Interview Gouge for Net Jets

Eagle

New Member
I got this from a buddy who is a retired airline guy:

Just got back from Atlanta where I completed the interview and
simulator
check ride for Executive Jet Aviation, Inc....I traveled to ATL on a
ticket
paid for by Executive jet out of EWR...no problems with all the new
security
because there were no crowds on Wednesday morning at EWR....arrive in
ATL at
630pm and checked into the hotel which was adjacent to the airport and
Flight Safety's building....went to bed early and went to the
interview...the interview was rescheduled on Thursday along with the
sim
check...
I spent a sleepless night because of worry about my performance...I
had
not been in a simulator for more than four years and had not
interviewed for
a job for more than 40 years...I went to the interview at 830am and was
really nervous because of the upcoming sim check which was scheduled
immediately after the interview...the two people who interviewed me
were
very professional and sensitive to my nervousness...they were gentle
with
me....as the interview proceeded, my nervousness lessened and I think I
did
a creditable job...
One of the interviewers was a line pilot and the other person was a
woman
from human resources...they asked me good questions which were straight
forward and no trick questions....
Next up was the sim check...my sim partner was a furloughed Midway
Airlines pilot, 32 years old and turned out to be a very strong
pilot....we
had met the previous evening and practiced the sim profile for a couple
of
hours...the profile was not particularly hard as it included a take off
and
departure, steep turns, holding and a procedure turn to an ILS
approach....no autopilot or flight director was available and all the
flying
was done by hand....
As a result of our practice the night before, we knocked them dead
with
our performance...we were both graded for the time spent at the
controls
flying the KingAir 200 simulator as well as the time spent acting as a
co-pilot...5 was the highest grade possible and both of us scored
nothing
but 5's with a couple of 4's...with extra comments added by the sim
check
pilot which were very positive...This check ride was accomplished using
the
ATP flight test tolerances on altitude, airspeed and heading
control...I
feel pretty good accomplishing it in an airplane I had never flown
before....I think both of us will be offered jobs sometime in the
coming
month...they must wait until all the background checks are complete
before
they offer us the job....
They did not indicate which airplane we would be trained on but I
told
them the Falcon 2000 was my first choice.... Prior to the interview and
sim
check, we had a briefing on the Executive Jet Aviation company and its
plans....they are going to hire 750 pilots in the coming year.....they
presently employ approximately 1400 pilots and have every intention of
growing the company to the point where they have the same number of
planes
as United Airlines....everything associated with the interview was
first
class and very professional...I am looking forward to having a job once
again...
 
Any idea when he did the interview Eagle... before or after Sept 11??
Sounds like he did well, good on him
smile.gif
 
well the 135 and the pt 91 fractionals have seen nothing but a boom in hiring as less and less people want to fly comml. the airline's bane is our boon.
 
Eagle, I am interested in possibly flying for the fracs as a career choice. I was wondering if you knew from your friend how much of a choice you get about where you live. I read an article about fracs and they seemed pretty flexible where their pilots live. I just wanted to find out from someone who actually has their hand in it. Thanks.
 
live anywhere within one hour of an airport that has schedualed service. (depending onthe company of course.)

Right now you need 2500 hrs. to get your resume in the door, that is when mine goes in...
 
Eagle, Are you planning on flying fractionals for a career or more as a stepping stone to the airlines? I think I would like to for a career because the type of flying attracts me more but I'm not sure how it will be later in life with trying to settle down with a family. Also what kind of flying have you been doing to build that time up to get into the fractionals (especially turbine time)?
 
I am 38, and flying part time now. I have no desire to fly for the airlines. the 135 charter/fracs route is a better choice for me. More money in the long run, better sked from day one.
 
Do you spend the first day of your tour traveling to the airplane or do you have to be there by the first day of your tour? Does the company take care of all the arrangements for you to travel to the airplane?
 
Eagle, I am a corporate pilot and I practically livein Jet centers and I talk with fractioal pilots daily. #1. You will make less money as a frac or corp pilot than an airline pilot in the long run. #2. Yes, they are fairly flexible in where they will allow yo to live.,..but there are requirements for the type of airports that are in your area....they must be serviced by either 2 major airlines or 3 regionals with commuter backup that has at least 4 daily schedule service to that airport. #3. If you guys even think that youcan get in with less than 4000 hrs good luck!!!! I know guys that are excellent pilots with Captains ratings on their type ratings ( yes there is a big difference when you get a Citation X rating or a Citation X Capts. type rating). #4. If you hear of guys making more than $120,000.00 a year as a corp or frac. be very careful. As a corp pilot I get the industry pay scale book and what all the corp and frac, guys are making for real...NOT STATISTICS.....the riches corp pilot files a G V for Walt Disney and He is slightly over $235,000.00 a year and he is the air ops manager to boot. When you begin as a corp or frac pilot you are in a learning curve for about two years before you will even be considered for a Captain up grade. You will stat off in the high $30.'s for salary and you will work every dollar of it. You will have a choice of three schedules...4 on and 5 days off....5 days on and 5 days off...finally 7 days on and 7 days off. On the days on 9.9 out of 10 times you are no where near your home, so taking a quick hop home is out of the question. Next you are a limo driver and the business executives will treat you as such. If you think otherwise you are kidding yourself. Most of them drop the bags at your feet and keep talking to their associates. I hear this all the time when i am waiting for our company people at the jet FBO's. On your off days plan on one day worth at the hanger cleaning and restocking the aircraft and filing paper work that needed to be done while you were on the road. Then plan on being on call for busy time of seasons when other pilots are sick, scheduling screw up or the demand just shot through the roof. Then learn the rule which will keep you from being fired faster then you can say.." but I ..." What you hear and what you see in the aircraft and at the hotels you have NO, and I mean NO knowledge of when it comes to the people you are flying"

