Originally Posted by
STARFISH435
Thinking of coming to GAMA.Ive read nearly this entire thread and on the fence.
In my travels I have seen several KingAir pilots for GAMA and they are my age, 45-55, and they seemed very happy and that is very encouraging.
What are the pros and cons of working here from anyone that is currently employed here?
What are the upgrade times if someone chose to upgrade.I am already typed in the XLS and 5 other types with 8000+ hrs.No King Air time
Pros.
In addition to the obvious attraction of home basing and positive space travel to and from work...
Excellent health care 100% covered by the company for employee and their families.
New / newer equipment, very well maintained.
Nice hotels for the most part. Typically Hilton / Marriott and you keep the miles / points.
Safe. No pressure from management to push the limits.
Salary is good for King Air pilot.
Cons.
Long days. max duty with min rest is not uncommon here.
Crew meals. While other operators provide their crews with meals on the road and offer proper meals at the end of the day on the company card, at Gama you have to request them and be granted approval.
Day 8 travel. This has to be the biggest complaint among the pilot group. Our logistics dept. fails to grasp the concept that guys who have been on the road away from their families for 8 days are anxious to get home. It seems to be the accepted norm to book people on the worst flight home, often sitting at the airport for hours while watching earlier flights take off. Its the unforgivable sin to question their infinite wisdom.
Uncertain future. We are contracted to Wheels Up. Who knows how long that will last. Anyone's guess is pure speculation.
All in all its not a bad place to earn a paycheck. It could be a lot better but it could be a lot worse too.