Has anyone made the move from the Airlines (majors) to a corporate gig? How about the reverse?

What are your thoughts? Regrets? Interested in different experiences.

Thanks

 

I've never done Pt 121, but we have several guys in our large department that have made that jump. Some of them didn't have any internal recs, either. FWIW, they all love the switch.

 

I am the chief pilot for a 91 operation with several large cabin jets. Our pilots are about 50/50 (former major 121 guys/ always 91 guys). The 121 guys are extremely happy with the switch although there is quite a big learning curve at first. The flying is the easy part and these guys can fly the airplanes and operate the FMSs with no problems. The hard part of their transition was the fact that they are responsible for a lot more of the details that go into a flight than they were used to at the airlines. Now they have to obtain and maintain the currency of their passport and applicable visas, preflight planning, hotels, rental cars for crew and pax, coordinate with FA on catering, obtain hangar and other services from handler at outstations, review performance and maintain proficiency for airports such as Aspen, Innsbruck, Samedan, Chambery, fuel, water, lav service, hotel pick ups, etc..... Most of the guys transition well but we have had a couple that couldn't handle the transition and had to send them on their way. With that said we have had some 91 guys that couldn't handle the increase in responsibilities from flying a small to midsize jet domestic to a larger more international operation like ours either. Keep an open mind and follow the advice on the guys that are already in place. Don't have the attitude that since you are the captain you don't have to do those duties. As a crew we all pitch in on post flight to button up and clean up the aircraft so its ready for its next flight. Lets say if one of our guys completes a post flight duty early he usually jumps in the cabin and helps the FA vacuum or wipe down the cabin. Above all we expect safety as the number one priority and after that the pax are next in line. Make sure their experience onboard is second to none. My .02 cents worth and sorry for the long post.

 

Great post! I enjoyed going from the 121 world to part 91.

 

I appreciate the time you took to explain that all -- Very informative and exactly what I was looking for.

 

Anybody else get the impression that a lot of these large part 91/135 departments are staffed by folks who were turned down several times by legacy carriers?

Disclaimer: This is not an insult, this is an honest question.

 

With no experience and just observation, I don't think this is true. Corporate aviation seems to be more of a closed circle that grooms their own. Its a whole different world and requires a whole different mindset.

Its definitely hard to break into since they seem to prefer guys either with corporate experience or networking contacts.

 

Surfnski,

I get around to quite a few flight departments in my work; actually I meet a lot corporate guys and gals that were furloughed or disgusted with the airline. They populate quite a few departments here and overseas. I've flown with ex-Delta, ex-AA, ex-TW, lots of ex-UA guys in our and other departments. Last month I flew with an ex-CX pilot and meet a retired SQ pilot who now flies a Challenger in Asia.

It all depends on the T&C, QOL, is the job in a city they want to live in, etc. Our 2 UA and 2 AA guys aren't going back--the UA guys resigned on the second recall, pretty final. I'm ex-EA, BTW.

GF

 

Another thing to note is part 91 can vary quite a bit.

Some flight departments will run 2 pilots per a plane and your on call 24/7. Some places you will have "hard" days off. The "pilot duties" can vary as well. Some will have to wash/clean plane. Some will have you organize mx. Some will even make you sit at the hangar. Stay away from them haha.

A good place would have "hard days off" during a month. At least 3 guys per a plane so you get a schedule. Preferably a mx manager.

 

I'm an early retire from NWA, after seven years my wife said if I want to keep spending money on international hunts and buying more farm land I had to get another job.

The biggest benefit to 91/135 that I am seeing is getting to actually take care of my passengers (aka; bill paying customers), never got to do that at the airlines. It's actually very satisfying to exceed their expectations. Having flown my own GA airplanes for years, the flight planning and service/maintenance logistics are not a big challenge.

We were definitely coddled as pilots at the airlines. I knew it all along, many do not and some who try to make the jump are not successful.