For anyone thinking of coming to Boutique, either as a street captain or SIC, you should really rethink your choice for many reasons. Below is just a small sample size of the issues I have encountered at Boutique. Maybe not everyone’s experience is the same, but this is mine.
First of all the maintenance here is sketchy at best and our mechanics are usually brand new with no experience. I have seen on numerous occasions maintenance fixing things the wrong way, such as installing brake pads wrong or wiring things backwards. I’m not saying mistakes don’t happen but it seems like they happen quite often here. The same problems keep popping up time and time again.
Secondly, the schedules have turned into absolute crap. A lot of traveling out of base, a lot of single pilot operations in weather and a lot of back to back overnights. I’m not complaining too much about the overnights but it wasn’t always like this.
Another reason is you will be pressured into flying in unsafe aircraft in unsafe weather. Over the summer, crews were assigned aircraft with no pressurization and no air conditioning and had to fly for hours at altitudes below 10000 feet, dodging thunderstorms, making passengers sick and pilots fatigued. This was an everyday thing. Or having to divert to another airport due to high winds at the destination (31 gusting to 41-direct crosswind) and being told by the chief pilot that you should have attempted to land even though it violated company policy. Captains are also pressured to not ground airplanes by not writing up certain maintenance issues. I’ve seen it time and time again. Boutique puts money ahead of safety and passenger comfort.
Like I said this is my experience, results may vary. With the industry going the way it is, my advice for anyone under 65 is go to a regional instead. As a street captain it’s not worth risking your certificate. If you are a low time pilot get your CFI and instruct. Don’t let them sucker you into signing a contract.
This could be just how the 135 world is regardless of employer, I don’t know, this is my first experience with one. Just my two cents.