Career Path to Bizjets?

[mab494]

I am looking for some impartial career advice on becoming a pilot in the Biz Jet arena. Most advice I have found seems to be aimed getting a job with the airlines, and as much as I may very well end up there - this is not my aim. My aim is, and always has been to be the pilot of a Biz Jet. Does anyone have any advice or links to advice that may answer;-


What is the career path to a Lear Jet, Cessna Citation, Gulfstream etc..... pilot
Who are the employers of such pilots
What experience do these employers require
Are there many opportunities in this area
What is salary like for this kind of work (I am assuming considerably lower than the airlines)
Many thanks in advance.

[aviatordom]

I think you would get your CPL and then the necessary type ratings for that aircraft...

Employers include...

Netjets, Gama, etc...

[mab494]

Sorry, I forgot to mention - I am currently working towards my PPL, then CPL. Once I have gained them, where next?
:O

[marcpanton]

There is some discusion about Netjets in the threads about OAA as Oxford Aviation Academy runs a Netjet cadet program
and here:
http://ask.oxfordaviation.net/viewforum.php?f=39&sid=66884874200de36730a6e7bc1dfabb99

Marc

[preduk]

From netjets:

First Officers: minimum requirements


1500 hours total flight time (excluding simulator hours)
JAA ATPL (CPL with the theoretical ATPL successfully completed will also be considered)
Multi-engine rating
Multi-Crew Cooperation certificate or proof of exemption
A valid EEC passport
Jet and/or turbo-prop experience (excluding simulator time), and
Fluency in English Minimum requirements for a captain upgrade:


3000 hours total time
Demonstration of excellent performance as a First Officer at NetJets;
Pass an upgrade course (Ground school and SIM), and
Completed line training as a captain (including the line check).

[nick14]

look at www.oxfordaviation.net

they run a sponsorship scheme with netjets, as far as i can see this is the only real way to get into netjets without having ATPL.

a diff kind of flying, very attractive

[hollingworthp]

If you are only at PPL stage then you could be eligible to apply to the NetJets scheme but if you have gone beyond PPL towards CPL / ATPL etc then you will not.

[preduk]

Not sure if he will be eligible to get into OAA Netjets. You require a EU Right to work and travel and if your from NZ you won't have it.

[init2winit]

What is the career path to a Lear Jet, Cessna Citation, Gulfstream etc..... pilot Hours,Networking and luck
Who are the employers of such pilots There are lots... TAG, ExecuJet, International Jet Club... and no doubt some smaller national ones...
What experience do these employers requireVaries depending on aircraft type, routes, etc
Are there many opportunities in this area At the moment yes
What is salary like for this kind of work (I am assuming considerably lower than the airlines)Not necessarily

The best thing to do is use the search function above. If you use the advanced search it will filter out alot of rubbish. Try posting this question on the D & G Reporting Points to get local info about companies in NZ

Good luck with your PPL and CPL training:ok:

[Pace]

As a low time PPL you are always going to be up against not having the hours required or possibly the finances to get a type rating and with no hours its unlikely that someone will pay for it.

An option woth considering is to alongside your licence whatever that is JAA or ??? is to go for an FAA CPL Multi IR.

It is then relatively inexpensive to get an SIC type rating. That will allow you to market yourself at private jets where you can log and build turbine hours at probably low pay.

Once you have some turbine and jet experience logged you will become more attractive for a better position and then you can consider a full type rating?

With private jets a lot is to do with networking and getting yourself known.
Its a sorry state but as a low time pilot you need the experience and hours to be attractive but without those hours you are not attractive so how do you get the hours without investing a fortune to start with.

Not sure where you are intending to locate as you have New Zealand as your location or what nationality licences you are working to at present?

This is one option

pace

[redsnail]

mab494, on tour at the moment. When I have a moment I'll get some sort of answer to you. It'll be good for all facets of GA. :ok:

[Pace]

Eric

See my post above. There are Citations which have single pilot rated Captains but the passengers prefer a safety pilot on board and there are citations which require two crew.

If you go JAA which you need to long term to work for an AOC you cannot log the hours on those citations without a full type rating and a two crew citation requires two fully type rated pilots.

