What side gig do you have at the company you work for?

QXDX said:
A professional should have respect for the idea that it is his job to do what the boss tells him to do, whether that’s flying, estimating, giving tours, or sweeping the floor.
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I don't think "professional" means what you think it means...
 
knot4u said:
I had a pilot once ask me to change the oil in his car while he was out on a trip. I'll let you guess how well that worked out for him.
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To be fair though, I'd change someone's oil. But I'm slow and my hourly rate is more than the whole oil change would cost at a quick stop.
 
I think each case is different. Some additional duties are exploitive and demeaning. I felt mine was not, I ended up completely integrated with the management team with great growth potential in the company. It was suggested more than once that we should find another pilot because I contributed more to the company as a PM and estimator. I hope I didnt make a career mistake by taking a job as a regional FO. I feel that I went from having a direct impact and making meaningful contributions to being a nameless number in a huge machine.
 
atpduck said:
I think each case is different. Some additional duties are exploitive and demeaning. I felt mine was not, I ended up completely integrated with the management team with great growth potential in the company. It was suggested more than once that we should find another pilot because I contributed more to the company as a PM and estimator. I hope I didnt make a career mistake by taking a job as a regional FO. I feel that I went from having a direct impact and making meaningful contributions to being a nameless number in a huge machine.
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Do what makes you happy.
 
QXDX said:
I was raised with the idea that the boss may not always be right, but he's always the boss. If he wants to pay me my going rate of pay for work unrelated to my training, qualifications, and skills, that's fine with me. If it's something I can do, I'll do a good job. If it's something I'm not qualified or skilled in, I'll give him fair warning, then step up and take a swing at it. That's what professionals do.
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I'd agree with this, but I'm curious how many corporate pilots get paid for their extra duties. Every one I've known has been paid a salary, and the extra duties trickle on a little at a time, with no pay increase. I'd also be curious how an employer would feel if a pilot declined to fly a trip because his extra duties have interfered with his rest period, and he doesn't feel as though he can safely fly.
I have no problem with an employer requiring a pilot to do more than fly, corporate flight departments can be expensive, and it makes sense to utilize your employees to the greatest extent possible. However, those extra duties should be discussed before hiring and put into the contract so both parties know exactly what's involved beforehand. A professional should expect, and offer, nothing less.
 
QXDX said:
I was raised with the idea that the boss may not always be right, but he's always the boss. If he wants to pay me my going rate of pay for work unrelated to my training, qualifications, and skills, that's fine with me. If it's something I can do, I'll do a good job. If it's something I'm not qualified or skilled in, I'll give him fair warning, then step up and take a swing at it. That's what professionals do.
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OK. Yeah. You know what would be great?
Since you're down here, it would be really great if you could just, sort of, take care of the cockroach problem we've been having. So, for now... why don't you just go ahead and get yourself a flashlight and a can of pesticide...
 
z987k said:
To be fair though, I'd change someone's oil. But I'm slow and my hourly rate is more than the whole oil change would cost at a quick stop.
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He was an arrogant G-IV captain that thought the MX dept were serfs that would simply do his bidding because he was an international jet captain. There was no offer of payment.
 
QXDX said:
A professional should have respect for the idea that it is his job to do what the boss tells him to do, whether that’s flying, estimating, giving tours, or sweeping the floor.

As Urp99 pointed out, corporate flight departments are expensive to operate. If you can't insert yourself into the revenue stream, you'd be better off doing what's necessary to justify your line item on the "expense" side of corporate balance sheet instead of playing the "not my job" card. But, to each his own.
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Yes, flight departments are expensive, if a company or an individual truly can not afford one then they should not have it.
Are you saying that you run a corporate flight department, in this manor, and in your opinion this is the proper way to do so?
 
Beep said:
Yes, flight departments are expensive, if a company or an individual truly can not afford one then they should not have it.
Are you saying that you run a corporate flight department, in this manor, and in your opinion this is the proper way to do so?
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PREACH!
 
QXDX said:
If it's something I can do, I'll do a good job. If it's something I'm not qualified or skilled in, I'll give him fair warning, then step up and take a swing at it. That's what professionals do.
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Professionals don't expose themselves to unnecessary liability.
 
About flight departments... If you have to ask the price, you can't afford one.

About working environs... A commitment to service is laudable. An attitude of subservience is dangerous.
 
QXDX said:
None of the above. But I have observed that the people who go furthest in life; the ones who are the happiest and most fulfilled, tend to be those who set new goals and rise to new challenges.
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Sure, in your personal life. But some of the most miserable pilots/jobs in aviation are those that are required to do side jobs besides flying. You make it seem like a pilot has to justify their position, that’s completely wrong. You’re paid to fly and/or manage an asset that can approach $90 million. Just the mere existence of an aircraft justifies your position. You don’t need to do anything else. If you want to, do it on your own time outside the company, you’d make more and be happier that way anyway.
 
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