Having been in the biz jet industry for best part of 20 years, I was on 170k last time I was running an AOC. My friends are earning 180, they are conducting private operations. I guess those on less are just line drivers for larger charter orgs, just turning up to do charters to standard ports.
The difference between a standard 604 gig - flying 40 000 feet to Hawaii or Dubai - and cobham's - flying a swept wing jet at low level, in search patterns, in crap weather, 1500NM off the coast, dropping down to conduct airdrop operations at a few hundred feet, is huge. If you don't have the experience flying that type of jet in normal operations, you can't perform the more advanced ones. If you haven't performed those types of low level operations a long way offshore, and I'm guessing a lot of people out there haven't, then you just don't understand the difference. Unfortunately there will be too many under qualified people lining up for their first jet gig, without the necessary experience levels. And they may well end being the ones being searched for. I'm not being being alarmist, just pointing out recent history.
One more question. Does anyone in Cobham Special Missions actually have any experience on the 604? Or on any jet? Wait, I know the answer..... So, an operation being conducted without suitably experienced pilots without suitable oversight......