Can someone please give me an idea of approximately how much a First Officer on a Global Express would make in Northern California? I know there are many variables. Flying would consist of Part 91 and Part 135 operations. I'm just looking for an average salary.

Thank you.

A buddy of mine is a Global captain and I'll have an answer for you soon.

Starting Global pay for a right seat only FO (still typed) would most likely run somewhere between 90K (low end) to 125K, plus benefits and bonuses. I'll try to get the NBAA numbers for you later today.

Thanks for the responses guys. Sounds like the salary I was looking at is almost too low. I was told by someone that is trying to help me get this gig that I might be looking at about 85K.

Even at 85K, that's still good! That's better than a regional captain. LOL

And that right there is the mentality that is causing a downward slide in payscales. Please check that line of thinking at the door.

Consider this:

A regional aircraft flight crew carries 50 people. Those people are probably your average run of the day ordinary folk like you and I.

A global express flight crew carries 11-20 people in ultimate luxury. These passengers are high caliber clientel that range from celebrities to CEOs and owners of fortune 100 companies. As such they demand service well beyond your typical pack of pretzels provided by United Express.

A regional aircraft crew flies mostly short hops, and almost entirely domestic flights.

A global express crew flies a wide variety of flights, both domestic and international. If you own a global, odds are you aren't flying wholly back and forth between DC and NY or Boston. It just isn't cost effective (rich folks don't typically get rich by wasting money). Instead, they're utilizing the full range of capability, including the ability to fly 6000NM+ non-stop.

A regional aircraft crew flies mostly 3 or 4 day trips. They are able to come home between trips and know their schedule a month in advance, and have a minimum number of days off.

A global express crew may be on the road for WEEKS at a time, often internationally the entire time. When they aren't travelling, they are probably on call. Many crews don't have more than just a handful of guaranteed days off, some are unfortunate enough to be on call 24/7.

Don't sell yourself short. There are MANY variables in determining what a pilot is worth. Obviously if you have experience in type, a type rating, or relative experience (such as international flying), you can probably command higher pay. Schedule and QOL also will dictate adjustments to pay.

Here's an excerpt from another forum (PPW) regarding global pay:

I would agree that somebody out there is pulling down the average. By comparison, here are the numbers for the GV, which is by all rights categorized in the same tier as the Global (and vice versa):

As a general rule, a type rated FO will should command 5-15% less than a fully qualified CA in the corporate world and 10-20% less in the charter world.

LOL, that's the exact same thing my folks said when I told them about the job. They have very little knowledge of the aviation industry. I explained as best I could that basically "I don't want to be that guy". The guy that undercuts everyone else.

Thanks again for the information everyone.

Thanks for the attitude. If I can ever offer insight or help in your journey, lemme know! I'd be happy to help out.

~J

Take a chill pill there, buddy! First of all, 85K first year is a lot of money, I don't care what you tell me. Could it be higher? Sure, why not. The more the merrier. So if making 8K a month isn't decent, what are you going to do to change it? What are you going to do to make the salaries more suitable? Because if you're not being proactive in changing things then you're just as guilty as the mentalities you speak of. We could go on all day long about what salaries should or shouldn't be, but what actions are you taking to improve them?

BB,

You're right, 85K is a lot of money - but not to fly a Global Express. (By comparison, my compensation package is close to that to fly a CITATION).

Folks who accept jobs flying equipment for "sub-standard" pay cut themselves short. More importantly, they under cut pilots who have negotiated higher tier pay for themselves. Fortunately that trend has yet to really make it over into the corporate world. Some things that have ensured this are the fact that some hiring managers (CP's) don't want pilots who low ball the figures (it doesn't look good for their own 6 figure salaries). It also helps that many flight departments keep their salary figures under lock and key.

As to what I'm going to do to make the salaries more suitable? Education is key. Teaching entry level pilots that they are worth more than what they think is the first line. Many guys flying in light aircraft come out of training thinking "Wow! The first paycheck to fly... AND IT'S A JET! I've been paying 200/hr to rent a Seminole - Just pay me anything! After all building experience/flight time is payment itself!"

I'd really love to see that attitude go away. Like I said before- Don't sell yourself short. There are MANY variables in determining what a pilot is worth, but make sure that when you're going into an interview, you have a good idea of what the pay scale ranges are for the aircraft you're interviewing in.