I should add that anyone considering entering the ACMI/charter segment should do a serious personal inventory as to whether or not he or she can handle extended periods on the road. It's not uncommon in this segment, at all companies, to work 18 day trips. Most scheduled airline pilots reel at the idea of that, but it's important to understand the nature of non-scheduled charter, in that we don't have scheduled flights flowing in and out of hubs every day. This is a
big issue that shouldn't be ignored just because of the chance to build heavy international experience. It's a very different lifestyle, and I've flown with some very good people who love flying, but were simply unable to handle the trip lengths. Some may not be able to handle anything more than 4 days, for family reasons or otherwise. If that's the case, I recommend staying in the scheduled segment. For what it's worth, I personally bid longer trips so that I can enjoy greater amounts of time at home. It all depends on you.
I can't emphasize this enough: Before you make phone calls to potential internal recs you may have, ask yourself if you're going to be able to stick with it. If not, you're doing yourself and the company a disservice by showing up to class, along with the rec who's vouching for you. Also, flying an 18 day trip with a guy who hates his job is miserable for the rest of us.
I really like my job, and we have some awesome people here. A good, positive attitude is a great thing to bring out on the road; it helps everyone have a good time and do the job.
