Originally Posted by
UAL T38 Phlyer
3 Challengers; 3 Globals. BBJs are gone, have been for a number of years.
Flight department is actually too small...they outsource about half their flying because they don't have enough airplanes/pilots to support the required corporate travel. They are short a pilot or two but hiring is on hold due to stock price, general US economy, and misguided perception that all corporate aviation is evil.
3. They (senior leaders at one of the world's largest companies) like knowing that their pilots are GE employees and screened/trained to GE standards (which are high, by the way).
The "outsourcing" of flying has dried up dramatically in the last 6 months. The Part 135 companies that benefited from this supplemental lift in the past are either out of business, laying off, or otherwise hurting.
Each pilot who flew supplemental lift had to be personally approved by the GE Manager/Director/VP of Corporate Travel and each company had to meet GE's rather lofty AR/GUS standards.
There may be a helicopter still at SWF, but I haven't seen it around NY/CT so I cannot verify.