corporate flying - what's it like ?

[mungo_55]

I’ve seen that somebody else has tried this kind of post a while back but with no reply, so here goes again.

I’m at the hour building stage after my PPL and have aspirations to fly business jets eventually (long long way down the road I know !).

I’d like to get an idea from you bizjet pilots out there what doing this kind of job is actually like. Is it fun, varied, challenging ? Is it unsettling because you never know what your next flight will be, do you end up spending long periods away from home ? Would you recommend it over working for an airline ?

I’d really like to get a better picture of what its like. At the moment I probably have far too glamorous an idea of it in my head, and I need to find out about the nitty gritty side of it as well.

Any information would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

[Bumz_Rush]

Corporate flying is either the best in the world or the worst, depends on your view point. BUT unless you have a rich daddy, with a jet or two, the you will have a fight on your hands gaining entrance to this club.
I have been in it since 1968, and still think it is better than working for a living, but then I had a rich daddy....(but no jet, in those days a PA24.).
Once you have the PPL, you are still 1,000,000 miles from your target. Then a CPL, IR, more money, then either very lucky, and in the right place at the right time, or a rich daddy....Both is best.

Ex airline guys mostly hate corporate due to total lack of regulations, except when AOC flying, (then almost no regulation!).
Ex Mil mostly love it because all the old mates are there, and the club colours change but the venue for the party remains the same.

Sorry I can not give you much direct help, but it is great fun. I have spend the last 4 months sitting round a pool doing nothing being paid lots of money......tough life....

Good hunting

[AndyDRHuddleston]

Mungo_55

Speaking from an Operations point of view, most corporate pilots I work with enjoy the varied nature of the work. In fact one of our guys actually gave up flying the 757 for Monarch to come and join our corporate flying. One day you could be flying business men into Heathrow for a meeting, the next day you could be flying popstars around the world on a tour.

However, at times there may be periods when there is very little or no flying, which is the main down side if you a young pilot trying to build hours.

Hope this helps

Andy

[N1 and ITT]

Important point I like about coprorate flying is you fly into very interesting places, wich are almost unknown to airline people.

Nothing like shooting one ILS after the other - hurray, a 3.5° glidpath -, but as a corp pilot you fly a lot into non-precision or even pure VFR airfields, wich I found and find much more exciting than FRA, LHR etc.

The same goes for specific areas as well: Flying to very remote places in former USSR or Africa can be very exhausting - how do we get our catering in N'Guigmi or half-legal jet fuel in Pavlodar? - but on the other hand you always get in touch with interesting people and make important experiences (flying-wise...)

Something you have to get used to is: no schedule... You might have appointments back home wich might become cancelled because your customer want's to stay one week longer down under.

From a pilot's persepctive it's pure fun: good places to fly into, mostly nice aircrafts including the right performance, interesting places to go, time for yourself at the destinations etc.

From a "participant of social activities" perspective: You defintely have to find away to deal with it.

I love it.

[mungo_55]

Thanks very much for the info guys. Its nice to hear from some people who are out there doing the job rather than trying to glean the information from books. Right, better go and get some more hours in !