Originally Posted by TexasLonghorn

ILC shoots for 180 scheduled days a year, and is a salaried position. Scheduling is done by the aircraft commander. 5 pilots (1 Commander 4 Captains) per aircraft. ILC includes a 35% bonus.

DRL you can work as much or little as your team allows. 3 captains per aircraft. DRL includes a 20% bonus + $4k fuel savings bonus.

Looking at pay comparisons w/ following assumptions: 180 days worked + per diem, no bonuses included. Starting the ILC payscale after 3 years on property, as it is dependent on hire date + longevity in the program. So year 3 DRL is equal to year 1 ILC.

Year 3 CA:
DRL: $149760 / ILC: $190,800
Year 6 CA:
DRL: $163,980 / ILC: $207,800
Year 10 CA:
DRL: $179,820 / ILC: $228,800
Year 15 CA:
DRL: $216,360 / ILC: $258,800
Year 18 CA;
DRL: $237,240 / ILC: $270,800

Now looking at the same years, adding in bonuses and deferred income:

Year 3 CA:
DRL: $190,203 / ILC: $253,800
Year 6 CA:
DRL: $208,077 / ILC: $287,790
Year 10 CA:
DRL: $234,980 / ILC: $317,400
Year 15:
DRL: $273,871 / ILC: $374,400
Year 18:
DRL: $300,104 / ILC: $391,920

It's possible to make more in DRL than ILC, simply because DRL is a daily rate vs salary, so the more you work the more you make, but it's never going to be possible working the same amount of days. Even running DRL with an extra 40 days worked at year 18 you're looking at a discrepancy of ~$30K.

DRL allows for much better schedule flexibility and the odds of you being on the other side of the world if you need to get home due to a family emergency are slim to none.

ILC pays more because you're expected to provide the company with much greater scheduling control, and some of the operations are much more complex.

It really comes down to what your priorities are.

Originally Posted by IMaFracGOD

Good deal the biggest thing to remember is that the top salary of ILC is predicated on making a 35% bonus. The 35% is new, been adjusted from what it was before and I know before nobody made max bonus

Originally Posted by 500RVR

Friend starts early December. With present growth and attrition how likely would it be for a new hire to get DRL or ILC at around the 1 year mark?

As far as interviewing and a slot based on merit, how difficult is it to be selected? If one is a good pilot and a hard worker with strong customer service skills etc, what do they look for and how likely to be selected?

Are both DRL & ILC staffed by CA’s in both seats?

Thank you, Happy Thanksgiving.

Originally Posted by TexasLonghorn

Current DRL upgrade is running at about 18 months, it's never gotten down to a 12 month upgrade into DRL. Lowest was 14 months, but upgrades have slowed slightly on DRL. DRL is strictly for PICs in the Challenger and Praetor fleets, SICs are not part of the DRL program, regardless of fleet.

ILC is a crap shoot. Everyone who is trying to get into the program is at a baseline minimum a good pilot and a hard worker with strong customer service skills. Those attributes alone will not make you a competitive candidate. Your ability to network with current ILC pilots, market yourself to the company, and have a strong resume with some sort of distinguishing feature (e.g. former LCA, prior management experience, prior Gulfstream time, etc.) are all going to take you down a more successful path. Your friend will be competing against dozens if not hundreds of other candidates for a dwindling pool of open positions. 2022 and 2023 were large growth years for both Gulfstream fleets, and until we start to see the G500 and/or G700 on property, I think the major hiring boon for ILC has already passed. It takes some pilots 1 interview to successfully find a team, but usually you'll have to interview mulitple times with multiple commanders before you find that right fit. I went through well over half a dozen interviews before I made it into the program.

Best of luck to your friend it's a good time to be here, and hopefully that sentiment is still true in another 12-24 months.

Originally Posted by SandMan2

What's the bonus structure for the PBs guys? I hear 10%? Also, any idea of training pay?

Originally Posted by TexasLonghorn

Current DRL upgrade is running at about 18 months, it's never gotten down to a 12 month upgrade into DRL. Lowest was 14 months, but upgrades have slowed slightly on DRL. DRL is strictly for PICs in the Challenger and Praetor fleets, SICs are not part of the DRL program, regardless of fleet.

ILC is a crap shoot. Everyone who is trying to get into the program is at a baseline minimum a good pilot and a hard worker with strong customer service skills. Those attributes alone will not make you a competitive candidate. Your ability to network with current ILC pilots, market yourself to the company, and have a strong resume with some sort of distinguishing feature (e.g. former LCA, prior management experience, prior Gulfstream time, etc.) are all going to take you down a more successful path. Your friend will be competing against dozens if not hundreds of other candidates for a dwindling pool of open positions. 2022 and 2023 were large growth years for both Gulfstream fleets, and until we start to see the G500 and/or G700 on property, I think the major hiring boon for ILC has already passed. It takes some pilots 1 interview to successfully find a team, but usually you'll have to interview mulitple times with multiple commanders before you find that right fit. I went through well over half a dozen interviews before I made it into the program.

Best of luck to your friend it's a good time to be here, and hopefully that sentiment is still true in another 12-24 months.

Originally Posted by FiveOh911

TexasLonghorn, may I pm you a few questions?

Originally Posted by TexasLonghorn

Sure, feel free.