tomgoodman

If you make the switch, how long will it take you to get back to that fine QOL? Depending on your financial needs, you may have already found what many pilots wish they had.

Stimpy the Kat

ACMI/National/Major/Legacy - 121 Ops. Hands Down. No question about it.

Schedules, Work Rules, Contracts.

> No Corporate politics.

> No ancillary Duties.

> Effectively No "Boss". ( Unless you Eff-UP. )

> Pay.

> Benefits.

> Time OFF.

> Seniority determines Career Movement/QOL. Not Politics.

> Relative stability.

But, as with everything...YMMV and this is IMHO.

Good Luck.

STK

P.S. - Here is a perfect example of the B.S. you will NEVER have to deal with in the 121 World ..... https://forums.*************.com/sho...38#post1524338

holygrail

Can you post that article a different way? I don’t have access to pro pilot

Stimpy the Kat

From ProPilot:

" Seeking Opinions and Thoughts on my current situation:

Quick background, Ive been flying with this 91/135 company for 2.5 years. They now want me to flight Instruct their kids and I have been hesitant for several reasons.

-We have had a pretty full flight schedule
-Their kids don't show much interest
-They expect me to do this with out any further compensation

I explained to them that they now want me to spend more time away from my own kids without being compensated on top of our already busy schedule. Their argument was they pay me a salary to fly and it shouldn't matter what airplane its in.
Wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience, and what are your thoughts on how I could best handle this. Im open to flight Instructing just really feel I should be fairly compensated for it."

------------------------------------------------------------------


Typical Corporate B.S. They like to make stuff up as you go along, and you get to suffer the repercussions / stress of having to discuss trivial crap such as this. ( Unless you work for a Management Company w/a Contract, or have a well written private one signed prior to employment.)


STK

galaxy flyer

True and not so much, STK. I did 5 years at Eastern, 17 years corporate and 18 full-time military technician, so I’d say fairly wide background. And, I’ll stipulate in today’s world, to do it over again, I’d take an offer at a legacy, UPS or FDX. I know lots of pilots at all of them and had 5 former UAL and AA guys working for me in a corporate operation. None went back on recall, embittered by the bankruptcy grabs. Most weren’t all that in love with the “cog in a wheel” aspect, either.

GE just closed their department, one went to Delta and has left, apparently under his own power.

There’s plenty of politics, corporate and union at an airline; I was on the MEC, so I can say politics exists everywhere, one’s exposure varies. Seniority makes things predictable, but you’re chained to the company that hired you and have no control over your future. No option to say, “see ya, going elsewhere for my crust”. I saw lots of 22-year F/Os that never made captain. Lots of 25-year junior captains, sitting reserve just like I was. I didn’t like the thought that even if I made it there, I’d be commuting, standing reserve out of crash pad away from home. I never commuted, my longest drive was 37 minutes.

Yes, it looks great now and I’d without hesitation recommend a legacy career, but many pilots won’t get the offer even in these times. I’m not unabashedly recommending corporates over legacies, but it can be viable and, for some, necessary path.

As to the ************* guy, that’s rare to unheard of at professional gigs. Yes, it certainly happens at the sloppy local operators.

GF

rickair7777

If your 121 baseline was L-USA, or anyone who liquidated in the last decade, the majors are much mo betta now.

bluefishbeagle

To the OP. you pretty much answered all your own questions, now all you have to do is make a decision, don't worry about second guessing it in twenty years, you will.

billsaw

What he said. This is pretty much a done deal at this point all that needs to happen is for it to play out.

Corporate and private flight departments over the next few years will either be running fixed schedules for their crews like 7 on 7 off (you know like the airlines, netjets, etc) or they will have a really nice shiny bird in the hangar that doesn't move.

All you guys have to do is find another job and quit. It's really that simple. Go to the airlines and join the movement. These departments and management companies that have abused pilots for so long by keeping them on the road or on call will either change drastically or park em.

As for the pilots that enabled this behavior they can be split into two types. Exited and can't wait to get the eff out from under the thumb of their oppressive masters and have a life that doesn't involve waiting on a phone call 24/7/365. Or the the old "battered women" pilot. Just too scared to leave for fear of what's on the outside.

To those excited to leave. They are gonna be very pleased at what they find. To the chickens (would use another term but can't) that loved to be abused... Have fun with that and good luck! Just remember your guy won't change until you do. So enjoy the beatings

Somebody told me the a long time ago that sometimes the best way to move up is to move on. That's what it will take.

billsaw

Speaking of crappy flight departments hiring. This one is a revolving door. Most recent posting. Used to be such a great place to work. Now....

https://cocacola.appvault.com/jobs/R...I0W_zvwS1U5g0w

galaxy flyer

The good ones I know of have had fixed schedules for years, four or five pilots, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off and they know exactly what they’re doing for the year. Not infrequently, their 2 weeks on might only involve a short trip. The plane’s hangared 30 minutes away from their homes and pay is B737 captain. Another one’s owner has a pretty fixed schedule, pay is 300k+, all commuting is expensed, and the owner’s big annual vacation is a freebie for him, expense the family coming along. And he gets 3 weeks, contract pilot or scheduled maintenance done.

Good ones will go on, poor to middling operations will see turnover, high training costs or rightfully blow away. I’ve seen this act before in the past forty years.

GF