Day in the life at NetJets?
 

Congratulations on the new contract! I am a former regional 121 guy now flying 91/135 and have a few questions.

Do you get the airline miles?

Do they give you a company card?

Rental cars at overnights?

How are you transported from terminal to FBO, visa versa?

Vacation?


Thanks in advance,

BEEFF

Do you get the airline miles?

Lotssss

Do they give you a company card?

yes

Rental cars at overnights?

no, no time to do sht

How are you transported from terminal to FBO, visa versa?

5 bucks to the fbo line chik or dude does it

Vacation?

two 3 week vacations after 1st year, 3 after 5 years and four 3 week vacs after 10 yrs

Everything DA2Easy said is pretty much right on.

As far as overnights, and time off at hotels, it depends on the fleet. If they throw you into the Citation X, Excel, Falcon, Sovereign, or G-200, expect them to beat the crap out of you. lots of flying.

What I hear, Ultra and Beech Jet don't work as hard, plenty of time for a work-out or a couple of cold ones. If show at the FBO, always have something good to read.

Hawker 800 (which I'm in) kind of in the middle. My first two years they worked me hard, this year I haven't done anything. A lot of sitting around.

In regards to the 7/7, 15 day or 18 day options for your schedule, what are your opinions on the best QOL schedule. I'm currently a full timer in the Air National Guard after coming off Active Duty about a year ago and after being deployed 200-240 days a year, it's nice to be home for a change. I've toyed with the idea of going to the airlines, but my motivation for a 121 career has pretty much gone down the tubes for various reasons. The money as a full timer in the guard is pretty good, so I would be taking about a $25,000-30,000 pay cut to do the guard part time with starting pay at NJ, which I'm not *too* concerned with. What I am concerned with is the 7/7 schedule. I just don't think that's a great schedule for family life, but I could be wrong. With the guard, I'd also be looking at the weekend drill once a month, flying 3-4 times a month and an alert day here and there, so my 14 days "off" from NJ would turn into about 8 days off. Any other guard guys doing the NJ thing?

I'm not with NJ, but don't forget - you have the right to mil drop any trip you've got if it interferes with military duty you HAVE to do. My point is...you can still have respectable days off and mil drop a few trips here and there for military duty.

TankerDriver,
How the new 18-day fixed and 15-day flex schedules look on paper and how they will actually settle out will be two different things. The 7&7 is the only schedule that remains from the old contract. How many days you'll actually work on these new ones will depend on scheduling efficiency. You'd definitely have to be very flexible in order to work the new 15-day. The 18-day might prove to be a good schedule for those who are senior enough to get their preferences, but even if you don't, you'd know your scheduled work days by the 15th of the month prior. This one would have some long tours though, with 7's being common and the possibility of one 8-day per 4-month bid period.

I'm married with three kids and I tried to make the old 18-day reserve schedule work out, but my wife got tired of having to reschedule everything she tried to plan ahead, like medical appointments and such. I took the pay cut and went back on the 7&7 and things have been much better for us. I know my schedule won't change more than once per year unless I want it too. I guess it depends on how you prioritize the importance of tour length, schedule predictability and pay. Every family has different priorities. PM me if you have specific questions.

-NTFB

I don't know what tell you. I think 7 days away is hard, worst if you have kids. I came from the regionals, my wife was use to me being gone 3-4 days a time. It took a while for her to get use to the 7 days, now she says its no problem at all. I got a few friends with airlines, Spirit, Sun Country, regionals. They tell me NJ sounds like a good thing, but the only reason they don't try to come over is because of the 7 day schedule. Their wives would "never go for it".

Bottom line, 7 days is long but people get use to it.

There are MANY Guard and Reserve guys flying for Netjets. The company is incredibly pro-military. Scheduling will alway work around drill and TDY's. Pilots on long term deployment keep their benefits and continue to acrue seniority while away. Don't get too hung up on the 7 and 7. You're gone for 6 nights at a time, you get 21 days off whenever you take vacation, and no airline has a guy with 30 BILLION in the bank backing up your job.

NorthTexflyboy,
I am in the same situation except with the Navy - I am patiently waiting for an interview but wondering how the reserve sked will work at Netjets. with the 18 day sked could I drop trips to drill and not get in trouble??

You have the right to drop trips as required to do military duty. By the USERRA law, the company CAN NOT ask you the reason behind it nor chastise you for doing it. As long as you lawfully perform your military duty, there is absolutely nothing they can do to you.

Now, as far as tactfully informing the company about when and how long your mil leave is...well, that is up to you.