Just wondering if this is a common occurrence and if someone who has made the move care to comment.
I do have previous corporate experience but it has been a while.
Thanks.

 

Why do retired 121 pilots want to do the 91/135 thing so bad?

If you were silver spooned on a wide body, you'll be working so hard in 135/frac it's going to be unrecognizable. 8-10 days a month off is not uncommon for smaller operators. Especially 135.

 

NetJets hired lots of retired airline pilots when retirement age was 60 and their pensions had just been obliterated. I believe there have been some hired after retiring at age 65, but it isn't an easy job. During training you will be in company indoc for a couple of weeks and then sim and ground will be around 21 straight days. There will ne a little gap between. Then during IOE you will be on the 18 day a month with no set days off training schedule for however long it takes to get you through. Then they will probably allow you on the 7&7 unless you want to work the schedules that average 18 or 19 days a month. You will load bags, clean and restock the airplane, brief the pax, and have an average of about 12 hours off between duty periods. You will most likely get put into either the Phenom 300 or Lattitude. You will be seat locked for 39 months and probably not be able to hold the Global as an SIC for at least 8 years and PIC in the Phenom would probably be around 10 if hired now. Currently Global SIC is 13 years and so is Phenom PIC. It is a lot of work for the money. I would suggest doing your best to make contacts in the corporate aviation world if you want a more laid back amount of work (though probably no solid schedule for days off). Good luck whatever you decide.

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JTF is on the mark. If fractional is the way you want to go make sure you totally understand what it is you are getting into. There is no doubt that you have a lot of 121 flying experience. Some of that will transfer to the 91k/135 world, some of it won’t. Best of luck to you.

 

Thanks for the replies. Still got 5 years to go , was just curious.
I did fly a Cessna 441 corporate back in the day so I am a little familiar with the corporate and 135 world.

 

Some companies are better then others.

 

Check out the XoJet threads. A recent hire (Chase) evidently retired from SWA and he has written extensively about his experience transitioning to the 135 world with XoJet. He seems to really like his new job.

 

And he’s a great guy!

 

Yeah, it’s more like a regional airline for rich people except that you are the gate agent, loader, flight attendant, complaint resolution officer and sometimes even the fueler.

I flew with a lot of great retired 121 guys at my former fractional. Lots of good experience, stories and camaraderie. I can’t say that any of them were a ton of help aft if the flight deck although some of them truly tried.

And not a few finished their career by crashing the sim or doing something stupid as their skills diminished.

Given the choice I’d get my jollies in a 182 or something over being on the road 180-208 days a year busting my hump in a Phenom.

 

Viking

Sent you a PM. Call when free

5 yrs is a long time in one sense..I would've said "no way" at that point but I had never been away from flying for 35 yrs at that point and thought I would t miss it. I was wrong..not the money, not the bag drags but the mental/physical challenge and certainly the 135 has renewed my love of flying.

Not for everyone..you gotta really love it and are willing to work. Good to start planning ahead for sure because in the other sense..5 yrs will fly by! It did for me.

One of several overviews based upon my start at XO in May. Sorry in advance for the length, trying to capture a lot is hard to do in 144 characters. https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/fractional/60366-xojet-158.html#post2825512