If you want to be in my world of flying #1 get a jet rating either a Lear or a Citation...
2. Have jet time under your belt or a hell of a lot of turbo prop hrs.
3. They like pilots with real degrees.....business, engineering, law, management, marketing, etc....
4.Learn how to read body language. In the corporate world you won't have someone saying" why did you do that or a Capt balling you out" you will simply be given a pink slip. i don't care what they are telling you. I have pilots asking me if we have any jobs at our company because they were fired at the fractionals.
5. Fractionals and big companies that have their own planes, operate totally different than charters or small business operators. This is the real big time. You are flying men around like E.F HUtton, Alan Greenspan, Paul Allen , Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, etc...these men and men like them control the gold. And He who controls the gold, controls everything and make the rules. Mistakes or misconduct as "THEY SEE IT" will not and is not tolerated.
 
I guess I need to clarify my position. re: more money in it..

I retire from the military in less than a year, meaning I can not fly full time until after that. I am already flying the citaition and expect to crossdeck to the lear (both as FO) soon.

The reason I will make more money is the over the long haul is:
If I start with a regional next summer, at 15K, and upgrade to a major in 5-7 years (realisitic, vs optimistic) and start at a major at 44 - 45 years old. 15 years at a major, until retirement, add in 3 years (combined) of sitting on reserve or commuting to some city I don't care to work out of...No thanks.

Add in to the equasion I feel the majors are going to become more of a "minor" player across the board.

3 years from now, I am either with a frac or a larger 135, run that out past 60, and you see I will def make more money...

It is all about the money/lifestyle (where I want to live and the sked)
 
ProFlyer35, to give you an idea of where I am coming from I'm 20 and a junior in college. I'm almost done with my multi and will be starting my CFI soon. I think I want a career in corporate because I have always had a soft spot for the type of aircraft they fly and also for the idea of getting to fly different places as well as some of the smaller airports too. I'm just trying to feel out what the lifestyle is and if I would really want to do that as a career.

You talked about having to go in on a day off...were you speaking of you as a coprorate pilot or the fractionals? Same question with having to be a limo driver. And just in general how do you like being a corporate pilot and what might be some things you don't like? Thanks.
 
Blues Let me first say that Eagle, i miss understood where you were coming from on the money issue...I apologise. Yes you are correct in the way you have layed it out in your curcumstance.
Now Blue... The good news is that I love flying corporate for some of the reasons you want to. I have a soft spot for corporate aircraft ( I think they are truly a work of art and Engineering), secondly , I had enough of regular routines in my life and in corporate...you can be in Ohio one day and the next in London or Vienna. Love that! Finish your degree and keep up on the CFI work. Build as much multi time as you can and get a job / career in what you studied to help off set the cost of multi building time.
The lifestyle is very good. You are on call basis for a large Part 91 company or 135 company. With the Fractionals you are not on call as far as my friends that fly for them tell me. you have your schedule days and you get faxed as to where you will be going. Then enviroment can be very political or extremely relaxed and family friendly. You are in both circumstances a glorified limo driver. most of the clients you hurl through the air are well mannered and respectful of your position, but you do the loading of the bags, get their special items on board, provide security, rent their cars or have an agent ready to meet them at the plane with one, make sure that the inflight meals are what they wanted and that the hostess Knows it. etc.....

On your off days, you will need to take one of those days and drive from your house to the hanger...make sure the plane is cleaned in and out...restocked with all refreshments and drinks...leather conditioned for that new aircraft smell, do all the duty logs and time logs and maint. logs and run system checks and verify with another person it has been done. Find out the scheduled runs for the up and comming week. Learn who the pain in the ass executives are and what they normally want and get it and have it ready for them on board. make sure that all subscriptions for the satalite modems are up and paid for..and yes make sure the plane is de-bugged for any high level meetings that go on. ( believe it or not it is done quite often)

Likes: the types of planes, the destinations, the unpridictability of anything, the people you work along side, the hotels you stay in, the golf I get to play while there,the altitudes I can fly at, direct tavel,overseas, medium sized cogg at a company, everyone that works there knows my name, I enjoy the hell out of it.

Dislikes : the begining pay, how long it takes to move up( literally someone has to die or lose their medical), the politics, executives that need to be taken down a notch, the long hours in a day, THE PAPER WORK, THE WAITING...and WAITING....and WAITING for your people to arrive, the pool tables in most of the Jet centers suck, I miss my daughters when I am gone for 5 - 8 days at a stretch. I miss alot of their school plays, concerts, ballet recitals, and horse jumping championships, my wife gets mad at me because when ever something breaks at home I am on the road. When the kids are sick and I am on the road she is over worked at home...corporate and fractional flying can be really unfair to your family time wise.

Here is what my friend at Net Jets told me it takes to get on with them. 4000 htrs TT. 1200 turbine, 1000 X Cntry, some kind of jet type rating, 500 instrument, clean professional background, NO opps with the law at any age. They do a background check second to none. Hope this helps...ask me specific questions or send me your email privately and we can talk.
 
No opps with the law?

What does that mean... a speeding ticket or being busted for something... my record is clean except for an occasional speeding ticket in my past life (meaning not any in over 7 years).

I also agree.. great post. Thanks.
 
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