Corprate Fliers

[Mark K]

Anyone know how much an average BizJet pilot brings home?
And how exactly does one go about getting to a position like that?

-Mark

 

[spooky]

Mark. Corporate aviation is very hard to get into.In most cases it is who you know.I have been a corporate pilot for 15 years now and I know it is the best job going.Now not everyone would agree with me.You may fly for 30 min.and then wait all day to fly home.Or you could be got on a world tour and fly 30-40 hours and be gone 2-3 weeks.Make sure you talk this over with the wife because it is hard on families.I have been home at Christmas but when it comes to birthdays well good luck I have missed lots.As for pay it can be as low as 40k to 150k it go''s with the company.As for airplanes anything right up to the globe.Its fun and its hard work at times.300 to 600hrs a year total but the average is 300.So I hope this will help.I fly out of Ontario if you need more info let me know.Cheers

 

[Mark K]

Hey thanks for that Spooky.
That is really helpful to me. I never have had the desire to fly for AC or a big carrier like that, corporate flying has really intrigued me. I know the hoops that you need to jump thru to get on with AC and never knew what it took to get a corp job. I have always figured that the 2 routes that one can take after getting some hours under your belt were flying for a major airline or corporate flying...However, is it true that a lot of fliers for the majors move over to the corp flying in the later years? If this is the case its pretty tough to get on flying a biz jet no? You mentioned that a big part of getting a bizjet job is who you know, was this the case for you? You got a job via contacts? And did you in fact fly for a major airline and then move over to the corp job? I guess what i am asking is how many hours would i want to get before thinking that i could get on with someone (if indeed i had the contacts)?
-Mark

 

[spooky]

Mark;Are you new to aviation or do you have a bit of time.No I did not fly for the airlines ,and yes some airline pilots do go to corporate aviation after they retire.Well for me I started flying in the bush on beavers,Otters,and twin Otters Then I put out a few resumes and with my IFR time the company took me on as a F/O.Now I will be retiring in a few years.The best way that I can say to get into corporate is to try and get on with a company like exec air in London.They have a really good operation or someone like that would be your best route.But it is going to be hard and it will be a long time.But there will be a need for pilots again in this country.Aircanada is having hard times but who isn''t .I have seen this before.So good luck keep in touch.

 

[Mark K]

Spooky,
It seems like i have been in aviation for quite some time but i guess i have to say that i am pretty new to aviation. I currently hold my CPL with 210 hours with a couple of other ratings. I do however have some idea of the industry as i have a couple of close relatives that are pilots and are tied to the industry. I have to admit that i love flying and would be eccstatic to hold a ''dream flying job'' with a corporation with a flight department. However, i realize that it is difficult to enter and the times are not exactly what we would like to call ''favorable'' for newly aspiring pilots.
I am not in such a hurry, however, as i am currently in my third year of university working on my business degree. But in the future, when my schooling is done, i would like to focus more on the flying aspect, with the hopes that the industry and economy begins to turn around and then perhaps land a job. If not, however, i have a business that i am currently developing that i can hold onto until the time comes that i can fly for a living.

Until then, i will keep my eyes and ears open for the valuiable advice that the kind individuals such as yourself, spooky, choose so generously to impart on the newcomers to aviation.

Much thanks to you and the vast number of other experienced pilots that take their time to impart wisdom on inquiring minds.

-Mark

 

[iflynkd]

Mark,

I spent 9 years in corporate charter, which is close to corporate, but with some BIG differences.

As far as the work goes, it was fantastic. I''ve been from gravel strips in the arctic to central Mexico, and virtually everywhere in between. The job is very challenging, and also very rewarding. No, you won''t fly as much as an airline pilot, but an airline pilot won''t do or see half the things you will.

The down side? As a charter provider, you are on call. After 9 years of having a pager welded to my hip, it was time for a change. With a new family, it was time for something with a schedule, so I''m now at an airline, and loving it, but I DO miss the flying that I used to do.

Your traditional corporate operation will have more schedule, and less on call stuff. The guys I know in corporate might get 1-2 short notice trips a year. As for variety, it really depends on the company. Many simply run an in-house sched, with very few differnet destinations, others are all over the world.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

 

[graunch1]

I put in 12 years for a corp in YYC.
They are usually good companies to work for either as an AME or a pilot because they USUALLY have good a/c and arn''t too concerned about nickle-diming it. Pay for AMEs is the highest in the industry and no one in their right mind would leave working in a nice clean hangar and go work for an airline with union and shift problems.
Pilots do tend to get bored at this job and because they re a salaried employee flight pay etc dosen''t figure in. What does however and Spooky can probably agree to this is the vast amount of BS that goes with corporate flying. Days of no activity followed by road trips with more hotel time than flight time, ass-kissing executives who are climbing the corporate ladder - the boss usually is the nicest passenger of all.
From an AME side, shift work was never a factor, you worked until the a/c were servicable - no many how many hours or straight days that took. You live with a pager or cell phone 24/7.There is no such thing as guaranteed time off or holidays as the aviation department is a service-provider to a company (petroleum in YYC) and they are your masters. In many cases some dim-witted Pinky-Ring Rig Boss or VP with an MBA from HAWVARD will be the department boss and the Avn Mgr or CP must spend most of his time defending the value of a corporate aviaiton department. He can win many battles but can only lose one

 

[spooky]

I do agree with you graunch 1.But I still love the job.The b/s is there and aways will be but that comes with the job.But as for the AME well, they all are great people ,you are there to meet use after a long trip and there to have the airplane out of the hanger.But I will aways say and have that you are under paid for the b.s. you guuys put up with.Keep up the good work
Cheers

 

[spooky]

I do agree with you graunch 1.But I still love the job.The b/s is there and aways will be but that comes with the job.But as for the AME well, they all are great people ,you are there to meet use after a long trip and there to have the airplane out of the hanger.But I will aways say and have that you are under paid for the b.s. you guuys put up with.Keep up the good work
Cheers