Mdb2341

To any former Flexjet pilots out there that have made the jump to AA

How has your transition been? Have you found AA to be the improvement you hoped it would be?

How long did it take you all to catch onto 121 ops and structure? Reserve, proffer, trip & duty rigs, jumpseating etc. This stuff is all foreign to me.

Regarding training specifically how has that transition been. Coming from a all corporate background I am used to a pretty lackadaisical training environment with instructors who barely even know the airplane themselves.


Thanks for any feedback

IlliniPilot99

As a former flex pilot, it's night and day, I make more money, work half has hard and have way more days off. FWIW I did 5 years of 121 before AND after I was at Flex so I knew what I was getting into.

As for training...Flexjet is a very 121 oriented training environment compared to a "mom n pop" 135 shop where you are catered to because you are a client buying a type rating. At AA your hand won't be held but they will give you the necessary resources to be successful. When I went through Indoc, my instructors were either line pilots or retired Legacy Airbus pilots. So you will have instructors that actually flew the airplane.

Long story short... you only turn left when you walk onto an airplane in the 121 world.

Pilot X

actually we do deadhead quite a bit

IlliniPilot99

welp...as a reserve guy, you're not wrong!

FNGFO

It’s not hard at all. You’ll find 121 ops absurdly easy If you’ve spent any decent amount of time in the frac world.

Proffering is very, very easy, the rigs aren’t something you think a lot about. It’s either a duty trip or a flight time trip, and you can see which on your sequence information. Training is training. Cooperate, graduate, show up bothering to try and it’ll be a smooth process. There is tons of support.

You’re coming from a very structured environment at Flex. You’re going to an even more structured one. There is no Daddy Warbucks ( or Daddy Poorbucks if you’re a Phenis driver) screaming at you to fly between rocks in a blizzard because he really wants to ski tomorrow. You can still interact with the pax if you like that kind of thing or run off and hide behind the flight deck door.

You won’t go to nearly as cool places, or fly hotrods around the sky at 45k feet. But you also won’t be cleaning toilets or the plane, sweating while trying to get the bags in the tail or on the road for 7-8 days at a time.

I think every Flexer who’s left to any 121 job misses aspects of the frac world, but pretty much none of them are dying to go back. And that should tell you something.

BurnerAccount69

You'll never have to get to Teterhole ever again, that has to count for something too

CADR

As others have said, coming from the corporate world of flying 91/135 to 121 @ AA - the flying is definitely not as fun and it’s absolutely more of a “job”. It gets a bit repetitive, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The job itself is easier, you wear less hats, have way more support and CRM all around, you get paid more, and you’ll enjoy a better QOL with more control over your life and time off (despite what a lot of pilots will complain about).

Training? If you’re already flying a jet you’ll be fine. Hit the books, ask questions and everyone is happy to help and make sure you are successful - you won’t be left behind. As far as the nitty gritty 121 stuff and deadheading and things, you’ll pick all that up along the way in time. Also as a new hire you’ll be assigned to a union “Compass Mentor”, who he or she will be there to aid in answering all your questions about being new to AA and tracking your progress and checking in with you along the way. It’s a great program and they have a ton of really good resources for you to use to answer all the questions you can think of being new to AA.

Make the jump to AA and never look back. You’ll be glad you did. Overall pay, benefits and QOL are vastly superior to any corporate charter operation.

symbian simian

Yup, what he said. CS now NK. Really enjoyed the 91k flying. Destinations, variety, you name it. Getting paid 3 times as much for half the work? Priceless.

DWC CAP10 USAF

Obviously not a 737 FO making the walk of shame to check the waste/water levels in the aft galley.

dsevo

I’m a 737 FO and have zero idea what you’re talking about.