Why do you like to fly bizjets?

[Gulfstream 200]

Hi saviboy,
This thread has grown to seven pages. I can't read more than three so what I have to say has probably been said already. If so, please forgive the repetition. I have spent almost thirty years in this business. The early ones in corp. equipment, the latter ones in 121 service. I have been blessed with great corp experience and seniority at the airline. What maters is the life you live. And that life is directed by you, never give it up. Many have articluated how their own situation served them well, or not so well. I've had a QOL I believe as near perfect as possible; and for that I've been grateful. But I've seen peers in near identical situations brought to ruin by circumstances at the airline beyond their control. I've seen pilots who spent a career near the bottom of the seniority list, living an uncertain life, who are as fufilled as me. And I know that for every fortune 50 guy who spends 5 days a month someplace warm in winter, there are men who can find in that situation something about which to b!tch. The bitching seems to be an occupational hazard. In the unhappiness of which you read , here and elsewhere, a common denominator seems to exist. The unhappiness is driven by externals. So I encourage you to proceed in this profession only because you love it. There is absolutely nothing equivilant to pressing your sunscreen covered nose to the windscreen of any plane on a bright sunny day. They is nothing to compare to the pride that swells when you deliver a load of people (8 or 180, no matter) who have no idea that the judgements you made brought them....home. You will never be properly rewarded for the responsibility you shoulder, I don't care if you fly a seneca, G5 or 787. Riches are reserved for other professions. Meaningful rewards are self given. Be generous to yourself. Come on it...the waters fine whatever route you take.
Regards,
caseyd

Well said!!!

 

[seawings]

As a young pilot with no experiences I quickly bored when listening to our older pilots talk about their different trips. Now thirty seven years later (from Twin Bonanza’s to GV’s), and nearing retirement…I have “my adventures” and “my memorable trips”.

Someone once said that…“look at adversity as a thread that adds richness to the tapestry of life”. My tapestry cover the walls of my den, mementos from all over the world, domestic and international, each having a story. No matter how bad the trip was, I endured thinking that this will make a great story some day, and they do. Sitting around with other pilots, whether in Austin or Athens, Bangor or Bangladore, Chicago or Canberra, you will always be able to join the conversation with “your adventure” and like fine wine, they get better with time and the telling.

My career in corporate aviation has always been demanding, always interesting and always rewarding, maybe not monetarily like the airlines, but rich in memories, experiences, friendships and every changing new and challenging opportunities.

I wish you the best of luck in what ever you chose.