Hiring Minimums set in stone?
 

Just wondering if the 2500TT for Netjets, Flexjet, etc. are for there insurance, or just what they want. I have 2200TT, and 700 in the Excel, just wondering if I might get called if I submit my resume now?

The mins are set in stone. Don't bother sending your resume til you have the 2500TT. As soon as you hit the 2500, fire off the resume pronto!

Agree. Unless a company is really hurting for pilots/applicants (NJ is not), they are set in stone. Good idea to apply when you are getting close, you show them you are interested, but don't expect to be called until you are qualified.

Rarely are things set in stone, for anyone. I personally know a lot of exceptions. If you're close, send resumes. However if a company requires 2500TT and you have 250TT, don't waste your time.

I agree. I do know a pilot that was hired on at NJA with less than 2500TT (not much though). He did have over 1300 in the Citation Encore, which is supposedly granted a waiver.

I do know that they won't call you if you don't have an ATP.

I do have an ATP, and an Excel type rating with 700 in type so I was hoping that would help with a company like Netjets that has so many Excels, XLS. I will send my resume in and see how it goes, and not hold my breath! Thanks for all the replies.

The minimums are hard. Regardless of your XL type, if you are selected for the Excel, you will also be required to attend a full initial Excel course. Or you could be put in a Hawker.

These fractionals' minimums make no sense. You can go and fly a jet with 50-70 passengers for a regional with as low as 500 hours total, yet need 2500 hours and an ATP to fly right seat in a business jet thats carries 5-7 people. Something is not right with that.

The reason is that NetJets requires at least 2500 hours is that more experience typically, but not always, equates to higher levels of safety and NJA sells itself on safety, safety, safety. It's even in the owner's contracts that the pilots have at least 2500 hours. NetJets and the other fractionals fly into all kinds of airports and have a much more varied kind of flying that the airlines. You are always going to new places and experience allows for a higher level of safety when doing this since you have seen similar places and can anticipate potential problems better if you are more experienced. I flew with very low time pilots when I was a captain at the regionals and I saw first hand the lapses in safety that inexperience brings. I'm not saying somebody with low time can't fly the heck out of the airplane, but they just haven't seen as much to make good decisions as consistantly.

One of the reasons that NJA and other fractionals can dictate such high minimums is the fact that there doesn't seem to be a lack of qualified candidates.

Beyond that, the owners and passengers demand it. The general public paying $299 roundtrip doesn't give a lot of thought about flight safety or the experience of aircrews. However the clients of corporate and fractional flight departments front a heck of a lot more money (often millions) to have access to private aircraft.

When you have that much money, you can often dictate stricter terms (and ensure that they are being enforced). Many of the flights flown by fractional or corporate aircraft have the potential to have a much more significant impact on a company's operation if they go down over the typical airliner.