Once again, the lack of professionalism and maturity that runs rampant on this board shows its face. It doesn't surprise me that a few of the posters said some of the things they did, but it does surprise me to see that even the webmaster has thrown his hat in the ring.
This thread was started as a possible lead for a flying job for the many unemployed pilots out there, but has rapidly become a flagrant display of immaturity. If you don't have cold hard facts or have a constructive question to ask, keep your mouth shut!
Forget the Global or Challenger unless you throw a wig on and have a brown nose.
Cold Hard Fact: There are 13 people in our international department, 1 of whom is female, the rest are white males. Being one of those white males, I can assure you that I haven't kissed a single posterior to get my position. What it takes to get upgraded here is doing your job and doing it well.
You don't get a type initially either, but you do get to sign a 2 yr training contract.
Cold Hard Fact: All new hires, starting with the group about to be hired, will receive a type through the door. They will also be required to sign a training contract to protect the companies investment.
What I don't get, this company is Fortune #1, yet they pay like they are going broke. After your 5 year upgrade to Lear CA, you can haul in something in the mid $60,000's.
Yes, upgrade times are long right now, but they are everywhere. What is the current upgrade time at American or Delta? How about Flexjet or Flight Options? The pay rate is commensurate with the General Mills and NBAA salary surveys, especially when the bonus, profit sharing and 401k contributions are included.
Where are the great health insurance benefits you are talking about? What are you comaring to to? Frankly, they are not good at all.
What are you comparing them to? The health benefits aren't great, but they are adequate.
I go to learjet recurrent every 6 months...almost everytime their iare walmart pilots in the that recurrent training. Never once have I heard one of those pilots speak highly of working for the walmart flight department...mostly they just complain.
We do have some whiners, but you find me a flight dept with 73 pilots that doesn't. There have been problems here in the past and there are problems that are ongoing, but when the entire picture is looked at, it's a great place to be.
4) The "minority" numbers are about standard for the population, as they are mentioned here. This opens the possibility that the company wants to INCREASE the number of non-white, non-male individuals in the department, which could support flyright's comments. This is true in certain fortune 500 companies who want to improve their "image" before Jesse Jackson shows up for a corporate shakedown, a la NASCAR, which was in the news this week. What is the difference between this new "welcome" management and the old management, such as Bob Lake?
In this day and time, diversity is a reality in every company and institution in the country. I know of no plans to increase diversity, but a certain level must be maintained. At one point in time, there was a push to increase diversity, but management learned a hard lesson with that. Our hiring committee is doing everything possible to see that the open positions are filled by the most qualified individuals that are available. As far as the new management, our new chief pilot came from within, so he's familiar with what's really happening in the trenches. I've flown with him as my f/o quite a bit, and I think he is a great choice for the position. Bob Lake was a bad mistake by our senior management, but they made it right and have recently turned the asylum over to the inmates, so to speak.
Out of the 30 that interviewed in July, the three that were initially offered a job were one minority, one female, and one white male.
Let me guess... you were one of the 27 that didn't get an offer? How can you be so sure of your numbers? The only people who have access to the actual numbers are management and the hiring committee.
All-in-all, this department is one of the best flying jobs out there. While we may not be the highest paid or have the quickest upgrade, we have job security that is second to none. This company needs our department to conduct business the way that has made them the Fortune 1 company. We fly late model well-maintained equipment and we don't have to carry bags. The average Lear driver is home 28 nights a month and works 14 days a month. Utilization of our airplanes is probably best in the industry with an average passenger load of 5.2 per leg, which equates to a 71% load factor. The department has consistently grown even, during economic downturns, and stands to grow a bunch more to meet the companies needs over the next 5 to 10 years.
Say what you like, the facts show that this is a very sound place to work.
