I'm in the same boat. 62 and took the early out. Thrilled to be out of the airline these days for reasons I won't go into.
I have a buddy who manages an old 501SP for a wealthy guy. So a mix of 91 and 135 flying. Business has been booming for them since Covid began and they are confident that it will continue. A lot of their pax have expressed an interest in using them again. Apparently, a fairly large group of folks are just done with the airlines and are now chartering instead. I guess if you're traveling with 3-6 people and paying FC fares this option is appealing.
I was lucky enough to find a job at the LOCAL airport so no more commuting and all the associated hassle. I'll be working part-time which is another plus. Mostly day trips.
The pay is per day so if I want to hustle a bit, it pays off. Schedules are set a month out so if I need specific days off, I'll get them. No beeper. No on-call or 'reserve'.
I am headed to Flight Safety next month for initial Citation school (at their expense). They're just that desperate for pilots, though I will have to sign some sort of contract. I have yet to see the specifics but am pretty confident that I actually have a bit of leverage. They've been looking for guys and they're not out there. Most of the young guns are Jonesing for an airline job and the commuters will take just about anyone with the pulse so there's a hell of a vacuum. One of the reasons they like me is that I'm not looking for an airline job!
I'm actually looking forward to it. A little flying, a little cash...what the hell.
Last edited by Bat Guano; 01-02-2022 at 09:56 AM.