Bbourne2009

This is for anyone who has worked at multiple corporate operators who can tell me the difference in general quality of flight operations between say a smaller company as compared to one of the top fortune 500 companies.

Are there any major differences in pilots duties. I've read horror stories of pilots being treated like slaves with barely any time off, washing cars and boats and planes and mopping hangars etc. How about pay? Do top companies in say the fortune 50 who have aviation dept. follow the same standards for pay. Also, do you expect more on call or set schedule? I think that is one I may already know and it would vary based on fleet size and amount of pilots. Or at least I think it varies from what I've heard. Benefits, advancement or upgrades within the company? Anything you may have know will help. Thanks

Brandon

BoilerUP

Being Fortune 500 doesn't necessarily mean you'll have a department that is well-staffed, follows best practices, and compensates pilots well.

Working for a small operator doesn't necessarily mean you'll be grossly underpaid while flying with a cowboy every weekend and 6 days a week that can't get a job doing anything else, and stuck being an executive admin when you're not flying, etc.

I work for a small business (<70 employees). We are responsible for light cleaning on the airplanes (wipe off the bugs, vacuum, spot clean interior carpet, etc) but have a professional detailer do wash/wax/carpet extractions. I don't have to go to the office unless I have something to do there, and have no duties other than managing our airplanes. I'm not an errand boy, though our CEO does ask us to transport some cargo to and from our office at times, and I've been known to drop a suitcase at the CEO's home (<10min from my own house) if we drop him somewhere on an extended trip.

I'm sure the worst offenders of treating pilots like expendable help are high-net worth individuals or small companies...but the quality of any job is kind of subjective and depends greatly on the leadership of the flight department manager and the upper management of the company.

Bbourne2009

Thanks,

What about dispatching? Is that something the pilot is usually responsible for or is that also gonna vary depending on the company

billythekid

Depends on what you mean by dispatching..... Pilots can file flight plans in about a minute so it's best handled by them. Overseas it's generally done by handlers who get the permits, slots etc (although some pilots are pretty proficient at it and get it done for cheaper---while being in control of everything).
With larger fleets---schedulers seen to be the norm, and they can do rental cars, hotels, catering, etc as necessary. Of course, a hotel room is a phone call away from a resourceful pilot.
It seems the larger flight department end up having more "support." That said, a 2-4 pilot 1 plane operation can be a great thing---as the pilots can control things as they wish (provided they are competent in things beyond flying the plane).