Originally Posted by B727DRVR

Welcome to APC Forums and congratulations on your first post! Quite a doozy for your first one, I must say..

But I just can't allow this tripe to go unanswered... Your assertions are untrue, ridiculous, and preposterous. First off, and no matter where you fly, everything is the final responsibility of the Captain. In my four years as Captain here, and my time as an First Officer prior, I have NEVER been TOLD to do something illegal or unsafe, NEVER! Has Flight Control ever ASKED me if I can make into Aspen when it is getting close to sunset or when winds are on the edge of our tailwind component....? Sure. Guess what, as a professional, I will endeavor to complete the mission if I was able to legally and safely, in that order... Otherwise, I simply exert my Captain's Authority and simply tell them no (I do try to offer proactive options, though..) As a new Captain, I was asked to go into Aspen, but I respectfully reminded the equally new flight controller that while I was close on PIC time, I was still at High Mins and was unable to go to a Special Airport yet.. Another Captain took the trip. A non-event with zero consequences. Did a Part 121 dispatcher ever ASK me if I could do something that was questionable? Absolutely, but that was why I was paid to be a Captain (and paid to tell them no), with 0 consequences.

Yes, our crews (not just the Captain) do the risk assesment (on our Company App), the digital Flight Log (on our App), file the flight plan, do the weight and balance and performance on Foreflight, and it is NO BIG DEAL. Coming from the releases in the 121 world, where I caught innocent mistakes by dispatchers, I personally ENJOY having "skin in the game" by doing our own planning. In addition, and in an attempt to mentor my First Officers, we first do all this together and then I have the First Officer do everything to get them in the Captain mindset (We review it together, of course..).

Also preposterous is the "no support from the Company" claim. Absolutely, incredibly Ridiculous! Do I have "no support" when the Company is arranging handlers in Mexico, the Carribean, Central and South America? Of course not. Do I have "no support" when the Company is arranging a Cuban Overflight Permit, Domestic and International Customs? Of course not. Did I have "no support" from the Company when Hurricane Florence was heading dead center toward my home and I was concerned about getting home with flight cancellations? Of course not..: The Company moved trips around and had myself and another crewmember just FLY THE JET HOME (and had a crew there to get it out of the storm's path). The Company also called to check on us and offered to put us up in a hotel when we lost power.. Real scumbags, huh? Did I have "no support" from the Company when I slipped on the ice post-flighting a jet (getting a concussion) and the Company dropped a $1300 last minute ticket to get me home, calling my Wife to let her know, and then calling to check on me? Of course not. And finally did all our pilots and other employees have "no support" from the Company when Covid 19 hit and there was blood in the water from many, even most of our competitors, who either shut down all together, furloughed pilots, or gave pay cuts or forced leave of absences? Of course not: flyExclusive management made the difficult (and what is now considered brilliant) decision to keep our pilots and other employees at home, WITH FULL PAY, while our friends at larger carriers were either forced into forced leave of absences and pay cuts. This was brilliant because it set us on our trajectory of growth and sucess by being ready with pilots, maintainers, dispatch, etc. when the floodgates opened in May 2020. We were one of the only companies on the PLANET that was hiring pilots and other employees in June 2020.

Bottom line, for here and everywhere else that I have flown, the proposed trip is either SAFE/UNSAFE, LEGAL/ILLEGAL, and MELable/NON-MELable. PERIOD!!!

Thank you, come again... And again, welcome to APC Forums and congratulations on your first post.

Originally Posted by captjns

Judging from Av8fly1's second post, who is nothing more than a keyboard commando, is nothing more than a little troll residing in his parents' basement.

Originally Posted by tdk90

Saw a recent advert for DEC CL350 possibly non-rated, seems like a a lot of flight duty pay to add to basic salary, what's a good ballpark figure for YR1 ?

Originally Posted by B727DRVR

Hey JDK,

Our first CL350 arrived yesterday, so it's going to be a little while for paint, interior, conformity, and FAA Route checks as the other ones start showing up quickly. We are hiring a small number of Direct Entry Captains to get our fleet up and running, and most of the rest of the pilots will be internal upgrades to take care of our own first. As is often the case when we are starting a new fleet, our salary itself is less than our competitors, but the pay historically comes up quickly.. Our hourly bonus that starts at flight time over 20 hours adds up quickly, with an extra $1000 bonus at 40, 50, and 60 hours. I.e, if you fly 60 hours in a month, you will get $4000 bonus, plus another $3000 bonus for meeting the 40, 50, and 60 hour gates. So, theres that. I'd say, guessing, $165-$175K, if you fly 40 hours per month, which is under our average. I hope that helps.

Originally Posted by PrivateFlyer

What nobody wants to talk about is how the company is still treating people poorly who have been long time loyal employees. Yes sure the first fancy "new" Challenger arrived, but what they don't like to address is how they're going to have pilots transition to fly it. All of the Gulfstreams have recently been parked and sold. All of the Flight Attendants have been let go, and any remaining GIV pilots who haven't already quit are being offered downgrades with training dates months and months in the future along with associated pay cuts without any prior pay rate protections. If someone desires to fly the Challenger, either from being forced downgraded from the Gulfstreams or wants to internal upgrade from say the light jet fleet they must sign a non industry standard 2 year training contract rated at $60,000. Claims of doing internal upgrades based on seniority have also been false. Some have been skipped over unfairly and left with empty promises. Hiring direct entry captains who skip over already qualified talent on property hurts moral and slows personal growth. But new pilogs at year 1 pay are cheaper than tenured pilots who are too expensive. Transparency is as clear as muddy water. While some people on here paint a pretty picture because they look at different values is fine, but don't neglect or cover up the rest of the full story. Just make sure to ask all the questions and evaluate what you really what out of a company based on how they treat their employees. It may be sunshine and roses on the smaller fleet with their new toys, however that is not uniform across the board as numerous people are stil leaving each mouth looking for better opportunities. Take it all into consideration.