Originally Posted by
NowCorporate
Good Part 91 jobs for individuals can be fantastic...and they can suck.
Since you are coming from on-demand charter, reality is anything may give you a better QOL....so that may go a long way either way.
Things I see that would need to be thought about:
- Whats with the non-type thing? - really who cares if the job is good...but WHY have people left so quick. Dont be jaded, there's likely reasons. Try and talk to people who have left. Aviation managers and interviewers are notorious for projecting their operation as something other than what it really is...
- How many pilots? 2? thats a red flag IMO but again depends where you are coming from and what your needs/expectations are. Iron out the time off thing very early in the process...if there is even one. Don't accept "we may use contractors if needed"...that often means only if you are deathly sick and it affects THEIR trip, not if YOU want a Saturday off once a year. Do they consider your time in these decisions? Quite often 2 pilots working for a family operation means "Isn't it great we go to the Aspen vacation home every weekend, how can you call this work?" etc etc....(puke)
Be careful on the family thing, I also work for a great family, they treat me very, very well...but I'm not family. No matter how personal they like to get, keep it at a certain distance. I know pilots who are expected to stay at the guest houses, have dinner with them, play with the boss, do chores etc..Not going there. Usually its just a way for the boss to save $$.
Reality Check: you are the help. You are not family unless you are in the will, and you're not.
Don't want to sound too negative, just offering some things to think about....at the end of the day I'm all for continuing the climb upward until you reach the job you want. It IS all about you.
Good Luck!
Good post. I agree with pretty much everything here and would like to add one thing: I personally think 91 flying is better in most areas because you're not in the business of flying to make money. Any time the airplane is viewed as a way to make money the QOL suffers because the bean counters try to squeeze every penny they can. The best jobs out there IMHO are those where the airplane is a tool for making money elsewhere and for pleasure. Obviously there's going to be exceptions here but from my experience this is the general truth.