Insulted is the wrong word. I certainly don't like it and want to see it changed, ASAP. Every indication is that this is being worked on in an expeditious manor. While I understand your frustration, it is no longer your concern. We'll take care of ourselves just fine, please move along.

You know what, you've pointed out the fact that I was guilty of something that always drives ME crazy, the fact that ALL Frac threads end up with NetJets being mentioned! And I did it to myself!

NetJets, being the largest, and having secured a very nice compensation package for its pilots, has become the bar that payscales in the Frac world are measured against.
Would I like to make what a 4th yr NJ Cap makes? Sure.
Would I leave my position here to do it now? Nope! I enjoy where I'm at, and the smaller environment of my job. And, I'm confident that as we grow, our rewards will as well!

The point I was trying to make earlier, is that we have continued fleet growth, and have taken ZERO steps to shrink pilot #'s, and we're the ONLY Frac that can say that right now.

I think that says a lot!

Maniac......by flying a mere 5 days per month, I make more per month flying as a contract pilot that I was making monthly at Avantair. That gives me 25 days off per month. Bro....it was just simple economics and common sense to me. I'm worth more than Avantair thought I was worth.

And, remember....we haven't seen a single Avantair F.O. chime in and express all the giddyness that you captains are expressing.

Hey KB, wacoflyr on FI has answered you. He is an FO at Avantair. Check it out and stop lying about how much you make.

Never mind, I'll post it here for ya:

From Wacoflyr on FI:

Um... no. I'm an FO, just starting my second year. I'm happy with the company, but not with the economy. Your mistake, but no biggie.

Wacoflyr

WOW, he started this thread on FI??? he's a brave soul, guys are always fighting and insulting each other there. No way I start a thead like this there

He sure did and I agree with you. The bulk of posts at FI are just random arguing. A thread starts out as a simple question or statement and then turns into an all out brawl.

I think a lot of the members just go on for the reason of looking for fights. What a waste of time.

Glass....I stand corrected. Let the record show that 1 Avantair F.O. reports that he is happy.

Look again KB, now there are two Happy FO's on FI:

Mvich
If you want to find me, go to the bottom of the seniority list & count up 4. As I said earlier, you made a decision & I hope it works out for you. I'm happy here.

Good luck with your ground instructor gig. Hope it all works out for you. Lots of $$$$ in this economy and you can be home every night. Being away from home isn't for everyone.

Looks like some of those egos that are on FI have migrated here as well. In what I read, I believe the OP was being sincere. It didn't sound like he was bashing, it sounded like he had both good and bad things to say about Avanti, but the upgrade issue and the low pay was the final straw that pushed the cons over the fence line for him. But it seems that with some people, you can't have an opinion that is not in line with theirs. We all see the world differently and not everyone is so "Happy" with the the same job that others are ecstatic about. Heck there are a few on here that sound like they would be willing to pay Avanti to work there it is such a good place.

I'm an FO at Avantair and just went through my recurrent/"upgrade." I too expected to actually upgrade when I went through this, but I can't blame the company for the economic downturn. It sounds like the OP's biggest issue was the low FO pay. I'm not a big fan of it either, but have personally heard from upper level management that it is one issue that is on the fast track to be addressed. They're open with their policies, and have always treated me fairly.

The OP knew the pay scale when he signed on... It hasn't changed in a couple of years, it's not like the rug was yanked from underneath him or they kept it a secret until the time came. As far as upgrades slowing, well again, at least we're not furloughing!

I'm reminded of the disclaimers on weight loss and investment infomercials that say "Results not typical" or "Previous trends do not indicate future performance." Upgrades in under one year can't continue indefinitely at any company, I don't care how good or bad the economy is.

I hope his new "5-on 25-off" job is as good as it sounds. I've flown Citations in the corporate world (and made a lot more money than I'm making now), but personally could not stand the lack of a hard schedule. Some months, I had close to 25 "off," but those were days I couldn't make plans, go out of town, or have a drink at a backyard BBQ... My phone might ring and I'd be "on" again.

I'm not going to make sweeping statements about what percentage of people are happy here, but if it was as bad as he made it sound, I think we'd have a lot more attrition (meaning a lot more room for upgrades) than we have now. Just my $.02.