Your typical day as a corporate pilot

[Archer]

I have this thread in the "general" forum, but since I'm interested in corporate flying, I would like to ask it here specifically.

Thanx

Archer

 

[banned username 2]

Archer,

No offense... but we have answered this (and all of your other questions) ad nauseum....

If you keep asking the same questions to the same people you will get the same answers....

There is no such thing as a "Typical Day" for a Corporate Pilot...

Last Monday I did a pickup on the East Coast... I had to get up at 3am but I was done working by 10am and home having lunch with my 3 year old daughter.... Thursday-Friday last week I was on the west coast for an easy overnight trip (and a fantastic dinner)... Today I don't even start working until 8pm and I won't be home until Tuesday after dinner... A couple weeks ago I spent the week in Spain and Italy... The week after my Spain/Italy trip I was off for 9 days straight...

There is no such thing as an "Typical Day"... every day is different, and personally that is one of the things I love about this job....

This job varies greatly from company to company.... At some smaller companies you are expected to do everything when you aren't flying (Jepps, schedule your own hotels, wash the plane, office duty, etc...) at larger companies such as mine we are not required to do any of those (except some Jepps charts)... We don't clean the planes or have to do any office duty... and we have 3 dispatchers who take care of all hotels, rental cars and other trip details (we do, however, do our own flight planning, which is good)...

I know you are looking for someone to say "Archer, this is the perfect job for you!" but you know what? Life just isn't that easy... There is inherent risk in everything you do... and you will never truely know whether you made the right decision or not until after the fact... maybe years after... You have to take your information (which many of us have supplied you with plenty) and evaluate it based on your desires and act on it.... Over-analyzation will not do you any good because you are looking at dynamic information... the longer you analyze it, the more it changes...

You strike me as a very indecisive person... This concerns me, because in an aircraft during critical situations you sometimes have to evaluate a situation rather quickly and act on it decisively or the situation will get much worse.... You seem to have trouble acting quickly and decisively... Not that this is a bad thing, but it might not be the best trait for someone who's "office" is going 575 mph at 41,000 ft.... My guess is you will stay your course as an engineering student and become an engineer where you can analyze data all day and take the time you need to act on it.... and you will fly on the side as a very happy recreational type pilot... Probably... in an Archer...

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Archer,

you going to be a pilot or what??
How come the same old questions all the time??

As hundreds of posts have answered your question before....

You wont make a ton of money, you will travel the back side of the clock a lot, and you will have a lot of responsibility.....but we still love doing it. I think that is what matters.

Typical month....well...JAN was busy.....from both coasts of the USA, to Eastern Europe, to Scotland, to China, and back.......longest stretch was out 6 days. So far FEB looks pretty quiet, which is good - because I am tired.

There are many easier ways to make money and many easier ways to make your parents happy......if thats still an issue.

Good Luck

P.S. --Jeps?? FALCON CAPT, you guys still doing paper charts??? c'mon man, get with the times! (haha)

 

[2000flyer]

Jepps???

You guys mean to tell me there is some other method out there than doing the revisions, page by page, yearly checklists, etc? You guys crack me up!!!

Of course I'm being a wise crack. We still do it the old fashioned way (see above). I'd just love to have Q service!!

Ours is one of those less "traditional" corporate departments. We have "office duty" on the days we don't fly. Yes, if we don't fly for five days, we're still in the office those five days. We don't punch a clock, nor do we do 9-5. I do usually put in 6-7 hours on a non-flight day. For example, last week I had three flight days, all 14+ hour duty days. Combined with my duty time on "office duty", my total duty time for the week was 51.5 hours.

We do everything, from flying, a/c washing, hangar/office cleaning, paperwork, etc. Given the fact we're required to work on non-flight days, this gives us something to do since we have to be there anyway.

I work for a good company and we're certainly not over worked. Given the current economic woes and watching so many flight departments go by the wayside, all things considered, this is a pretty decent job!

2000Flyer

PS - Sheez, next thing you'll tell me is they have Jepps where you just put a disc in a little screen and either print it or look at it on the flight deck.

 

[banned username 2]

P.S. --Jeps?? FALCON CAPT, you guys still doing paper charts??? c'mon man, get with the times! (haha)

Yeah, Yeah... I know.... well we have Q-Service for a lot of the world, but there are still some places that we don't have Q for...

We have a new Department Manager... so we are trying to get the JeppView... but that may be a while yet.... I'd take a raise in place of JeppView!

 

[V1RT8]

I fly JeppView evey day. I would hate to go back. Whatever it costs, it is worth it. At least since I am not writing the checks.

 

[Archer]

Yes, I thought of getting such a response.

Falcon, you say I'm undecisive. If I look at myself, I can say for some things I am, and for others I'm not. I eat with my friends almsot every meal, and 2 out of 3 meals I will not know where we should eat. On the other hand, there have been occasions while I was in training flights, where I had to make quick aeronautical decisions, and my CFI told me that they were good decisions.

