What are the chances of getting a medium sized aircraft as a new hire (G-200, Hawker 4000,...)? Are the aircraft awarded strictly by need at the time of hire? Does a new hire have any say in which aircraft he gets awarded if there is a choice? Sorry to ask this -- this was covered in another thread, but not very clearly.
Your chances of getting a medium sized airplane are probably not quite as good as a smaller one, simply because we have fewer of them. But they pay the same, so there will be offers for all of them.
To give you an idea, here's what we have on property right now according to recent FAA data:
NJA Aircraft
Note that of the 430 aircraft listed, we have 31 G200s, 32 Falcon 2000s (non-EX), and Zero Hawker 4000s. So you're more likely to get an offer in one of our other models than one of these, simply by virtue of the numbers. I can almost guarantee you won't be offered the 2000EX or BBJ as a newhire. Any of the others are fair game, since few people change airplanes as FOs. (Although in this last bid, a number of current FOs bid into the Hawker 800XP-Collins.)
Sometimes you get a choice of airplanes when hired, sometimes not. When I was hired, I was given the choice of the 400XP or Encore, or the Excel in a class that started two weeks later. I chose the Excel for the APU, though that put my seniority down by a couple dozen numbers.
How often do you get trips that take you out of the lower 48 states? Rarely, once a month, once a year, all the time?
In the Excel, I'd say once a month, although that usually means Canada. Longer range planes (like the G200, Falcon, X, and Sovereign) will go international more. Also, the larger the cabin, the longer the haul, as a general rule.
When is the last time you had a really cool overnight? Where?
Last tour, in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. Absolutely
beautiful. We stay at
this Hilton resort when we overnight there. It was a good time.
What's your smallest Cockpit? I am 6'2'' and 200 pounds. Would I be cramped?
I'm 6' even and a little bigger, and fit into the Excel comfortably. The cockpit of the Sovereign and the X are very similar to that of the Excel. I haven't sat in the 400XP or the Ultra/Encore yet, so I don't know how they'd do, height-wise. Probably be just fine.
Thanks a million. I promise to do a good job swingin gear if I get hired.
You'll do a whole lot more than swing gear as an FO here!
Good luck.
