Typical Experience/Background of GX and GV Pilots
 

Out of curiosity, is there some kind of typical flight experience (i.e. total time) and background for pilots of large biz jets like the Global or the GV?

What TT would a Captain and an FO typically have and what is their usual flight background?

Would it suprise people out there to hear that a Captain has 2000 TT and FO 1600 TT? Sounds rather low to me when compared with the airlines...

Thanks.

For F/O in Europe 1600 hrs do just fine.

2000 hrs for PIC, however, seems a bit low.

Of course, it is a question of many things. Insurance being the first one. I believe most of the biz companies I know do require 2500-3000hrs min for commander. That is insurance wise. The reality is of course different. Normally you need more that minimum.



It is who you know and where you are and how desperate they are. Also, how much they pay you, etc.

Shortly, GV and GEX are on the high end of the biz aviation, so 2000 hrs sounds low. US and European markets also differ greatly. A lot of guys in Europe will start from the right seat of a jet right after flight school. In States you'll end up instructing/flying taxi on light equipment at least until you get your ATPL, usually.
Congratulations to whoever got his/her command so early for such a nice equipment!

This is interesting to me as I am a Euro out of the Euro system but in the US working environment. I fly a G V and I have been told that even with the 10% insurance waiver on hours I will need not less than 4500 hours total to be PIC in our Gulfstream. The standard from what I understand is 5000 hours. Yes I am very surprised that someone could get their command with 2000 hours.

I would also add that in my opinion it will depend on how much international work the particular aircraft flies, ie Africa, Asia and South America.

I know that the principal of our aircraft would not entertain such a situation even if the guys aced their flight training. Time in my opinion really does open you up to all situations and yes I have found my self since flying the G V on an international trip thinking I would never have guessed that!!

What is more important though hours or sectors? A long haul airline pilot may only get a high workload every 6 or 10 hours where as a GA pilot flying a small buisjet might be only doing 30 minute sectors in very busy airspace.

So who has the most experience, food for thought?

2000 hrs sounds a bit low, but having said that I have met some pilots (Captains) with around 3000 hrs total and 1000 in type on a GV and similar size equipment in Europe.

Funny how easily you can get a command on a Embraer-145 with 3000 hrs and the command in GV requires more experience at some countries-not thinking about the insurance now. Both are same size and all that:suspect:

L_T

Thanks for those replies and satisfying my curiosity...

2 more questions:

Wouldn't the owners of those big biz jets (rich individuals or large corporations) demand the highest level of safety and, by implication, pilot experience? I mean, if you're spending $40m+, wouldn't you want to hire pilots the best pilots (with TT as an indicator) out there? The biz jet pilot TT requirements seem a bit lower than airlines. Is that true and why? Is it because the airline industry is more desirable as a career (and more job seekers)?

The second question is whether TT really matters. What difference is there between a 7,000 hour and a 3,000 hour pilot? Assuming both have proportionally equal jet and PIC experience. I mean there is a huge difference between a 50 hour new PPL and a 1500 new ATPL, but at some point, the experience value decreases. At what point does it no longer matter from a flight operation/safety point of view?

Thanks....

Hours requirements for Corporate/Private/Taxi OPS are generally lower because aircraft use is typically lower than in the airline world.

IMHO someone with say 10.000 TT who has been flying in the Corp/Private/Taxi for all his career would have the same level of experience (for his particular area of competence) than say a 15.000 TT pilot having only flown for the airlines.

Just wondering who employs 3000h captains on a GV or any other large bizjet? Any particular tail number? Being in that ball park, I can´t even get an interview for the right hand seat of a large bizjet.

I reckon, it´s not what you know but who you know. Anyhow, congrats for the fellows occupying the front seats and getting paid for seeing the world.