rob0015

For those of you willing to read through all of this, I'm hoping some of you may have a similar experience and can offer your 2 cents. I'm currently a FO at a 121 regional and have been there for about 1.5 years. The pay is what you'd expect given that it's a regional, but things are improving...bonuses, commuter hotels, etc. It's likely that I'll be stuck as FO for another couple years at least. The kicker is that I have a fairly long (2 hr) one leg commute just to get to base and no matter what 121 job I have, I'll more than likely have to commute. So, recently I've been given a tentative job offer flying a mid size jet based at a local airport 15 minutes from my house. It would be corporate flying for one owner. No charter and the flying is primarily for business (they fly 200-250 hrs per year). The pay would be roughly what I would make as a captain at my current airline and the benefits are pretty good. From what I've gathered, it seems they run on a weekly schedule and usually have 24 hours notice at least for the occasional pop up trip. To keep this from turning into a novel, I'll get to the point. In the short term, this job seems like it's significantly better than life as an FO at a regional. BUT with the corporate job, the future is unknown as far as career progression. With my 121 time I currently have and the time I pick up flying part 91, would I be a candidate for a LCC or major should I choose to go back to a 121 in the future? Again, none of this has gone into motion yet, but I would love to hear what you guys think about a scenario like this.

Vital Signs

Is this for a person or company? Will they still have an airplane if the principal owner goes away? How long have they had an airplane?
What is your backup plan if/when the job goes away?

What is your ultimate goal?

GrummanCT

200-250 hours a year sounds nice, but you need to find out how many days worked and RON you will be doing to get those flight hours.

Dustycrophoppin

If your end career goal is a legacy, it make take you a long time at 250 hrs a year to be a competitive candidate. If your end goal is corporate, go for it! It's usually easier to move between corporate jobs once you are on 'that side of the fence'. Good luck!

PICsf340

I did almost the exact same thing. Best move I have ever made. I won't make as much as I could at One of the big carriers, but I dont care? My kids recognize me, I am home almost all the time, and I make a great living for the small town I live in. If the job goes away, I will deal with that later. For now, I plan on enjoying it.

BoilerUP

I went from 121 regional (just under 2 years) living outside DC to 91 Captain/Chief Pilot in a city I actually wanted to live in (6.5 years) to 121 major airline FO.

Worked out GREAT for me, caveat emptor and all that. I was admittedly fortunate to work for a small company with an excellent boss who was fiscally conservative, liked airplanes, and needed them in order to run his business...allowing me to stay employed during the Great Recession.

Yes, should you meet all the basic qualifications, you should be able to get a look at a 121 LCC or major down the road as a 91/135 pilot. As mentioned, however, time builds slowly in the bizav world so your end goal is something to consider.

wrxpilot

It also helped (probably A LOT) that you had a previous internship with your current gig, if I remember your situation correctly. For most pilots, if a legacy is their goal they should be working at a 121 carrier (regional/ULCC/LCC). The biggest mistake I've made in my career to date was not leaving my corporate gig sooner.

BoilerUP

Yes, I almost certainly would not have been hired when I was without the internship.

That said, there have been a number of 91/135 pilots hired by my company without that same work history.

I would wholeheartedly agree that if major 121 is the objective, working for a regional is the "best" way to get there...which is exactly why I said "your end goal is something to consider". However, if that isn't one's objective but life ultimately leads them back toward 121 down the road...having previous 121 experience certainly helps a bizav pilot's competitiveness against a large number of current 121 pilots. Comparing two bizav pilots who are similarly qualified, the one with previous 121 experience is likely to have an edge on one that does not.

Hope you have been well, wrx!

wrxpilot

Thanks man, I appreciate that. I'm ok, but have hit a brick wall with career progression for some reason. I'm really frustrated, and wish I knew what the problem was. Maybe I should just go back to corporate, ha ha!

Anyway, I hope you're well too!

rob0015

Thanks guys (and gals) for the responses so far. Definitely some good questions for me to consider. To answer some of the questions asked so far, they currently own a light jet and have had it for about four years. It's owned by one of the boss's companies. They are upgrading to a midsize jet and needing an additional (2nd pilot). It seems that about 50% are day trips with the other half staying on the road. Ya'll hit the nail on the head with the most important question, ultimate end goal. My end goal is to be able to have an income sufficient enough to provide for my family and to have a good QOL where I can "be around" for them. If I stay in the 121 then going to the majors or LCC is a no brainer as it can (with enough seniority) provide the lifestyle I want to have. I also like most aspects of 121 flying. That being said, I do have some experience flying 91/135 at a not so great outfit that has given me a glimpse of the good/bad of flying corporate. My major concern, which you have hit on, is if or when this gig goes belly up or if my only option for realistic career advancement is to switch back to the 121 world, will I have shot myself in the foot by spending xx amount of time at this outfit? I assume how desperate airlines are for pilots at that time will be a major factor on whether I can get on somewhere other than at the bottom of a seniority list at a regional. Thanks again for responees, it's nice having another perspective other than my own.