"First bit of advice... Never ask another pilot for advice.. Too many guys with way to many ego's.." Someone here once said this...they should take their own advice.

 

NJ is better than most 135 gigs even as a 10 year FO imho if you value a set schedule and living wherever you want. Sure most of us have apps in at the majors but they ain't calling yet. So in the meantime I will commute on company time, enjoy my free insurance, and try and eat their crappy crew food. If you have a better gig then don't apply but if you don't give it a try. It never hurts to apply and interview and then make a decision.

 

Upgrade at my gig was 2 years when I got hired… over 7 years ago. Guess how many years it will still take for me to upgrade? If they say 10, it will probably be less than 5. If they say 2, then it will probably take 10!

 

Come on don't ya have a poem to write about Big Momma?

 

Get a life , instead of being a negative troll with zero credibility

 

It's funny how this thread has derailed into a war of what is the better choice, NJA or a major airline.
Let me point out that every post here has its merit. Some are glad they left NJA for the greener pastures of the majors while others seems desperately trying to discredit them as a means of reinforcing their decision to stay (or their inability to leave).
The best way to look at NJA is that it's the best commuter job out there. There is a double meaning to this: yes we have one of the best commuter benefits of anywhere, but we also squeak by making just a bit more $$ than the commuter pilots. We are also a hybrid company in that we operate like an airline while doing corporate style trips. I have been at NJA for coming up on 9 years now and I will say it has been a furloughee life boat for me during that time, and a kind of waiting room for better gigs to open up. It has the potential of being a great career, but it has a ways to go to achieve what I would qualify as a career destination.
If you're a pilot like myself who lives out in the goonies and has no desire to relocate, NJA is as good a place as any. However, if you live anywhere close to major domicile where commuting would be a relatively simple affair, then I would say don't waste too much time getting on with the majors. Your quality of life and paycheck will be far superior than anything NJA can offer right now. Or come here for a quick type rating if you feel like getting one......

 

It never ceases to amaze me that some people cannot understand that not everyone wants the same thing. When I became a pilot, everyone talked about the airlines and how that was the final destination for a pilot...the top of the heap. I never did and ended up getting their simply because I could build jet time quicker, it paid more than my crap 135 gig, and my commute was short. I NEVER wanted to stay. I hated being part of a process that the vast majority of the customers hated..and the airlines did little to correct. When I told people what I did, I got all kinds of questions and comments about why the airlines does this or that...none of which I had the answers to. Also, when I was there, when the airline screwed up, I was quick to point out their failures and our attempts to remedy them. I was blasted for actually communicating with the customers and was praised by the customer for communicating with them. The airlines processed my paycheck...I worked for the customer, something that most pilots at 121 forget. When the rare crew actually goes above and beyond, I personally thank them either during the flight or on my way out.

When the time came to move, it was the best professional decision I have ever made. Netjets is not perfect, not by a wide mile...no aviation business is. A friend told me once "Its a great profession, but a crap career." He would chuckle at the airline guys he would talk to who told him it was nothing more than a job. When he talked to a few NJA/Flex/Flops types, he said them seemed more fulfilled with their jobs.

Money....money is a funny thing. I quit chasing it years ago because what I found out, was that there was never enough to make me quit chasing it. In the airlines, you are constantly leap frogging the next carrier. One carrier gets a new contract and you feel like you are getting screwed..because you know what, I need to make $500.00 an hour to support my excessive lifestyle, 3 ex'es, six boats, and a bunch of other crap I cannot afford. Now, I have zero debt minus a mortgage (which will be paid off in 7 years...15 years early) and plan on retiring earlier. We live in a smaller home which means less money going out the door. We will pay cash for our next house. I work about 5 months out of the year and know my schedule a year in advance. I get paid to commute...and have never begged for a seat on the airplane. When I go to work, I enjoy the fact that the next day might be a mystery. One day I will be in Newark (and hating it), the next I will be in East BuFu Montana...and loving it. I became a pilot in part for the adventure...not to become what most people consider a glorified bus driver. (Which I disagree with.)

Do what you love...and you will never work a day in your life. Money is NOT the ultimate currency...be happy is...and as much as some cannot grasp it, I am happy doing what I do.

If being at the airlines makes a pilot happy, good for them. I am glad that person has found a home there. And thanks for getting me to work and my family on vacation.

Finally, if anyone knows of a gig where I can wear shorts to work every day and maybe fly a Supercub, I am in. My ego does not demand I fly big iron...

 

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

 

Jungle,

Good information but all you are doing is throwing YOUR opinion around while not realizing that others are doing the same. Your lifestyle is your own, and in no way necessarily reflects how others should choose to live theirs.
I'm glad NJA is satisfying for you. But you are in the minority. I remember when I could hold a line with 17 days off (before using any sick time) while flying 3 day trips. That is a pipe dream at Netjets.
Ultimately, to each their own!

 

Blueridger makes some salient points , right o brother