Am I nuts?

It is, because I like the people I work for/with and we'd be building a company, which is fun. Also a lot of work and heartache.

Naturally if I accept the management position it would be dependent on some kind of a profit sharing arrangement.
I'd suggest 121, and if you find yourself bored there are plenty of opportunities either with Union or getting into management side to scratch that itch.
 
in 135, you have to physically build the baseball diamond, a la field of dreams. Except you build it, nobody shows up, then you get yelled at from the boss for not starting on time.
I was trying to come up with a 135 version and you did it better than I ever could
 
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Yes.

But I’d better go read the actual post first, yes? :)
 
in 135, you have to physically build the baseball diamond, a la field of dreams. Except you build it, nobody shows up, then you get yelled at from the boss for not starting on time.
They show up an hour and a half later with two cars full of luggage and 6 golf bags you're supposed to fit in the Beechjet.

"You can take all the luggage, or you can have access to the lav. Your choice."
 
This stuff drives me batty.

Me too, but the operation runs 24 hours/day the support should be there for the same time.

That being said, one of the best stories I was ever told in one of my previous lives was about a pilot who wouldn't push back without his Diet Pepsi on board. I think that the trick in life is figuring out where the line is between getting your Diet Pepsi and everyone going home at 4:59p with a good luck to the night shift.

To the OP: Go to the airlines. All the 'things' you like about your gig... good people, good times, being close to work, etc. Those are all the great things about 121 aviation - without all the 'scrubbing marker off the seats' stuff on 91/135. In 121 you set your level of involvement outside of the times when the brake is released and set.
 
I work for a small but growing 135 Charter. My initial plan was to fulfill my contract (two summers), put my resumes out, and move on to the airlines.

The boss has just expressed and interest to involve me on the management side (what I used to do before I flew airplanes), along with the attendant pay raise. I'm seriously considering the opportunity.

Pros: I like being home every night. I like the people I work for and with. I like the flying. I like my 15 minute commute to the airport. Scrapping it out with a small growing startup is a lot of work, but can be very rewarding.

Cons: I don't like not having time off in summer. The QOL at the airlines is (eventually) way better, I'm told. The pay at a 135 will never match what an airline job will pay. The pay will never match what an airline will pay. Did I mention that there is no way a 135 can match the pay at an airline?

I used to not give a rip about money after a certain somewhat modest point, but now I've got a family and a house and a retirement to think about. So all of a sudden I'm considering making a yuge decision based on the benjamins, which is something I've literally never done before. Is abandoning core principles in the pursuit of
filthy lucre noble in this case? Will our dynamic duo be able to escape the Riddler's diabolical trap? What is best in life? Am I nuts to even be considering the offer?

Fix

What's wrong with accepting this deal, taking the new position, and then when you're contract expires - evaluating at that point? What am I missing - it's not like you're Johnny Tremain and indentured to them for life so - give it a shot, if it doesn't work jump.
 
There's the rub. If the work isn't that meaningful, but affords me the time and money to do something that is, could I still be happy?

This is the key - the happiest 121 pilots I've known had very active non-work lives. My grandpa had his antique airplanes, and was President of an antique airplane museum. Others had side business that interested them (horses, farm, etc) or got massively involved in charity work they were passionate about. Nobody that I knew growing up that was what I considered an excellent guy was someone who just rubbed one out and took a nap on days off - that had meaningful crap going on besides work.
 
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