Corporate jobs - looking for inofrmation

[arcwi]

Hello everyone,

Is there anyone that can give me an inside information with regards to the corporate jobs. I am looking for the following answers:

1. Typical flying done per month - is it <10, 50, 100 hrs pm? Is it relevant to the job or is the time mostly spent with cup of coffee or cool drink, waiting for an opportunity to fly?

2. How is the pay structured - per flown hour, kilometers or fixed monthly salary (+ bonus at Christmas)? Is it related to the flying experience one has?

3. What is a typical pay - an average one vs a good one?

4. What is the primary drive to join a corporate and not contract/charter operator? Is it the pay, or the flying, or the closeness to one's residence/family?

5. What is the preferred minimum experience - are there are opportunities for the 200+hrs CPLs or is corporate flying strictly top dog territory?

6. If SA corporate is to offer opportunity to a 15-20 200+hr CPLs, combines that with great roster (80+ hrs per month) and descend pay (qualified as per above), are they going to battle to find candidates or are they going to be overwhelmed with applications, even from more experienced CPLs?

If anyone has any experience or knowledge of the corporate flying, please share it here.

Thanks a lot!

[arcwi]

Wow! Passing the 150 views mark and not a single reply!

Are there any professional pilots left on Pprune? I though you guys had opinion and shared a rumour about most of things?

Are there any CPLs looking for jobs and sniffing around for opportunity? You guys must know a thing or two about everyone in town who is a potential employer?

What about rumours - are there any with regards to a new crowd in South Africa starting newly licensed operation using piston twins and looking for quite a large number of CPLs on permanent positions? Something like 90, a little bird told me, are to be hired before the year end and the preference given to twin rated with 250+ hrs total time!

Can it be true?

[RedB@ron]

"with great roster (80+ hrs per month)"

That is NOT a great roster. If you're looking for hours you would be happy to fly hours like that.

60 Hrs is more like a "great roster".;)

[AvEnthusiast]

I viewed the thread. and thought if I don't post then it's going to be 151 and no reply. And I'm as well interested to see what others say about all this

[B200Drvr]

I fly corporate (jet), and from my experience it is not an area of aviation that is very open to low timers. Most of the clients/ owners are somewhat aviation savvy and when recruiting they look for ATPL and hours. Those that are not savvy, go to management companies or recruitment agencies. Requirements are also often driven by insurance companies. The company I work for requires an ATPL +2000hrs for an FO position. We fly on average 50 hrs per month, but work month on month off, so as far as time building goes, not a good option. The pay is better than the airlines, but then IMHO we work a lot harder as we have to do a lot of the fine tuning to make sure things go smoothly, as our clients look directly at us to get them from A-B on time. However, we also get to spend extended times in some great locations, we fly new machines and for the most part get very well looked after.
Not all corporate flight departments are born equal, and these are my experiences. TP corporate requirements will differ from jets, but then so will T&C's.

[arcwi]

B200Drvr:

That's exactly the kind of answer I was hoping to get! Every single word you posted I found valuable. I only wish there were more like you. Thank you very much sir!

RedB@ron:

I understand. But as I was not sure how the pay in the corproate flying is structured, I assumed that if the pay is linked to the flown hours, the more hours the merier!

On a slight tangent - I recall that flying aircraft for a corporation does not require air service license and air operating certificate. If that's the case, how do CPLs/ATPLs manage to get recruited - because I also remember that there is a CAR requirement that the professional pilots must be recruited by a licensed/certificated operation in order to fly for reward?

Does anyone know the answer to this one?

[B200Drvr]

Only if the pax own the aeroplane, otherwise it is 135.
Further more, its does not change the type of flying, just the paperwork.

[Request FL510]

I agree with B200Drvr, corporate aviation can be an absolute pleasure, or well...yes. My experience has been on the better side (with it's ups and downs).

Most companies employ experienced ATP crew, and for a P1 position, jet command time is a must. As previously stated the minimum requirements are insurance driven and here the management companies enable the owners to score big time, as they have the numbers to get the best rates. This however normally translates to high minimum requirements and nominated/approved crew only.

With regards to hours, 50-60 hours per month is about average, unless the a/c is charter driven. This will however mean more crew to make the FDPs work.

Charter operators using jet a/c will have to use ATP pilots as commanders and some even set the minimum for co-pilots as ATP (at the least a frozen ATP), as this will allow for a quick command upgrade down the line.

Non-commercial operators such as private owners/companies flying only private/company purposes, operate in terms of Part 91. Although you might find some owner/operators that will appoint a Comm pilot into the LHS, these are indeed very scarce.

Although the lifestyle is OK (for most of the time), you do get the grumpy owner/client that will just not accept perfection and will literally complain about the colour of the strawberries he was served.

What I enjoy about corporate flying, is the fact that there is very little routine involved. Today I take the owner to Cape Town, tomorrow we go to Luanda (drop-off only thank you) and next week a two-nightstop in Dubai. Maybe we go to Rome and Paris the week after.

If you want a schedule to fly and live by - get an airline job. You need some variety in life and you are willing to take the sweet with the sour, corporate would suit you just fine.