I agree with ultradrvr, in that experiences will vary GREATLY depending on the company, type of operation they are (91/135), type of plane, and type of company (large, midsize, fortune 500, etc).

I work for a subsidiary of a major international equipment manufacturer. We're based in Roanoke, VA and most of our flying is carrying passengers to company factories or on entertainment trips within our distribution area (NC, VA, WV).

Like KiloAlpha, my schedule varies greatly... Some weeks I will fly 3-4 days, others I will sit at home all week long and get paid to watch TV. Its a small flight department (just two of us, both CA qualified, plus a contract FO for when one of us is on vacation).

Pay is good (better than what I was making at a regional as at 4th year captain pay), and I'm home most nights. We have mostly day trips, and are home by dinner most of the time. We typically know about overnight trips well in advance, and major trips (multiple day) we know often months in advance (For example I know that I'm flying to SoCal in the last week of April, and Tuscon in the first week of May).

As previously mentioned, I too do additional work on the side. Our plane is the cleanest on the field (I don't exaggerate... it's so spotless that I'd eat off the underside of the wings). We spend around 4-8 manhours cleaning the plane each week. The plane gets completely wiped down at least once a month (every surface), and we wax it and polish the chrome regularly. (As a bonus for our hard work, we look damn good).

I also do administrative work from home that is related to the flight department. I'm in the process of revamping the MEL, writing an emergency (accident) response guide, and drawing up new safety briefing cards.

Overall, it's a great job though, and I would say that I am one of the fortunate guys that works for a stable corporate flight department. The execs don't sweat unexpected maintenance, and I don't have to worry about my job every time something breaks (In fact we just got authorized $25K for optional service bulletin work that I don't particularly think is all that important -It's related to extreme cold weather flying that we don't do-, but the boss wants it).

The best part about corporate is that I am treated like a valued member of the team. I interact on a first name basis with our executive team. They acknowledge me as an employee and an asset. Certainly it's not like the airlines where you are just a number that carries out an assigned task in managment's eyes.

Although I would say a downside is that if you enjoy working with a variety of people, or need to be able to know your schedule in advance, or do a lot of traveling (non-rev), the airlines may have better benefits... I do know that I definately miss the people, having a flight attendant, and being able to jumpseat just about anywhere I wanted to go at the drop of a hat.