If you convert your JAA CPL IR Multi to an FAA CPL IR Multi I know where you can get a citation SIC (Second in command) rating for $3000.
An SIC is acceptable in Europe flying N reg Biz Jets.
You can then log hours and offer to fly probably for little pay to build up jet time.

Once you suitable jet time you can then approach an AOC on your JAA licences and they may finance a full type rating.

If you are wanting to fly business jets a lot are JAA registered but a lot are also N reg so its not a bad thing holding both.

Your other option is to go JAA Buy a full type rating and hope you can persuade someone to take you with low hours or as others have posted do all your training through somewhere like Oxford and through their scheme go to Net Jets.

pace

[Flintstone]

Lots of useful information coming out here but most relating to JAA-land whereas the OP is in New Zealand.;)

[Pace]

Send me a private mail

[bfato]

For 3k you'll just be doing 4 circuits in an aircraft. Be aware that many operators' insurance policies require the copilot to have attended a proper simulator based course at FSI, Simuflite or Simcom.

[Lear Jockey]

What I can tell you is that you don't especially need to pay for your own type rating these days. Most reliable charter company will pay and bond you for it, giving you not only a SIC rating but as we call in Europe a first officer (right seat) type rating, meaning you fly charter or private in a kind of part 135 operation compared to what they have in the US. The benefit of this is your ability to be treated like a part of the crew and fly the aeroplane not only changing frequencies:p.
Anyway, I wouldn't pay right now a rating myself...

Cheers

[crap pilot]

What kind of experience do you need before any biz jet operators will look at you? I have a little over 800 hours with over 300 ME and plenty of IFR time yet have had no bites so far. Is there anything I can do to make me stand out from the crowd?

[INNflight]

is it possible to go straight into the biz scene with just piston hours?

Absolutely. Done some work with a guy who went onto the CJ2 with 300TT at the age of 23, and now flies with a dual TR on the Citation and the Do328jet. Quite some luck involved obviously, but still not impossible.

Is there anything I can do to make me stand out from the crowd?

Get yourself known with the companies. Wash their planes if necessary :E

[Pace]

Crap pilot

I am a little worried about your pick of a name for these forums :-) is that indicative of what you think you are and maybe are you giving that impression to would be employers?

You are a saleable item and as such you do have to sell yourself, market yourself, network. If you have a FAA CPL IR and an FIC are bright and switched on I am looking for some Legal SICs to call on for some citation work

Pace

[Flintstone]

Oh dear. Large serving of sense of humour to the Pace table please :rolleyes:

[Prophead]

Maybe he works though parc aviation!;)

[crap pilot]

Pace,

Maybe you are right about the name, I just thought that the name super cool skygod made me sound like an arse;)

I would jump at the chance for some SIC citation work however I only have the JAA CPL IR not FAA:( although if it improved my job prospects I would certainly be willing to convert to FAA.

[Pace]

Its ok it was said in a sense of humour :-) (damned text) maybe God like pilot maybe a better marketing ploy :-)

pace

[mab494]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the great advice (and humourous names :) ). On top of all of your suggestions I have found that this kind of work is very limited in New Zealand, so I will either have to change my aims towards the end of my training or change my location (either is possible).

Cheers Again,

[HercFeend]

I'll drag this post up from the depths.....

That's the beauty of flying for BizJets though. You can pretty much live anywhere - your employer transports you to & from the aircraft you are detailed to fly. At least that's what we do.

[Klimax]

HF nailed the main reason for why some guys leave "safe" airline jobs to go to biz jet sector.

[galaxy flyer]

Not a bit of my 35 year career was "planned". I planned on being an airline pilot, never a military pilot--a victim of the '70s, I was. I joined the US Air National Guard to go to USAF pilot training--a short cut to my career goal. I did 29 years and would have done more, if the law allowed. I did 4 years with an airline, now defunct. I have flown 5 business jets, as Captain, and loved every minute of it.

My best advice--become the best pilot you can, never pass a chance to learn about every aspect of flying, improve your craft, make friends in the business (don't ingratiate yourself, be a genuine friend)--THEN WORRY ABOUT THE CAREER.

GF

[Kelly Hopper]

FLINTY!!!

You're back?? Welcome. I could do with a laugh! :):):)

[redsnail]

Kelly, check the date of Flintstone's post. ;)

[Kelly Hopper]

Oh thanks. I'm not laughing now!:*