Your experience going from 121 to 91...please
 

I'd like to hear from some of you who have left the airlines behind in hopes of finding greener pastures in corporate aviation.

In particular, what are some things worth noting to those thinking of making the switch that perhaps may not be so obvious.

Many thanks.

I made the switch in 09 after 5+ years at the regionals. Best move I ever made.
There is no way I could ever go back to the airline life now.
Every guy will have his pros and cons, and every corporate job is different as well.
The basic premise of corporate is that the boss can treat you as a tool or a part of the family. Hopefully you receive the latter.

For me....
Pros
- no more airline Managment
- no more whiney paxs
- no more less than deserved pay
- I eat well
- better destinations
- fly for one family/business and you know your paxs
- great fellow pilots and cabin attendants.
- NO UNION!!!
- maintenance is great. Plane always in 100% working order.
- fuel, hotel and airline rewards points
- at training, you are a paying customer vs a willing victim.

Cons
- no set Sked (although we work together to secure days off)
- no non-rev bennies (although your pay should compensate for that)
- some corporate gigs are 24/7 on call.
- load bags, clean and stock airplane (some guys whine about this, IMHO, that's why you get paid more and part if corporate)


Hope this helps! Would be the best move you could ever make

I went from 121 regional FO to a small two pilot Part 91 Citation II Co-Captain, and was promoted to Chief Pilot after 3.5 months due to then-CP's departure.

I love my job - LOVE MY JOB - but there are pros and cons to both sides of the industry and I could be happy if I went back to 121. Do NOT fall into a "Grass is greener" trap...many people do.

The biggest pro I see is that I feel like I actually contribute positively to the company's success, where at the regional I felt like nothing more than a liability on a balance sheet. The biggest con is that 91 jobs run the gamut - be it a large multinational corporation or small mom & pop company, the job might be good or it might be crap...Fortune 500 is not a guarantee a job is "good".

I work for a small private company (50ish employees) with a president/CEO/owner/founder/HMFIC that is fiercely defensive of the aircraft and doesn't hesitate to use them. He treats his two pilots very well, no micromanagement, complete trust with the operation. The downside to that is I don't know how long I'd keep my job if God forbid he got hit by a bus tomorrow...but I suppose the same could be said of a public company having a terrible quarter or two and needing to satiate shareholders.

I love my job - LOVE MY JOB - and believe it is more personally fulfilling than most 121 jobs would be. That said, I could be happy if I ever went back to 121 because I wouldn't have to answer my phone when I was "off duty", wouldn't have to think about how my absence for any reason would impact the operation, wouldn't fret as much about the company's financial situation, etc etc.

A job is a means to paying your bills, supporting your family, buying toys and saving for retirement. Find something you can enjoy (or at least tolerate) and do it...

I left a regional for a start-up corporate department. Single plane (King Air 200 at the time) and single pilot. It's still single pilot, but we've grown into a CJ2. Great plane that works exceedingly well for us. I don't ever see us needing anything bigger and have no aspirations to fly anything bigger.

I'd pretty much quote RI380's post word for word for the positives. I typically know my schedule several weeks to a month in advance, sometimes further out. I fly and manage the aircraft and all aspects of the flight department and am compensated accordingly. I stay where I want, have a rental car everywhere I go, and put all my expenses on the company card. I'm family to the aircraft owners and the aircraft is a source of pride for the company.

I've never looked back and wouldn't leave if SWA called tomorrow.

Airlines: you fly airplane from point a to point b. You have dispatchers, schedulers, gate agents, flight attendants, and many others doing a lot of the work for you. Yes, you are PIC and have the final authority but the support you have is huge.
Corporate: you are all of the above. Every detail is riding on you, expectations for perfection are all on you. The guy in the back is not just a nameless paying passenger. He (or she) is not riding on an airliner because he can afford not to.
Airlines: you know your schedule, play by the rules, remain anonymous if you want.
Corporate, schedule varies wildly, rules change, and the boss knows you. But the benefits of the corporate lifestyle.....oh boy, ain't never had nothing so good like that at the airlines!
I've been doing this for nearly 30 years, loved the airlines but very glad I'm experiencing the other side.

121 pax to 121 Cargo.

90% of your problems are with the SLF. Cargo rocks. No uniforms, no TSA, no SLF, no crew. No worries.

Well said!

91 jobs can be excellent, and they could be a nightmare too.

Here are some samples of a bad 91 job:

"How soon can you be at an airport? We need to go in one hour, and we'll be gone for 2 weeks." This should be the exception, not the rule. Sadly, this is the norm at some places.

"You'll have to share the hotel room with your copilot." Believe it or not...

"I must be at XYZ at noon. I don't care what you have to do, but if you don't get me there at noon, start looking for another job..." while XYZ is below landing minima.

You get the point. When you interview for a 91 job, remember, you're also interviewing them. Some gigs may not be worth making the switch. Others would make legacy 121 captain jobs subpar in comparison. Some are hidden gems, some are known rotating doors. The key is to pay close attention, do your own due diligence and then make your decision.

Ex-121 guy here.... Commuter airline, then to a major where i got furloughed, now at Netjets

I like Netjets better. I got bored at the airlines

Many thanks for taking the time to respond. All good stuff.

After being furloughed from World I went out on a limb and paid to get BE200 current knowing that there were lots of 200 opportunities near me. I flew as a contract pilot for a little over a year and although I liked it, the schedule was a pain. And the money was only ok. I kept looking for a new airline gig. But, after being contracted by a guy that owns a car dealership a few times, he decided he wanted me to be his guy. Now I make ridiculous money and don't work more than 8 to 10 days a month. My boss is the most laid back guy ever. I'm basically part of the family now. When I have to stay in his town, I just stay at his house now. I'm included on family vacations if I want to join. And when it's just he and I in the plane, he sits up front to visit cause he feels weird sitting in back like I'm just his driver. And any time there are open seats, I can bring whoever I want. I typically bring my wife but sometimes I'll take friends looking for experience. Also, the uniform? I wear shorts and a polo in summer and jeans or cargos in winter. I always joke with my boss and say I can wear the full uniform if he wants and he said that I better not after laughing at a BE90 pilot in full airline uniform including the hat.

I have a great deal but I know it's not the norm. Now I don't have any apps out there and wouldn't leave for almost anything.

Good luck to anyone trying to make the switch. Being furloughed was the greatest thing to ever happen to me.