I'm curious as to how the details for specific flights are worked out. Such as weight and balance and flight plans. I am being spoiled at my regional, we have electronic weight and balance (maybe everyone does, I don't know), where we get an ACARS message from our load agent with a passenger count and cargo weights. All we do is confirm the pax count with the flight attendant, and make sure all the weights (ZFW, Ramp Weight, takeoff, landing, etc.) are within limits off the airplane. Also we just print off our flight plan from dispatch which has the routing, and fuel planning, etc. All we really do is review everything to make sure all is in order, then off we go.

Is it similar in the fractional world? Does your company take care of the weight and balance calculations, fuel and flight planning? Or do the crews do most of the work manually?

I'm looking to move on from my regional, and am curious of what I would be getting into in the fractional world. Thanks

 

The flight plan is filed and the wt and balance is complete. Just grab the clearance, clean the back, set up the catering, coffee, ice, papers, change the lav, replace the standard stock, grab ref numbers, quick walk around, smile, safety brief and blast off. Pow tunrns forever buddy.

 

NetJets sure beats any regional. If that is what you really wanna know

 

Netjets makes sure everything is taken care of for us, if pax show up with an xtra golf bag or cheerleader we just call it in and they fax us the new weight and balance numbers. When we get to the FBO the pretty girl behind the counter hands us the flight plan that our dispatched faxed to them, all we do is program the FMS and say hi to the hot girls getting on the plane and go

 

NetJets runs like an airline. If you come from the airlines, you are going to hit the ground running, not much difference, same pace. Flew with an IOE captain last month, he said young guys from the regionals seem to fit right in, or as well as corporate dudes.

 

Avantair runs the opposite. It is all in our hands. The rumor is down the line that they will give us a suggested routing for best winds, once they get that program up and running.

I believe Citation Shares is the same way as is Alpha Flying. Not sure about the others.

 

At CS,pilots file, get wx (fltplan.com), and do the weight and balance.

 

Thanks guys, I was guessing there would be some differences between companies. I am getting ready to send my apps in to pretty much all of them and see what happens. This airline industry is getting scary (though I guess it always has been).

How are your overnights? I know you usually get pretty nice hotels, but do they give you decent time at the hotels, or is it mostly 9-10 hour overnights with just enough time to grab a nap and out early the next morning?

 

Flex sends us weather and flight plans. We do weight and balance - takes 30 seconds. We select fuel loads - they send us minimum for dispatch. Pretty simple stuff.

 

Hotels??? much better than the airlines (Hyatt, Hilton, Marriot) but the overnights suck, no time to do anything.

QOL on the road is better at the airlines, hotels suck, but you seem to have more time off and you actually know where you'll end you. Frax offer you better hotels, but 10 hr. tunrs

QOL at home, Frax kick a$$. There is no comparison, after flying for a fractional, the thought of going back to 121 flying is plain scary (at least for me).