Home Based / Non Domicile
 

Hey guys first post so please pardon any breaches in etiquette.

I'm a C-17 FPQ who is trying to move to Pittsburgh once I hit the 10 year mark, the problem is that it isn't really a domicile for anyone.

Does anyone have any gouge on any airlines/cargo companies other than ATI that do home base / non domiciles?

Omni, Kalitta, Atlas, Netjets, XOJet to name a few. Do your research though.


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Thanks man!

Anyone out there working for these guys? Any idea how the non domicile life compares to the domicile life? (i.e. more or less difficult)

Allegiant has a KPIT base, very small and no telling how long it’ll last

The vast majority of pilots are going to tell you that the domiciled gigs are better than the home-based ones, even if you commute.
Yes, living in base is king, but it's also a great privilege to live where you want and have the ability to commute to work.

Home-based gigs basically fall into either ACMI operators (Atlas, Southern, Kalitta, Omni, ATI etc) or Part 135 charters (XOJet, Nicholas, FlexJet, NetJets, etc.) And really, the fractionals aren't necessarily home-based as much as they list about 100 bases for you to live near, and PIT is always one of them.

So that said, the majority of current major airline 121 jobs are going to be better than the aforementioned home-based gigs for most people. In most cases, far superior. This is in terms of compensation, job security, retirement, schedule flexibility etc. In general, in order to recoup the loss of home-basing a pilot, you will be scheduled to be gone longer in order to not have to pay to position you as much. ACMI operators will routinely send you on 10-17 day trips, while the fractional life will have you on a 8/6 schedule (or 7/7 if you're lucky) on an endless loop.

Not worrying about a ride to work is great. I've done it. But even better is getting paid a lot more, having twice the retirement, and knowing my company isn't likely going anywhere.

Gotcha, that's exactly what I'm looking for! 2 follow ups if you don't mind.

1. Do the ACMI operators have a sketchy history? Have they laid off a lot of pilots in the past?

2. Any ballpark idea on how much less pay those guys are getting compared to one of the majors? 10%? 15%?

Look at Omni and Kalitta for ACMI. They have decent pay and contracts. Avoid Atlas. I love being home based and don’t miss commuting. I’m not applying to the big 3 legacies anymore if that says anything. The caveat is that you’re gone for a couple weeks in a row. Might be hard with young kids at home. But having a zero stress commute because I can board with group 1 with my statuses is a nice perk.


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Hop on over to the cargo section and read the Kalitta info thread. You'll find a lot of good stuff there. Or PM me if interested. The pay rates are on APC.

Home basing is the greatest. Live (almost) anywhere and just drive to work.

I commuted for years. No more. I recommend home basing be placed high in the mix of factors in your job search criteria. That's just me though. YMMV