Fine fair enough...but your telling me that your making major 121 rates (not RJs) flying Citations? I just find that hard to believe in a small Citation. A international G5 maybe but as you said I guess you pay for it having no hard days off, on call 24/7?
Why do you find that hard to believe? Guys flying large cabin bizjets for any quality operator are generally making north of top captain scales of most legacy carriers. A good friend of mine flying a Challenger 300 under Part 91, flying maybe 200-300 hours a year makes $145k a year, and Challenger 300 is a super-midsize jet.
Here's another thing... it's a common misconception about no days off and being on pager 24/7/365. In fact, most places that have you on a pager like that are charter companies. Pure corporate operators, like for example my buddy's CL30 department, they know their trips well over a month in advance. The shortest notice flight they ever had in 8 years of working for this corporation was 72 hours. Just an example... now try to pry this guy out of his gig or worse, tell him he has to go fly for a commercial airline...
Now, let me ask you a question. Do you think it's the corporate pilots that are overpaid, or do you think it's the airline pilots that are grossly underpaid?
Fine fair enough...but your telling me that your making major 121 rates (not RJs) flying Citations?
No, that's not what I was telling you.
Quote:
as you said I guess you pay for it having no hard days off, on call 24/7?
Didn't say that either.
The "on call 24/7" idea is a common misconception airline guys (you specifically) have toward the bizav world...and for the most part, its completely wrong.
__________________
"Fat pilots carry less payload." - R.M. Grundman
Two captians who sucessfully trade the PIC/SIC relationship depending on who's day it is to be the PIC is void of the big ego.
If two PICs can not work this, then it falls apart and one or both is usually shown the door.
I have seen ego be fostered by the traditional PIC/SIC situation. Once, I was strict SIC. I flew with a PIC who liked to remind me that HE was responsible for the trip, and I was not to identify myself as "one of the pilots" but as "the crew".
Your attitude/perspective is why you don't find many prior airline pilots in the corporate world. We have 9 pilots for 2 aircraft at my company and all are captains. Even as a new hire several years ago, I flew left seat on one of my first line trips with our Chief Pilot. I am blessed to work at a financially stable company with ZERO egos in the cockpit. All highly experienced, most former military, and hand picked to fit here. Pay exceeds what most 121 captains make these days and here's the best part......fly 20-30 hours per month, go in only when I need to when not flying (we do have other responsibilities besides flying), 10 minute commute, no seniority number or union to control my life and equitable scheduling for everyone.
Getting back to the original issue.....I think it sucks that a captain would not want to share the flying from the left seat. With a group of senior experienced aviators, what red blooded pilot with command experience would not want to fly from the left seat periodically? What captain would not want to mentor/train a less experienced aviator by exposing them to the left seat if not specifically prohibited by the operation. Our Falcon is definitely a crew served system with both seats playing an equally important role on each and every mission. We normally divide up the legs when it makes sense and everyone knows who is in command of the aircraft. Every operation is different. At our operation, we don't normally fly from the right seat. Our FOM and SOPs are fairly rigorous with clearly defined duties for both seats. Doesn't mean we can't, we just don't. Keeps things fairly straight forward when in a specific seat. No gray areas. We even train together as crews in the simulator to reinforce our FOM and SOPs. Those with much less experienced first officers may very well need to keep them in the right seat for awhile (not forever!)
Being a captain for a top fortune flight department carries a tremendous responsibility - personal interaction with principal passengers, transportation/catering coordination, security, flight planning/weather etc. I don't view the trips where I'm not assigned as the captain as "bag slinging". It's actually nice to get a break once in awhile and sometimes there's a lot more "work" involved being assigned as "copilot" for the trip - preflights, powering up the aircraft, right seat and left seat duties. Why these discussions always seem to breakdown into I'm right and your wrong because I'm an airline pilot or I have more posts than you just makes me laugh.
I fly with other PICs all the time, whether in the lear or in the A318. I have no problems doing the SIC duties when I am not designated PIC on the dispatch release. However, I have seen guys on the lear that refuse to do SIC duties.
I believe you are right in saying that it is an ego thing. It could possibly be an insecurity about not being in command. Either way, I enjoy giving those types a hard time on the ground. It's a bit comical to watch.
Position: Piston/Turbine Props....not just for boats!
Posts: 2,271
You guys are giving out too much info on Part 91, if they figure it out we'll have more people wanting to work for our companies!!!!!!
Technically we are all on call 24/7, but 99.9999% of the time our companies don't excercise that right because in the Part 91 world, there are some moral decisions that directly effect everything an operation does. If my boss called me and wanted me to do a flight ASAP, I'd do it in a heartbeat though, because I know it's a very very rare occasion, and secondly, it probably means income for the company, which means it makes me useful, in turn I keep getting paid to do what I do! Pretty sweet right?
There are always exceptions to the rule, but just like any Stereotype out there, it's usually the exceptions that create these.
__________________
Come to KMIE and eat at Kacy J's(PM me for hours)
Similar Threads
Linear Mode
