Talk me out of it

[GX]

Plus, at least initially, my role in the company would be more with training the buyer who's already purchased an aircraft, rather than making the initial sale. I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping somebody use their plane safely and efficiently. Knowing a pilot will come home to their family at night as a result of the lesson I taught means more to me than shuttling people at an airline.

Again, keep the thoughts coming if you have them. Hearing all these comments has been helpful.

You'll have a much larger footprint affecting people in your current position than doing the ferrying/sales/training position. If that's one of the factors, you should consider this; you're working with good people now. As you ascend the ranks in the airlines, the quality of pilot gets better, which in turn, will make you better by being around them. You're better off learning from people greater than you than stepping down to help pull others up especially when you lose the ability to associate with people greater than you, which you will give up to some degree accepting this position.

After reading the other posts, the pay isn't what it should be. I said the initial decision comes down to what makes you happy. After that the factors of life are important to consider. Money is one of those. I've never seen anyone really catapult themselves ahead by taking a pay cut. I'm talking large steps of financial gain. Going from 30 to 65 or 70+. Never seen it. It sounds like there are comps in the market for pay in this industry. Find those comps, and see if he will match them. THEN you'll have something to think about.

 

[FlyingScot]

Going from 30 to 65 or 70+. Never seen it. It sounds like there are comps in the market for pay in this industry. Find those comps, and see if he will match them. THEN you'll have something to think about.

I agree on the money side as well, not worth the end picture, however if you get what this position would be worth, the position might go away if it is not successful within a year. If his fleet had more 421s with w couple of King Airs and you were getting some marketable flight experience, I'd say go for it. That way you could be marketable for a cushy corp job down the road. As it stands you may only be adding some more single engine fixed gear time to your log book.

On a total tangent, I knew a guy with 10,000 hours in a C152.

 

[deadstick]

I was actively in sales until 2008 and have just been doing a little here and there since. It's a big risk right now with November elections and the economy doing what it's doing. Things are NOT like they were in 2004-6 and many people are still riding out the uncertaintly. With that said, for those with the cash, this is a great time to buy due to the depressed prices.

What about keeping your current job and starting slowly. When things pick up THEN go full time. There is a lot you can do with a cell phone and CASS. You have 3 days off/week? Use that time to jumpseat to NE or whereever the plane or client is located.

 

[jskibo]

I made $40k in 1996 in St. Louis and while I wasn't on food stamps, it wasn't and easy existence. I can't imagine it would be great in 2012, even in Nebraska.

 

[milleR]

They still offer Part Time at 9K? Keep all your travel benefits and work when you want to. Or take a 12 month LOA and if things don't work out go back.

 

[roundout]

I used to do a similar job and left it to fly at Eagle. Too much liability, too much stress (i was not on salary) for small pay. You're never really away from the phone. Teach on the side if you like. Pilots should be in high demand soon. GA seems like it's being made so expensive that it will be nearly irrelevant soon.

 

[Stomp16]

GA seems like it's being made so expensive that it will be nearly irrelevant soon.

Not to hijack a thread, but how do you figure? I've been doing "small time" flying for 4 years all over the country. Started when the economy first went bad in 2008. There was a definate lull for 12-18 months but from what I've seen, GA is rebounding right now. Our flight school is busy, charter is picking back up and I see more and more people out flying all the time. As long as user fees aren't enacted, GA will always be around (probably) ;-}.

 

[dasleben]

They still offer Part Time at 9K? Keep all your travel benefits and work when you want to. Or take a 12 month LOA and if things don't work out go back.

+1 to LOA or PT.

 

[I_Money]

I think you need to realize every sales job is a grind. While the opportunity sounds good it will only take a couple months of bad business and you will be looking for another job. Unless aircraft sales is the business you want to do, I wouldn't take this gig.

 

[Autothrust Blue]

If you are going to be knowledgeable in several aircraft including twin cessnas (especially the twin cessnas) you should be making more than 30k to start.

Oh, if only that were true...

