Just signed on and found the new section of Corporate Aviation. Look forward to chating with my fellow aviators about Corp.Flt.Ops. Always in search of a good job in the Part 91 gig. The grass in not greener on the other side of the fence when it comes to good jobs at the airlines. If you make good money for the amount of flying you do for the year and the airplanes are clean and kept in great condition, the company respects and treats you right. Stay and enjoy life, your lucky and count your blessing.

 

Welcome! I suggested that this forum be opened and I am glad that you found it! Corporate gigs vary so much. From gravy to gravel. I got gravel with a little gravy for lube. I used to fly 135 and thought it was bad, but honestly, any company can treat you well or mistreat you and the 135 op I worked for was a god one and respected the pilots and gave them fair wages. It's kind of a crap shoot. At least with airlines, you sort of know what you're getting. Most 135 ops are similar as well...but that is totally not true about corporate. You really take your chances. Also, there are other factors, owner pilots are the worst, flight instruction of company personnel (like I do in a Caravan), you can't pass the buck so you better be ready to be seriously responsible and really on top of things and very well organized or you will get eaten and spit out and end up flying a C210 on night freight. Fuel prices make the job harder to do and harder to keep, so be ready to deal with contract fuelers and haggle with FBOs for every penny. Flying is 5% of the job (*said as I sit here in FXE and try to get a major maintenance completed in a timely manner with no ****** ups, then get the thing to paint and interior and do it around company schedules) The good things about the job are the higher pay (see above and you won't wonder why) the faster advancement typically, the more relaxed environ if you are self-paced, motivated, relatively efficient and still have a few brain cells.

There are goods and bads for me, but I think I want to go back 135. On call work seems to be fine with me.

I fly a Sabreliner and a Caravan in the Philly area, if I can help any of you guys out, drop me a PM and let me know. I don't need pilots, but sometimes I know who does!

Take care!

 

The best job I had was flying a corporate airplane for a 91 operation...Then times got tough and the job went bye bye...I still keep my contacts though. Like FuelJetA says...There is more to corporate flying then just flying the airplane...Again it depends on each flight department. I used to fly for a Learjet Operation that required all it's pilots to help maintain the airplanes and assigned hanger duties. But I also worked for a flight department where you only flew the airplanes and nothing else...It's like everything else..."The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" jobs are out there!

 

I think I got "The Ugly."

 

Is this the same operation that was looking for a pilot not to long ago in the PHL area for a owner/Pilot. Do you have floats on your CE208? Your correct about finding the right Corp. gig. its taugh out there and you need to do some leg work to see if its worth your time. Not up in PHL much. Any connections down in FL? Look forward to chatting with you some time. Fly safe.

 

Just posted this on another board. I'll share...

Dreams do come true. Take mine for example. 22 years as a Mechanical Engineer in NYC designing buildings, married, house, etc. Had a PPL, flew for fun on weekends and always aspired to be an airline pilot. Saved my pennies and one day decided to move to South Florida, work part time as a mechanical engineer and pursue my dream of being a professional pilot. Got an instrument rating, then my CPL and finally the CFI. Mixed it up with banner towing over Ft. Lauderdale and Miami Beach. Flew for a local regional for one year as a B-1900 FO while continuing to work the engineer job part time. Decided part 121 wasn't my cup of tea (long hours, LOW pay) but received terrific training and experience. Now I am a Corporate pilot PIC flying well maintained, very sophisticated airplanes in paradise making 3X more salary then as a 121 FO and working fewer hours. Last night I dropped off my boss and his five friends in Nassau, Bahamas and flew back to FXE, single pilot, night IFR, weaving through level 3,4 and 5 cells using my Bendix radar and Garmin Nexrad. I'm very happy now. Dreams do come true if you do your homework first.

 

When I was flying a Hawker, I liked the fact that I was responsible for maintaining the plane. It felt like it was mine in a sense, and it was a direct reflection of me as a pilot. Also I liked being involved with flight ops much more that just closing the door and flying.

 

Hi everybody....new to this site, but already I am seeing what everybody's saying about corp/ 135 is the same as what I've seen from my 9 or so years in the business; I think I am finally lucky enough to have found a descent 91 job with great equipment! But boy , did I have to kiss some frogs to find this prince, let me tell ya!!