Originally Posted by
jetboy
Tango, I'm not sure how long you've worked at Air Share, but my initial reaction to your post was "what did you expect?" I'm certain you knew the aircraft types and pay scales before you took the job, right? Every aircraft in their fleet is single-pilot certified except the Lear 45s. If you don't think you have the skillset to fly the planes single-pilot then why did you sign up? It seems like all that training is meant for a very good reason.
And what do you expect to upgrade to? Everything they operate is arguably an entry level aircraft. If you're the guy looking for mids and large cabin, you won't find it at Air Share, so why even worry about upgrades? Based on all the hiring going on, I'm sure a couple thousand B300 turbine time will be just as valuable on the market as a few hundred in a VLJ.
As far as pay goes, if you don't like it why are you staying? My assumption is they have you locked into some training contract, but those can be easily managed with a good negotiation at another company. And if you can add value to your role, then people will pay you more. You just have to find the right place and be willing to put in a few years of grunt work.
As for your other concerns, there are some things that all candidates need to consider:
1. This company's "regional" model allows it to keep its customers' costs low by the mere fact that its bases are geographically located within 3-4 hours’ drive of each other (except BUF). Again, I ask "what did you expect" when it comes to travel between bases? Every company with multiple bases will have commutes. You should have easily determined that there was no airline service between MCI and TUL, or ICT and MCI. On the flip side, you would think they'd recognize employee cost savings when they're willing to drive, and reward you for that, but maybe that's not the case.
2. As for your 10 or 12 day rotation, if you're looking for time at home with the wife and kids, why did you choose a fractional? You're not going to find that QOL at any fractional, whether it's Air Share, Netjets, or Flops. The question I'd ask is are you flying all of those days? If so, try to stay healthy on the road, eat well, and use it to your advantage and build the time. If you're not flying, then request a different domicile where there's more activity. If what you say is true, it really doesn't matter where you live since they've got you on the road for your entire tour, right?
3. On the topic of an optimizer, every medium to large airline uses some sort of automation to schedule its flights. They would be stupid not to. It's not possible to handle the volume otherwise without an unsustainable amount of overhead. Don't blame your dispatchers for schedule changes; that's what their job is, and they can't control when a customer books a flight. Remember, this is not 121 stuff. And if you think your pay is low, why not ask one of your dispatchers what they think of their pay? I bet you'd find that the demands placed on them are every bit as much as you, and they're making considerably less per hour than any pilot (yes, they do get to sleep in their own bed at night). That said, I really wonder if they pay their dispatchers more than $12-14/hr? Maybe the problem is they don't pay people enough to care, so therefore they don't want to perform, and unfortunately the poop usually falls on the pilots, especially when it comes to manipulating a crew schedule.
But, seriously, how much time have you spent in their OCC? Have you interacted (and I mean truly interacted, and not just gone in to b.s.) and asked to see how/why they change your plans? I'm wondering if they implement this as part of your IOE/recurrent training. Maybe you could suggest that.
4. And, not to continue the beat down, but when it comes to management's scrutiny of your expenses or belittling your questions, again I ask, "what did you expect?" Your COO came from Colgan (that's a discussion worthy of a forum all on its own), your DO is from American Airlines, and the OCC manager came from Pinnacle and Mesa (how ironic he used to work with the COO). Unfortunate as it may be, you're essentially working for a regional. I guess you should consider yourself lucky not to have to live at a crash pad for 10 nights, although I'm sure the COO has thought about it. Just be careful when they start saying your travel doesn't count as duty time. Read your history books if you don't know what I mean.
5. HR - now that's a funny one. Toys R Us. Enough said, other than I'm sorry.
6. Simply based on the fleet types and your allegation that they are "constantly training new hire SICs that come from flight instruction," it would appear Air Share is an hours-building stepping stone into bigger equipment at other companies, nothing more nothing less. That's not necessarily a bad thing as long as it's also a safe operation. Use it to your advantage, build some time and get out.
There are 2 things you can guarantee about fractionals; you work max duty days and you're constantly on the road, hence why Teamsters now run Netjets and Flops. The bottom line is do your due diligence on the places you want to work and the people who run them. All of this information is easily accessible with a little google kung fu. This forum is great for that. But recognize when to blame and when to take action for yourself. Companies are hiring, but the job industry is still tough out there, and sometimes you have to take a little less now to gain a little more later. You shouldn't accept any job at any company without digging for information on your own, and if you don't, then there's no one else to blame but yourself.