 

[erice]

I could easily see you as a chief pilot at a university aviation program someday. I've always thought you were a great teacher. While one year of 121 experience may not be much, I think it might give you a realistic background to advise students about their choices in that segment of aviation. I would think this new opportunity would give you new and more varied experiences that would help give you a broader background in general aviation. Plus, if there is the possibility of some King Air time, that would be a bonus. I think you value QOL a lot, and it sounds like this opportunity has plenty of it!

 

[FlyingPoke]

Negotiate a pay you are worth, then it's an easy decision.

 

[Douglas]

No advice, but good luck mang.

 

[killbilly]

So I'm not a professional pilot, but you've got some stuff in here that I can address...

WacoFan will back me up on this - but people who say that "salespeople" are lacking integrity clearly have never met quality professional sales people. They are some of the hardest-working people you will ever meet, and the good ones are well-compensated for it. The "sleazy" depiction you see of the used car guy that most people think of never lasts long - they weed themselves out quickly. Sales is not a grind, either, if you enjoy it, which is why my career has been focused around Sales Engineering.

Now - the others have chimed in well about career advancement and what you want - but one thing stuck out to me that I think is worth examining in sharp relief.

When you're searching for a job, you're selling, right? I know you know this, as I've watched you proceed in your career over the last 5-6 years and you "get" the concept of customer relationships. In this new job opportunity, you would be fundamentally working with people who have the money and wherewithal to buy the things that make the cushier jobs possible. At an airline, the only people you're networking with and interacting with are other airline pilots.

The number one rule in buying and selling is that people buy from people. People buy from people they trust. It's why reputation and relationships are so vitally important (see: corporate pilot thread) so if you're dealing with folks on a regular basis who are moving vast amounts of their money around the economy, these are the people who will come to you when they need/want something else.

A rich and varied texture of experiences is a really good thing here, in my opinion. You've got business experience already from running the flight school. Dealing with "luxury buyers" means you're going to be putting those skills to work and developing them further. It also means that when the job ends (all jobs end - always, for one reason or another. all jobs end - remember that) you will developed further and be more marketable not just in aviation. Plus, economics or not - I dunno if you've noticed it lately, but the people who have the means to buy a Corvalis are fairly recession-proof, just like Porsche buyers and yacht buyers.

Like others have said, it depends on what you want. I just want to make clear that "sales" is not a pejorative, and if you're not in love with the majors, blending your skills in business and aviation would be a hell of an interesting idea. That's my take, anyway.

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

Gotta disagree with the people saying to go PT and use jumpseat privileges to get around for this business. That's a major league no-no. If someone finds out about you using jumpseats for business purposes, you'll get pulled out of CASS. Not cool.

 

[WacoFan]

KillBilly is correct with what he says. I will say that sales does require some level of competitive spirit as well. A pretty finely honed sense of wanting to accomplish something. If this isn't a burning part of your psyche, then I'd reevaluate.

 

[mshunter]

Consider the end game here. Sure, the position you have been offered is a great one. For now. But the end game will be much different than what you are working towards now.

 

[GypsyPilot]

Have you been at your present employer for more than a year (i.e. past your probationary period)? The reason I ask is that it never looks good when you've bailed from a 121 carrier with less than a year... Even if you have a valid reason (left for a more interesting gig, etc.), there will be those that look at your resume and wonder what happened to cause you to leave. They may toss your resume in the trash without even calling you to get the story (I've personally seen it happen when my last employer was looking for candidates).

 

[KSCessnaDriver]

Gotta disagree with the people saying to go PT and use jumpseat privileges to get around for this business. That's a major league no-no. If someone finds out about you using jumpseats for business purposes, you'll get pulled out of CASS. Not cool.

So, then explain to me why I see ads on the internet all the time for airline types who are looking to ferry airplanes and market themselves as being more affordable since they can fly for free.

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

So, then explain to me why I see ads on the internet all the time for airline types who are looking to ferry airplanes and market themselves as being more affordable since they can fly for free.

Not supposed to do it.