Seeking Advice

[Kugelblitz]

This is my first time on the corporate portal. I am seriously considering attempting to make a significant job change and move from the airline sector to the private/corporate sector. I have no experience in the corporate arena, so advice from those involved is greatly appreciated.

A little about me and my situation; I am a furloughed TWA/AA pilot and am currently with CAL, I start my third year at CAL in Jan. I have about 10K hours and 3 type ratings-none of which are corporate- save for the SIC type in a Challenger courtesy of 3 years at Comair. Oh, and I am 41 years old.

I know that many if not most corporate flight departments want a type in their specific aircraft and that would be a deal killer right off the start, additionally, I am seeking employment in the St. Louis area where we have many corporate headquarters and flight departments.

I am fed up with CAL, working for them really feels a lot like working for Trans States Airlines, a regional carrier I worked for in the mid-90's and without a doubt the worst airline to work for in the industry, Mesa not withstanding.

I know that my major airline career may not be a plus but a minus, but nonetheless, I would like to throw my hat in the corporate ring. I will not return to the airline industry if given the opportunity to fly for a high quality corporate flight department.

Advice, experiences and ideas please.

Thanks

 

[njcapt]

You gotta wash the airline funk off ya. Seeing as you want to work in STL, I'd fire up the network and see if anybody you used to fly with is at Jet Aviation. They have a aircraft management base at STL and since the acquisition of Midcoast Aviation, it's a huge maintenance base. Casing out SUS couldn't hurt, either.

You are probably going to need a strong personal recommendation to get hired in the corporate world, but the willingness to quit Continental should go a fair way toward convincing a corporate operator that you're committed to a new career. This worked for me, and I had six airlines over 15 years worth of funk to scrape off.

Remember: professionalism, customer service, and fun on long trips - in that order.

PS: Nobody gives a sh!t how you did things at the airlines. Seriously.

 

[Kugelblitz]

Thanks, as far as how we did things at the airlines, I could care less as well. I am not one of those.

 

[ibpilot72]

Professionalism is a key, but customer service/relations is an even bigger deal. Passengers in corporate/charter aviation expect a lot more attention, because they are paying a bigger dollar amount to get to where they are going. In corporate flying, atleast in our department, the job is 10% flying, 90% customer service. We have to do more than just get in an airplane, close the cockpit door, fire up the APU, and press the flight attendant call button for a cup of coffee. There is flight planning, making reservations for passengers, the catering order that changes 10 times before you depart, and it all has to work like a well oiled machine. You've got to be able to think outside of the box a little. For instance, enroute to your destination, the weather might be iffy. You need to make arrangements for your passengers in the event you have to divert to another airport (i.e rental cars, and hotels). Passengers will be expecting that. If you are a personable individual, you should be able to get hired without the proper type rating. Like you, I was in the Hulas camp (Jan 2001) for 3 weeks, when I got a job offer from my present employer, with no type rating. Its been a blast ever since. Good luck on your job hunt.

 

[westshan]

I second what NJ said about the "airline funk." A grey-haired Aviation Manager can smell it on you when you walk through the door. You must make them believe that you've cut all ties. And get ready to tell everyone in your life that you'll be there if you don't get called to fly. That goes for the most important events in your life that you can possibly imagine. Including weddings, births, and the Superbowl that you have tickets for.