???? for corporate folks

[Reefdweller123]

Had a passing conversation with a G4 driver a bit back....i was frankly becoming tired of my week long trip when he mentioned that he was well into his 3rd week away from base!!

Anyway for those of you who fly for individual owners, say that individual splits his/her time between two different locations for a month or so at a time (i guess with little or no travel in between)...is it normal for flightcrew to stay with the plane or would they often find their way back to wherever their home/main base would be?? thanks RD123

[NuName]

There aint nothing normal in this business.

[CaptainProp]

We stay with the aircraft for our entire duty period, flying or no flying. I think this is more common than positioning home in between flights. Most owners want the flexibility of always having the aircraft ready and crewed. There are loads of different schedules out there. 7/7, 14/14, 21/21, month on/month off etc etc.

[happyjack]

Add to that 3 months on and 2 weeks off and now......12 months on/ 0 off!

[inner]

I don't know how it is with the salary, but 1 month on and 1 month off is the deal i would immediately go for.

[con-pilot]

There aint nothing normal in this business.

That pretty well sums it up. In my experience, thirty years of corporate flying, I have found it is exception rather than the rule for crews to leave the aircraft and return home. The longest period of time I was away on a trip was a little over three months. However, this was an around the world flight with multiple stops and interim flights in some of the countries we were at and one of those months we were in London flying back forth to the Continent.

The reason that most people/companies have private aircraft is for convenience; the ability to go when they choose and to go where they choose with the least amount of trouble. Therefore, having $20 million dollar jet sitting at the airport where the the owners are and the flight crew is 500 to a thousand miles away is neither convenient nor trouble free.

Now, having said that, in my last job that I retired from, the one I flew around world on that three month trip, we would drop the boss off and return home on some occasions. Occasionally he would go to London for a month. On those trips it was actually cheaper to fly the aircraft (Falcon 50EX & 900EX) back home than to stay in London for that long of a time. Also he lived in Aspen but the company was based in OKC. The aircraft were based in OKC, primarily due to the cost factor of basing aircraft in Aspen when take into account the cost of housing and the overall cost of living. So the cost break even level was if we had to stay more than three nights it was cheaper to deadhead back home, the average flight time was an hour and twenty minutes each way round trip. That and coupled with the fact that there were many, many times we would bring company employees for meeting with him in Aspen from OKC.

So as NuName aptly posted; "There ain't nothing normal in this business."

[Reefdweller123]

thanks for the replies!!!i figured no two corporate jobs were the same but the replies illustrate that even more vividly..lol

There are loads of different schedules out there

yeah but I thought that the schedules and patterns would most than likely applicable to those working for charter operators etc...as opposed to those flying for individuals

On those trips it was actually cheaper to fly the aircraft (Falcon 50EX & 900EX) back home

i actually wondered to myself whether or not it would be cheaper to send them home (about 4hrs flighttime in the case of the G4 guy) as opposed to paying for living costs (at least i hope) for the flightcrew at the VERY expensive location were we met, especially given that he mentioned that he didnt do a lot of flying between the monthly flights... but then again if you own a G4 im sure you could scrape a few pennies together to do whatever the h*** you like..!!!lol...In that case NUNAME said it right!!!

[PLovett]

Connie,

At the risk of some thread drift, I remember you posted some time ago that they were trying to lure you back to corporate flying and that you had undergone another medical. Did you actually go back to flying or was that the "round the world 3 monther"?

[LadyGrey]

i actually wondered to myself whether or not it would be cheaper to send them home (about 4hrs flighttime in the case of the G4 guy) as opposed to paying for living costs (at least i hope) for the flightcrew at the VERY expensive location were we met, especially given that he mentioned that he didnt do a lot of flying between the monthly flights... but then again if you own a G4 im sure you could scrape a few pennies together to do whatever the h*** you like..!!!lol...In that case NUNAME said it right!!!


So he`s only flying 4hrs a month? (plus a lil bit in between)

This ainīt much....

[BigNumber]

My boss only has one crew so there is absolutely no roster at all.

With multiple residences, and varied business interests, the crew lead a rather peripatetic life.

Time at home is 'stolen' on an opportunity basis. Any written roster is little but a passing fancy. You depart on a 2 day trip only to return 3 weeks later.

I do not believe I am alone in this.

[inner]

Is indeed not an easy life. But what about the pay???? Is it also that poor as your amount of time at home???

[Flintstone]

Oh, I dunno. For every not so good deal there's a better one. I get plenty of time off, at home, more-or-less stable roster, decent hotac, training, lurks and perks with average (for the industry) pay.

Keep it quiet though. Wouldn't want the airline riff-raff finding out

[con-pilot]

At the risk of some thread drift, I remember you posted some time ago that they were trying to lure you back to corporate flying and that you had undergone another medical. Did you actually go back to flying or was that the "round the world 3 monther"?

No I never did, I did do some free lancing for a while but because of my physical condition due to me being a Polio survivor and starting to suffer from Post Polio Syndrome I more or less gave up my medical, in other words I have not taken another flight physical due to the loss of muscle strength in my left leg. The around the world, three month trip, was with the company I retired from in 2005, the same year as the trip.

Is indeed not an easy life. But what about the pay???? Is it also that poor as your amount of time at home???

Again, in this industry nothing is really standard. Directors of Flight Operations for companies operating the same type equiptment ranges from over $300,000.00 a year to a low of $90,000.00 a year depending on the company and its location. My base salary when I retired was $130,000.00 a year, however, the company had a profit sharing program that average around 40% of my salary, which brought the total salary up to around $180,000.00 a year.

[PLovett]

Connie,

Sorry to hear that but please keep posting. You are one of the regular posters on these forums whose posts I enjoy reading.

Now back to the topic.