything other than going to work. Never had the time or money. Not worth it. Of course, it was Mesa, but even the best lines were $hitty. All of them ended at 10pm and began at 5 am. My 3 days off were more like 1 and 3/4.

Just my $.02.

 

[islandhopper]

Tommy Lee wanted to barrel roll my friends learjet. Some 135 charter out of Van Nuys. A lot of sh!t goes on at 135 operatrors. But hell i'd do that before I ever went back to YV.

1. Roth IRA's No taxes when I pull it out. Those airline pensions are lookin' real good right now. No way management would renig on those.

2. No per diem. I have a credit card. When I want a $30 dollar steak dinner, I swipe it. When I want a McNugget meal, I swipe it. I've run up a $100 bar tab and not a word said to me.

3. I'm the most junior captain at a small 135 company. I NEVER get screwed. All trips are given on a rotational basis, as are ASAP callouts.

4. See #3

5. Labor law. You can't fire someone for looking at you wrong.....that's called wrongful termination. We don't have a contract. Most other industries in this country don't have contracts. We work with managment and they help us out when they can. If they ask me to do something outside the regs I say no. I don't grieve, or BS, I just say no. They fire me, I call the feds, and the slimiest shyster lawyer I can find. I have a problem, I go to the boss's office and we sit down and work it out. I don't file a grievence and wait for years to have it resolved.

6. Seniority list & union. Designed specifically to protect the dumbest most inept motherf-ckers there. You get hired, don't wreck or kill anybody for about 2 to 4 years, you upgrade. You could be the dumbest, stupidest, $hittiest pilot at the company, but your ability has no bearing on it......your number is up, so you upgrade. Meanwhile, every other business in the universe promotes based on ability. ALPA guys love to spout off about the 'chief pilots' buddies' and crap like that, but I don't see a problem anywhere else. Works fine at CitationShares. Works fine where my father has worked for 30 years.

7. I had pass benefits too. But where the hell am I going to go for my 2 days off after flying 25 hours on 4 14 hour days in a row? All I want to do is sit on my a$$ for my days off. I'm tired. The whole time I had benefits, I never used them for anything other than going to work. Never had the time or money. Not worth it. Of course, it was Mesa, but even the best lines were $hitty. All of them ended at 10pm and began at 5 am. My 3 days off were more like 1 and 3/4.

Just my $.02.

 

[SkyBoy1981]

6. Seniority list & union. Designed specifically to protect the dumbest most inept motherf-ckers there. You get hired, don't wreck or kill anybody for about 2 to 4 years, you upgrade. You could be the dumbest, stupidest, $hittiest pilot at the company, but your ability has no bearing on it......your number is up, so you upgrade. Meanwhile, every other business in the universe promotes based on ability. ALPA guys love to spout off about the 'chief pilots' buddies' and crap like that, but I don't see a problem anywhere else. Works fine at CitationShares. Works fine where my father has worked for 30 years.

Sorry, I flew corporate for almost 4 years and I have to disagree. When most 91/135 outfits say that upgrade is based on "ability and performance" what that really means is who kisses the most arse will get upgraded first. The first ones to upgrade are the ones that spend their days off sweeping the hangar floors and cleaning airplanes. Yes, there are some exceptions, like CitationShares. Perhaps this doesn't go on at your specific company, or maybe you were the guy that was mopping the floors, but it DOES happen and it is quite common in corporate aviation. So, the story holds true, you could be the "dumbest, stupidest, $hittiest pilot at the company, but your ability has no bearing on it..". Sorry, I'm not much into arse kissing, so I'll take my upgrade based on seniority.

 

[CapnVegetto]

Sorry, I flew corporate for almost 4 years and I have to disagree. When most 91/135 outfits say that upgrade is based on "ability and performance" what that really means is who kisses the most arse will get upgraded first. The first ones to upgrade are the ones that spend their days off sweeping the hangar floors and cleaning airplanes. Yes, there are some exceptions, like CitationShares. Perhaps this doesn't go on at your specific company, or maybe you were the guy that was mopping the floors, but it DOES happen and it is quite common in corporate aviation. So, the story holds true, you could be the "dumbest, stupidest, $hittiest pilot at the company, but your ability has no bearing on it..". Sorry, I'm not much into arse kissing, so I'll take my upgrade based on seniority.

I've flown corporate for more than 6 years now, and I've NEVER seen what you're talking about. I've never mopped a hangar floor, washed an airplane, or kissed arse. When you have the quals, if you do a good job, you move up. I saw a senior copilot at my first company passed over twice for upgrade because he was lazy, called in sick all the time, was hard to get a hold of, very unreliable.....basically did a bad job. He was a fine pilot, but at an airline all this would be irrelavant. If I were his boss at some office, he would NOT get a promotion because of the way he did his job. You can be the laziest, most pathetic, worthless excuse of a copilot at an airline, but when your number's up.......there you go. Sure there are companies where kissing arse gets you ahead, but that's life. There are twice as many where kissing arse won't get you anywhere. Just like there are lots of stupid, brainless retards sitting in the left seat of airliners. Any way you cut it there is going to be a$$holes that get through the system. I personally think airlines will always suck simply because you are unable to make a lateral move if the company starts treating you like crap because of the seniority system. IMHO, upgrades should be based on a combination of the two.....seniority and merit. Performance evaluations by captains reviewed by an impartial board (with NO NAMES on the paperwork) or something like that. I just flew with way too many brainless douchebags to place any trust in the seniority system.

 

[BLing]

Yeah, try pass traveling to Europe and back with your spouse, and see what happens when you get on and she doesn't. Do you leave her in Europe? (maybe)

Never had any problems doing that. Ive done it with my girl a few times. The last time I did it was 3 weeks ago. The flights we get on are usually oversold. I guess I am lucky and superior to all that dare to try!