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Fractional v. Airlines?

Old 08-11-2014, 06:47 PM
  #11  
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I was airline for about 10 years, went corporate 91 after 9/11, now back at the airlines. To each his own. This is a ridiculous profession, might as well do what makes you happy because who knows how long it'll last.
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Old 08-12-2014, 01:24 AM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by dmncnpilot View Post
Not really. I've met a few that had the chance and said not no but heck no. I'd rather be strapped in to a C17 than a F16 any day.
Originally Posted by HercDriver130 View Post
the guy who graduated first in my UPT class chose a KC-10..... not everyone wants to fly fighters...
And yet people on this board have difficulty believing that not every pilot born wants to fly the *heavy metal*
It takes all types of people. Personally, I wanted to be a fighter pilot and a helo pilot (LOVE LOVE LOVE to fly low) and even wanted the KC-130 to travel the world at one point because I do just love to fly, but the one thing that I am pretty sure I didn't want to do, nor now want to do, was fly BIG airplanes up in the flight levels.
On this I agree with Zap....do what makes you happy and HOPE that it lasts
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Old 08-12-2014, 03:24 AM
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Originally Posted by USMCFLYR View Post
I liken this statement to those who say that being a fighter pilot is the holy grail of aviation, yet there is always the heavy/helo guy who says he had the grades and didn't chose fighters for a reason.

I believe both
I knew one guy in the Navy who wanted Helos so bad, he turned down TacAir TWICE. He had jet grades coming out of Primary and was offered an A-6 transition after his first cruise. Turned them down flat twice both times. Ended up being one of the seminal influences in the Combat SAR arm of the Navy.

Personally, I wanted to fly P-3s or C-130s out of Primary even though I had jet grades. But, that was because I was trying to use the Navy as an avenue to the airlines. I even volunteered to CQ in the T-28 in an effort to get E-2s but the T-28 CQ program was cancelled just a few weeks before I graduated Primary.

Sigh! Took an extra 5 years to get the multi-engine fixed wing time I needed to matriculate to the airlines. 5 years of lost seniority, but that's water over the bridge.
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Old 08-12-2014, 05:36 AM
  #14  
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One of the #1 guys around my timeframe wanted to follow in his 3-star father's footsteps and fly Cobras like his dad did in Vietnam.

Now....back on topic of Fractional -vs- Airlines.
They certainly seem like two different animals in the career path for the most part. Again, I'd rather fly large cabin corporate than airlines - but the trouble of finding those gems of a job in that world is even more remote than ending up in a grand position within the airlines I think - now I say I think because I am reiterating what I hear from peers in both worlds and from reading these boards.

We just had a guy leave my office who has been there flying for over 20 years I think for a very sweet corporate job flying a -605 up and down the east coast. We don't see to many people moving on so it was a surprise when he announced that he was moving on; but I also know that he was unhappy with his recent move to the traning depratment off of the international flying and has butted heads with management in the past - so maybe he was looking for a change, but so far he is really enjoying his new job. Another guy is his exact same situation has been pining about going back to United lately but has yet to make the move.

It seems to me that you would look at the lifestyle (QOL), the type of flying (like the destinations), the degree of hands on you want/or don't want (flight planning/logistics/etc...) and even the equipment (do you want that G-V or a -767) and then make your move towards whatever path would give you the best chance of reaching your goal. In another thread someone said 'If you want to be an airline pilot - be an airline pilot.' There are obviously exceptions and people move to different communities from different backgrounds, but once again I don't worry too much about the outriggers of the field - but rather look at the majority and the best chance of success probably comes from following the tried and true path to whichever seat you eventually choose.
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Old 08-13-2014, 04:53 AM
  #15  
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As the guys above are saying, do some homework of understanding the two different sectors, and chose what makes you happy.
If you come to corporate, stand your grounds, be a professional pilot, not a chauffeur, seek the best jobs, and don't throw you buddies under the bus.
There is a very important thing to consider: you can see pilots leaving GA to go to the majors everyday, but it will be very hard to see a pilot voluntarily leaving a major to go GA. This must be meaning something.
Nevertheless I know a couple of guys that would be absolutely bored with an airline job, they do want hands on management of the plane they fly, and they would never consider anything else than a corporate job.
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Old 08-13-2014, 05:43 AM
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Originally Posted by NoSidNoStar View Post
There is a very important thing to consider: you can see pilots leaving GA to go to the majors everyday, but it will be very hard to see a pilot voluntarily leaving a major to go GA. This must be meaning something.
Nevertheless I know a couple of guys that would be absolutely bored with an airline job, they do want hands on management of the plane they fly, and they would never consider anything else than a corporate job.
This is my point about corporate. If it was so good all the way around major guys would be bailing left and right to go do it. 121 major CA is still the most regarded position. As contract gains are made after the 9/11 givebacks, the career is going to begin the return back to some of its former compensation levels courtesy of DAL. The OP asked about which way to go and I just can't see a reason to go the fractional route. If the majors weren't hiring or furloughing I can see it but why go do the same job for much less upside potential.
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Old 08-13-2014, 07:22 AM
  #17  
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"the guy who graduated first in my UPT class chose a KC-10..... not everyone wants to fly fighters..." Reply With Quote

Bet he was looking for a airline job down the road.
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Old 08-13-2014, 08:29 AM
  #18  
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Great, thanks for the info. It sounds like staying on the Airlines path is a good way to go and if my research/networking leads me to a "good deal", I'll take it.
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Old 08-13-2014, 08:41 AM
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Good choice. I will repeat here what I wrote in another thread:
There are excellent corporate jobs out here, but one must admit that those are really rare, very hard to achieve, and very volatile. Those jobs are a very small percentage of the corporate jobs, very small in total numbers of positions. And they compare economically to the average major airline job.
But if you look at the top airline jobs, in the same equivalent percentage, you find pilots with remuneration packages north of 300k and country club QOL .
I can't get there neither at this point of my career, but to give a young kid the advice to not go for the major airline, base on income and QOL, only because that is the best we can do? That is misleading.
Additionally there are many more pilots, that started young enough, holding those top tier airline jobs, while many corporate pilots never make it to a "real job" no matter how many years the flew a mid size.
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Old 08-13-2014, 01:21 PM
  #20  
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Default "Life is what happens while you make plans"

The assumption is that one can make a decision now about the next thirty years. I work in an odd area of corporate aviation and I've meet hundreds of pilots in dozens of departments who were, or aspired to be, airline pilots. But, life, the economy, politics and so on interfered with the best of plans. Wives and families being a big influence. This is true on 6 continents; I've flown with ex-airline guys in South America (Brazilian airline turmoil), Australia and NZ (Ansett's crash) and various pilots in the M.E. Except for 5 years at EAL, not one part of my career went as planned.

Get used to it--it a crazy business that is dependant on someone spending big dollars, liking you to fly it.

The only decision that matters early on is to be be dedicated to really learning the craft of operating planes and being flexible enough to change plans when needed.
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