ZapBrannigan

Ok, call me crazy but I'll be devil's advocate here. If you've been to a job fair or WIA lately you probably saw the variable ocean of blue suits and red ties. The vast majority of these were RJ captains and, in most cases, their resumes were identical. Aside from the occasional check airman, there is nothing to make one stand out among the others.

Your corporate or fractional pilot with similarly competitive flight time, education etc, stands out from this crowd in that they have a proven track record of doing more than simply flying the airplane. At many operators the flight crew handles flight planning, weight and balance, performance, baggage handling, catering, ground transportation - you name it! I feel like that demonstrates an initiative that many RJ pilots won't have had the opportunity to demonstrate.

I am at an odd crossroads in my own career. Half of my professional flying life was part 121 (commuter - LCC - major), and the other half has been part 91 corporate. I'm considering returning to part 121 and hoping that the experience I've gained over the last decade flying light corporate jets would help me to stand out a bit - but I could be wrong.

kingairfun

While we know the amount of work and attention to detail that goes into frac/corporate flying, I think current 121 guys have a leg up. You'd be suprised at how many Major airline guys have either never heard of Netjets, or only know them as that "charter" company that Warren Buffett bought. IMO the draw with current regional guys is the fact they they have been indoctrinated into the 121 "culture".. People doing the hiring know nearly exactly what type of flying RJ guys have been doing for the last decade.

rememebr that a standard CRJ or ERJ is larger than most anything corporate guys can get in. And the E170 is pushing nearly 100K pounds, which is nearly the weight of a B717... From strictly an operational standpoint I think the regional guys have a leg up

bozobigtop

One poster already pointed out the fact with so many pilots equally qualified the only way to solve this dilemma is with connections. I can attest to the fact its a huge difference between a good connection and excellent connection. An excellent connection maybe a pilot who already works for that major airline in another capacity or a family/friend close enough to pull strings in order to make things happen.

jetlag7

Where do any of you think the majority of FO's at NetJets came from? A very large number were former Captains for 121 regional airlines.

Do you honestly think the 25 year old kid who has been flying an RJ back and forth to Kalamazoo for the last 7 years has a "leg up" over the 35 year old NetJets FO who flew the same RJ ten years earlier and now has several thousand hours of international experience added to their resume?

satpak77

in light of no retirement age, how old is the oldest Netjets dude

UCLAbruins

I know a couple of guys, 73-74... And they " wanna do it for 2 more years". Just plain selfish.

And I'm not talking about me moving up, I'm talking about the young guy that got furloughed 3 years ago and wants come back

UCLAbruins

Also here in the G-IV, G-V fleet we have around 8-10 guys that got furloughed by majors several years back, most United and Delta

Most are waiting to see what will happen once the displacements from the Gulfstreams start.

Sounds like most will stay if they get displaced into a Global, CL 605 or CL300 as captains......

satpak77

UCLA, what is a G captain at NetJets earning these days, ballpark

UCLAbruins

Hard to tell, they signed their own contracts. Most are still on the NJI pay scale, few switched over to the netjets payscale..

as far as the former NJI dudes go, my guess:
Junior G-IV captain around $150K
Senior G-V captain, $175- $190K

add to that 4 weeks vacation, free crew meals, free benefits, airline/hotels points and freedom to live whereever you want. It adds up. Still less than a major captain

satpak77

Wow, cool. While "less than a major captain" I wonder if a NetJets G-V captain's security and QOL is better. I would say yes.