I appreciate everyone's input. I enjoyed flying business jets. I liked going to work, dealing with challenges professionally, and trying to proactively work for the success of my daily assignment as well as the success of my employer. I liked being valued by companies I worked for, and feeling like they were at least trying to support me in my work. My present job is not like that, and I would like to go back to the type of work I enjoyed. I like getting more than 3 landings a month. I like a schedule that doesn't involve 20 hour layovers and a completely scrambled body clock. I like working for a company that doesn't routinely screw up everything I depend on them for - hotels, flight reservations, transportation, duty times - and then keep me on hold for 30 minutes before I get to talk to a person.
I don't regret flying heavy cargo; I increased my international experience and got some ocean crossings. My qualifications have increased as a result. For me right now, my ideal job would be home based with a schedule rotation of 15on/15off or similar for a straight-shooting (legal, not 134.5) operator with a decent paycheck. I would forgo the home based part and relocate for an attractive opportunity. A large cabin business jet would be nice, but I will fly anything if the QOL is there. I'm 52, and I have some other business ventures, so I could possibly hang up my wings in 6-8 years. For that reason I would rather have a great part 91 or 135 job now than an entry level, low seniority 121 job. It seems like this conversation has gotten into the pros and cons of airline work and contract expectations. I'm not here to weigh in on that, and I know that 121 flying may be the best path for many. For me, if anyone knows a position in a Falcon, Challenger, Gulfstream, Citation or Phenom 300, I would love to hear about it. Thanks!
