Nicholasair? Worth pursuing?
 

On the Fractional side I follow a lot of threads on the big boys,
NJT, GAMA/WU, FJT, and XO to name what appears to be the most dominant players.

Any gauge on Nicholasair and any others worth mentioning for opportunity. I have seen comments like “Dumpster Fire” and other negatives towards some these companies. Would love to hear from the pilots past and present to form legitimate opinions of some of these flight departments. I don’t want any surprises and get stuck fighting a training bond.

Also, speaking of training bonds, do they go in perpetuity. Nicholasair told me I would have to agree to a training bond for the initial type and then every 6 months a recurrent bond. This sounds like indentured servitude. When does it end. They didn’t answer my question. Maybe I should start a new thread on this issue.

Thanks.

Training bond for recurrent pretty much answers any questions you might have, surely? And in this market...how could they conceivably find anyone?

Thanks, looking forward to the dialogue.

I surmised as much about the deep hook Nicholasair wants to inject.

I agree about their recruiting troubles with experienced airmen.

I think the biggest impediments to the less than ethical flight departments is the ability for pilots to share their knowledge and shine a light on some of these operators.

I felt sorry for the recruiter when she kind of stumbled through the explanation of the training bond requirement.

It is a no go I for me but I really appreciate the thoughts from the forum.

Best decision you ever made. I know the operation well. 3 good friends are there and can't get out. Leave one day early, you owe the whole thing. THEY WILL COME FOR YOU, THEY WILL FIND YOU, THEY WILL SUE THE PANTS OFF OF YOU! 90 Day notice required to vacate, then you go on 'the list' and good luck with that.

The regionals are hiring BIG TIME! Go fly an E175 for Skywest or Republic.

I will echo the sentiments of most everyone when I say to stay away from this place unless they are your only resort. Even then, I’d carefully consider what I was about to get myself into.

The training contract is the only way they keep pilots. Very few stay there longer than a year. Why? Because management treats pilots like crap. How exactly? You’ll routinely be asked to break rules, and when you don’t play along nicely, they will “casually” remind you that you can be fired for any reason and then will owe the full cost of the training contract. Break that contract and they will come after you. It’s the glue that holds the place together. Without it, almost nobody would stay. The only way they get pilots there in the first place is because people don’t do their homework before signing the contract. Speaking of contracts, NA requires a 90 day notice before you leave or you are in breach. Think about that for a minute! What decent company requires anything close to that? It’s ridiculous!

Don’t get suckered into going there by the flashy website and marketing. It’s lipstick on a pig. But if you are foolish enough to fall for it and play along, you’ll fit right in because they will routinely have you lie to the passengers you carry. That is of course after you hand them a welcome aboard letter with a prominent Bible verse based on the aircraft’s tail number.

Training contracts
 

No problem with training contracts , put the shoe on the other foot , they run a company that requires a commitment from an employee , the training is pricey ............ You need a job . What is the problem dudes ? My first jet job required a 2 year training contract commitment because I was not trained in that aircraft , a Falcon 20 , it was the best move I ever made in my flying career .......... Dont be so damn arrogant

**** that. Training costs are something you include in your business plan. Along with expected turnover. That's nearly every business by the way, not just aviation.

It’s one thing to work at a dirtbag operator because you’re low time and have no options, but if you’re in a position to work somewhere that’s actually worth a ****, a training contract is a good indicator to look elsewhere.

Arrogance...when one shows up to submit their irrelevant 2 cents 6 months after the last comment and use poor grammar while doing so. Do a little research on this place and you’ll quickly find out it’s not worth the risk taking their “Promissory Note”.