Of course, we are not all born professional pilots, we usually become professional pilots.

For example, on my last flight, my CFI pulled the throttle on me right when I was about to turn base, and I already had a notch of flaps in...ABC came to mind, best glide speed, and get the plane on the runway...what I didn't process fast enough, and had a momentary block on, was weather I should leave that notch of flaps, for flying under 80 knots (which is usually when you put first notch) as glide speed was 76 knots, to have that extra lift at slow slpeeds...or take the flaps out, for least drag...

my CFI had to help me by saying "You're not gonna make it with flaps extended, even one notch" or something like that...

but I learned from that, and now next time on an engine out, I won't put in any flaps at all, unless I have the field made.

Decison making skills come from experience, which is what the professional pilot hiring system is based on...number of hours of experience, and types of hours etc...

As for my indecision whether to become a pro pilot or engineer, I know that it seems like I might be eating your brains with my nth post, but I think you guys do not realize that this is going to be my biggest decision in life. And i mean, BIGGEST, MOST IMPORTANT decision in my life.

Why? If I become a pro pilot, I will probably not do a Masters degree, and spend those 40 grand on some 400 flight hours, getting, getting my ratings.

If I go fly for a couple of years, and decide I don't like it, it's extremly difficult getting back into Engineering, especially without a Masters degree and some work experience needed...people look at your age...and say, "what have you been doing son?"

While in aviation, it's different, you can start flying when you are 40.

I KNOW there is no typical day for a corporate pilot, and that's why I like it over Part 121 or 135, because of that irregularity, and because you fly smaller planes.


I am studying Aerospace Engineering. I'll know a heck of a lot about aircraft by the time I graduate. I'm probably going to have at least my PP/ASEL-IA, and have a chance to work up to CFI-II-MEI.

I speak English, and if I end up flying to Europe, I can speak French and Italian fluently. I have been to those countreis, lived in them, know them.

I've even been in the Middle East...

all of these seem like great things for a Corp pilot.

I love flying, even though I'm trying to discover whether corp. flying is for me...

I mean, I love flying at leisure, seeing new places, flying new and greater airplanes...love cockpits...would love to work with another pilot in multi-crew envirionment...and laugh about things in the cockpit...have fun, I love ATC talk, and airport environments.

You say, "why the hell do you not become a corp pilot" then?

I'm a year from graduating with one of the most difficult degrees, in one of the best universities. I love engineering too, designing planes and spacecraft...

see...i'ts just a big decision, and I can't make it in one day. That's why I am trying to get advice and help with you guys...

and I know there is a limit...but I'm trying to learn about your jobs as much as possible...

plus I'm not a Citizen...so it's going to be hard for me, more than for Americans...and corp flying in Europe would be much tougher and more expensive...as I would have to take all the JAA training courses...and they seem a lot tougher in some aspects...for example...they got some 14 exams for PP and IR...instead of 2


So, I'm sorry if I'm coming across as a pain in the arse, but this IS really the biggest decision in my life...

and I really need some info on corporate flying, to see if I should dedicate my life to it.

And don't give me that "if you love flying, you shouldn't have doubts about it"

I love airplanes, whether flying or designing them. I'm not considering going into Law or Medicine or Economics. I'm only trying to decide between "designing" and "flying" airplanes

Archer

 

[Flywrite]

Archer,

With all due respect your repetitive posts do get a bit tedious...

Having said that, I can respect the fact that you want a lot of information before making a big decision. Perhaps instead of just asking the opinions of others you should focus more on gathering facts to form your own opinions.
Do you subscribe to any industry publications? I dont just mean Flying or Private Pilot, I mean "non consumer" publications like Professional Pilot or Business and Commercial Aviation. they may help you form an opinion of the kind of flying available to professional pilots. You may also trying reading up a little on diferent aspects of a flying career. I know that you are pursuing the most difficult degree available and are a busy individual, but judging from the number of posts you put in here you should be able to find time.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is quit asking everyone what you should do. You say that this is the "most important decision" of your life. If so you should not be relying solely what you read on an internet message board.

Good Luck (again)

 

[Archer]

I do not rely only on people on an internet message board.

But where else could I find 50 corporate pilots that could tell my their experiences all in one place? an internet message board.

Plus, personal experiences are some of the most valuable...you get a feel for what the job is like...

articles analyising stuff could not give an accurate impression.

Well, thank you for your patience though. I understand.

I'm just waiting for someone to start loosing it and swearing away...

I hope it doesn't happen, and people actually THINK before they post...and understand where I'm coming from...

big decision, trying to get a lot of opinions. That's all

Archer

 

[banned username 2]

And i mean, BIGGEST, MOST IMPORTANT decision in my life.

It was the biggest decision in our lives too....

My experience as a Corporate Pilot may not be anything like your experience, or the next guys.... every situation is different...


Again, if you keep asking the same questions to the same people you will get the same answers....