Moving from Corporate to Airline

[The Dead Side]

Having spoken to a few flight crew who fly for corporate operators, they seem to have been in the corporate sector all their career, and few have come (nor want to transition to) an airline job.

Could anyone with some experience shed some light on the feasibility of transitioning from a corporate job with (for sake of argument) 2000 hours on a G550, to the RHS of an airline?

To me it looks like once one is in the corporate sector, it may be hard to leave for an airline with a PJ type rating, and little exposure to airline type ops.

[Kelly Hopper]

Having gone from corporate to airline and back to corporate during the " good times" I have to ask you:
Why would you want to give up a G550 to fly in the airlines with 50% money,10 times the grief, surrounded by 10,000 wanabees that are happy to do the job for nothing or pay to do it and likely to push you out of a job?
Grass can be yellow or brown, it is not always green! But it's still grass!

[N747EX]

Most ex corporate airline pilots I have flown with have always been very good, I think they are better problem solvers and better able to think on there feet. If you are flying with a smaller operator where these skills are necessary one would imagine a decent HR department would recognise these skills as an asset to any airline however nowadays all HR seem to worry about is type ratings, short term contracts and how much of the cost of recruitment you are willing to pay for yourself.

On a side I started a thread a few months back asking about changing from airline to corporate, want to swop jobs?

[Flying Mechanic]

I went airline to corporate.......will never go back!

[The Dead Side]

Thanks very much for your responses.

Having had very little exposure to corporate aviation, it always struck me as a fair amount of sitting around waiting for clients, mixed with a good dose of uncertainty. This of course is a naïve and uninformed view! Whereas with an airline seat, you end up back in the same place (at least that's the plan) with a more solid roster.

Kelly Hopper, why 10 times less grief in corporate? Surely it's just 'different' grief!

[galaxy flyer]

Every corporate operation is unique; while airline flying (not T&Cs or the like) is basically the same. Some operators barely fly outside of a few locales, others never go to the same place twice. I talked recently with a Gulfstream pilot whose boss can't stand all night legs, believes his pilots can't be rested for all night flying, so they don't do much night flying. Other operators fly shuttles, much like an airline. That's the great part of corporate--never bored.

I've been with several pilots whose bosses have done them such personal and large favors they would never leave. How about college for a child--gratis, he's on the school's BOD. Or paid off ex's debts to finish a divorce, "pay when you can". It happens often enough.

GF

[The Dead Side]

So if you wanted to jump ship from corporate to airline with a Gulfstream/Citation rating, what routes could one take?

I don't think there are many airlines out there who take high TT, without at least 500h on their (inevitably 737/320) type...

[galaxy flyer]

Simple, if you have Gulfstream time especially PIC, just apply. I had about 2,500 of Citation and 1,200 fast jet time when hired on at a now-defunct airline. No need for an airliner type rating.

Then again, I may not have accounted the "screwball" European system of buying a job. Before citing WN's requirement for a B737 TR, they also require 1,000 hours of jet PIC time. I have a friend there, he has two Space Shuttle missions in addition to several thousand hours of jet PIC.

If an airline demands more than Gulfstream time, look elsewhere.

GF

[tommoutrie]

I want some shuttle time on my CV too... :sad:

[galaxy flyer]

You won't get any anytime soon. Actually, several Shuttle guys, plus ex-Thunderbirds and ex-Blue Angels are at WN, it's a hard placket get on with.

GF