Looking at going corporate!

[jc3]

Thanks for all the good info. keep it come'n!

 

[Captain Morgan]

No problem. I just wanted to get the situation I'm in depicted correctly. Hope everyone had a happy Easter.

 

[willNOTfly4free]

I know it varies from job to job, but what would be competitive for someones first corporate gig?

Knowing somebody at the company. We're all pilots; therefore we can all fly airplanes: Big airplanes, small airplanes, slow airplanes, fast airplanes, new airplanes, old airplanes.... A compatible personality is huge when it comes to the corporate world. Depending on the size of operation, you'll probably be flying with the same guy(s) almost everyday. Who wants to be stuck flying with a jerk?

Someday when I'm chief pilot doing interviews, I'm going to look for someone who fits the corporate culture. Actually, I would be bias to hiring someone who has a similar personality to myself. A formal interview is not a good way to feel out someone's personality. I would suggest getting to know someone at a company you would like to work for. Then start dropping by with food (donuts, muffins, pizza). I've heard of guys doing this, and it usually works!

Just my humble opinion. Good luck.

 

[g159av8tor]

Thanks for all the good info. keep it come'n!

There is more variation in Part 91 Universe than in the 121 World. In stating Part 91 I am specifically excluding any aircraft on a certificate.

Asking yourself what you want out of a career is nothing more than a gut check. If you have a family, they always come first! I would steer anyone away from flying Part 91 for a single owner or a group of owners operating under a LLC. You may get many fringe bennies and may get treated like family, but only family are in the will. There is more stability flying for larger corporations, but they can come and go to with leadership changes at the executive level. My company has been flying airplanes and/ or helicopters consecutively for 61 years. We are as stable as any Legacy.

A legacy carrier hasn't gone buh-bye since T-Dub. Republicans saved and floated UAL, DAL and NWA, et al with loans and subsidies; but, that program will probably end with the Democratic Congress. Will the airline system unravel again?

Part 91 versus 121 is not really comparing apples to apples, more like oranges to tangerines. For example, most trips where I work don't last more than a couple days, we average less then 5 RONs a month. I only know for certain which four days off I will have next month by the previuous mid-month. The rest, I know a week in advance. We infrequently (somewhere between never and occasionally) fly on weekends, never holidays. We bid those days based on a rolling seniority schedule--the guy with forst pick this month has last pick next month. Vacation is awarded as late as a month previous, if available.

91 flying runs the gamut of the Mesas of the world to the FedExs. In my experience, there is only two thing that keeps pilots shooting towards airline flying: big-plane envy and schedules.

My advice: don't listen to anyone but yourself and your family--including me.

Tailwinds...

 

[Shag McNasty]

"My company has been flying airplanes and/ or helicopters consecutively for 61 years. We are as stable as any Legacy."

I don't think I'd use Sears/K-mart as an example of stability in the corporate world. Today's flight department is a vastly scaled down version of what it once was.

 

[Seadogrun]

"My company has been flying airplanes and/ or helicopters consecutively for 61 years. We are as stable as any Legacy."

I don't think I'd use Sears/K-mart as an example of stability in the corporate world. Today's flight department is a vastly scaled down version of what it once was.

You are very brave with a statement like that. Hope you are knocking on wood.

 

[Shag McNasty]

You are very brave with a statement like that. Hope you are knocking on wood.

I agree, but I messed up the quote feature. I was quoting g159av8tor who I think works for Sears. He seems to forget the part of their 61 year history when Sears spun off Allstate and Dean Witter along with a few Gulfstreams and Falcons. Nothing is stable in this business. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[pilotyip]

"We are as stable as any Legacy." Those are words that would make most pilots run screaming

 

[jc3]

The more research and soul searching I do I keep coming to one major question. Do I want to spend more time away from home and my family then I have to? The answer for me is no. I'm a very flexible easy going guy who would only like to know that if I need a weekend off for a buddies wedding that I could get it off. I've looked around the jax area for jobs. I know one place is hiring, but you have to pay for your type, so I'm pretty sure that's a no-go. What's your opinion on paying for a type? Anyway I truely do appreciate all the feedback, it helps more than you think. I've been wrestling with this decision for awhile now.

 

[Say Again Over]

I worked in both jobs and would initially recommend staying where you are, get to the left seat and get PIC. Most corporate operators want PIC, if you think it's going to be a long time for your upgrade where you are now, don't think it will happen any sooner at a corporate flight department, in my opinion the corporation will need higher qualifications then where your presently at. Best of luck.

 

[Dep676]

Do not ever pay for your type. If the company is secure they should not be asking you to pay for your type, in the 91 world anyway. That would make me wonder why they are asking you to pay for your type.

 

[pilotyip]

Gotta move

Limiting yourself geographically before you have the resume fluff to be choosey restricts your ability to enhance your hirability index. It will take you approximately 10 years to get to a job that will allow you to start making QOL a goal in your job search. Pilots get hired at good places because they have Turbine PIC, you must build turbine PIC to have control over your career. You have to go wherever that job is that gets you turbine PIC. You stay in that job until you can get another job that gives you better turbine PIC, i.e. Bigger airplanes, Turbojet, 121, etc. It is called paying your dues everyone must do it. Some do it in the military, some do it at the regionals, and some do in the on-demand business. Everyone pays his or her dues. Kit Darby told a story at a job fair about two pilot, both wanted to live in ATL. Pilot A only applied to DAL, the only place he wanted to work. The other pilot B applied everywhere. 10 years later pilot A is 135-charter pilot on a CE-500 out of ATL, pilot B is a Capt at UAL flying out of ORD. Pilot B lives in ATL, is a major airline Captain, but he did not limit himself to a geographic area when looking for a job.

 

[rjpilot7667]

I can tell you one thing. You probably won't leave an airline to a cushy fortune 25 flight department or private individual. You will probably have to go to a charter company first to get some GA (for lack of a better term) experience. This part of the industry is alot different. If you do go to a charter company one thing you won't get is time at home. Think hard and make your self happy first.

 

[svcta]

I can think of a few other Kit Darby "jewels". Let's not pay that vulture any lip service.

 

[sperfly]

I'm currently doing the reverse. I started up a part 91 corp flight dept. flying a Piper Chieftain and soon moved into a King Air 200 single pilot operation. There are alot of benifits but as most everyone on this thread has said you will be on your bosses schedule 24/7. You will do alot of nonflying duties and probably won't fly as much as you would like to. I just finished my first week of BOI with a 121 company and I can't wait to get on line and see what the airline world holds in store for me. I'm pretty sure that I will fly alot more than I ever wanted to, but the way I see it I went to flight school to be a pilot and not a gutter repairman/landscaper/office handyman/etc... Never ever pay for your own training and just do alot of research on what ever company you go to work for.