I think the chances of being awarded the Phenom or the XL are relatively high considering those fleets are huge and most of those FOs are probably angling to get into bigger airframes. 3-5 legs per day on tour in the Phenom or XL wouldn't be easy for some people.

 

What airframe would you get if you are 6'2 and 220?

 

You'll get a delay in your class date of about a year after you've been "hired".

 

Why is that?

 

Most of the newhires will go into the Phenom 300 which is a very tight fit for anyone over roughly 6 feet tall (depends more on leg and torso length really). So if you are too big they put you in a pool until there are spots in something bigger. Some guys have been waiting since May 2015 for a class date

 

Honestly, the Phenom is a pretty sure bet if you're hired anytime soon. The biggest problem right now is that there is only 1 Phenom sim and it is running 24/7 just to get the recurrents through.

I'm right at 6 feet tall and the Phenom isn't all that bad of a fit for me. If you're more leg than torso, it gets a little tighter. Most of the legs are under 2 hours with a few exceptions. Usually 3-6 legs per day on most of my tours, but it really isn't too bad.

Big thing here is if you don't like having to do anything other than being a pilot, this isn't the best job for you. The extra work isn't all that bad, just clean out the cabin and stock the airplane (which is pretty easy given the size of the Phenom.) All in all, it's a very good place to work and the Phenom is a great fleet with a lot of good guys, as I am sure most of the other fleets are as well. Good luck if you're still waiting in the call!

 

I am getting new information that the last class was last year sometime (I think October) and no new hire classes are even scheduled yet. We are blasting through the first quarter which doesn't bode well for the hiring numbers we have heard previously.

 

Guy I know joined onto the Phenom in the last 18 months. He enjoys it and it's sports-car like handling and flying qualities. Flight deck is super automated if you like modern/advanced cockpits. Tours offer great variety of flying so far for him - he hit all 4 corners in the last tour with good hotels (although min rest on several layovers). And he loves knowing his schedule after years flying 135 charter with no real schedule - the opportunity for a schedule is a big improvement for him and was one big reason why he applied.

He likes the airplane, the performance, the variety of flying, lack of a commute (East Coast domicile with plenty of airline options to get to his airplane on Day 1) and his fellow pilots. The challenge for him has been the length of some legs in that relatively tight cockpit - some flights nearing 4 hours. Also, he has come to the realization that an opportunity to bid to a more ergonomic/comfy airplane is a ways off... 3-5 years or longer? Upgrade time also looks long - maybe 10-15 years... Take a look at this picture:

http://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/534001/cs-phc-netjets-europe-portugal-embraer-emb-505-phenom-300/

Not every leg is a long flight. However, this airplane is very capable and it can fly 3-4 hours easily and the owners know it. I am not sure the XLS is much of an improvement after 2-3 hours in that cockpit either.

 

You can move around into anything your seniority can hold -- provided a seat opens up during the bidding process.

However, as others have mentioned.... WHEN that opportunity presents itself is the big question.

Personally, I have flown three different aircraft types at this company.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

 

Upgrade time at NetJets is 10-15 years? Wow!