fllp23

Hello all,

I’m a military pilot living in the ISO area looking to retire in 2-5 years. I keep telling myself that looking for my next job is future me’s problem…but I think future me would be pretty upset if he knew that. I have a pretty large family and am completely unaware of the 135 lifestyle with the 8/6 or 15/13 schedules. Is there any benefit to staying in the area (45 minutes to ISO) with this company? I’m just trying to get an idea of the next path in life. I appreciate all the help.

Peabody17

Flip23, thank you for your service. It's not necessarily too early to plan your after-retirement gig, but things certainly can change a lot in 2-5 years. Whether an 8/6 or 15/13 schedule will work for you is entirely dependent on your family. Almost nobody likes being gone that long, but some find it manageable when faced with the ensuing time off. Another alternative is NetJets, where the base schedule is 7/7. Additionally, for each week of vacation, you effectively get 3 weeks off, which is nice. Although most of these outfits offer "home basing", that might be a bit of a misnomer for you if you choose to stay in ISO. I'm not sure any of them offer that as a basing option, although there may be alternatives (RDU, ILM, etc.) that you find acceptable.

Mostly at this point, I just advise that you research, meet crews whenever you get a change (you can track flights on FlightAware to see what's headed your way), and ask questions on forums like this. That way, when retirement is close, you should have a short list of your desired options. Thank you again, and good luck...

fllp23

I appreciate it! I haven’t really had the opportunity to pick anyone’s brain in person. And it’s not so much that I have to live near ISO. I just have kids who will be finishing high school in the near future. I didn’t know if there was a benefit to living close with FE. I wasn’t sure if the 8 or 15 on were analogous to doing reserve time in base with a major where you are basically on call…or if you are actually away from home during those times, every time.

Peabody17

Plan on being gone all 8 or 15. There's not much "reserve" in the 91K/135 world.

UTR69

In this business, there is a HUGE HUGE YUGE variance between companies and what is offered. My suggestion is to SHOP AROUND.

1. Take this forum and website with a grain of salt. Use the profiles to research companies but remember these forums are opinions....of pilots....nuff said.

2. Find a few companies that you are interested in and apply. Find more companies that you ARE NOT interested in and apply and interview. Chances are, you haven't interviewed EVER in the military and going to companies that are definite no-go's are a great way to experience the interview process with very little skin in the game. I did this with American Eagle (back in the day) and it was eye opening. Who knew there was something called Jepps charts...........shrug....

3. SHOP AROUND. did I mention that? Ask people and go 1v1 (STS) on the phone with someone with questions instead of the forums.

4. Hit me up on PM if you have more questions. I would be happy to help.

5. (for 727DVR) FE sucks. (that's an obligatory post).

6. Good luck on your search. Here to help!

Cheers!

B727DRVR

WOW!!!

I am amazed to say this, but I agree with nearly everything that UTR just said!!!! All except his obligatory #5, of course, LOL!!

UTR is my constant foil, my Maddow to my Hannity, my Reverend Al to my Tucker, but I agree with him that you should definitely shop around, Flip! Great advice from Peabody as well, who has a lot of informative posts that span several Companies!

While you COULD be based in ISO with flyExclusive (They love that) and fly you out of New Bern, Pitt Greenville, OAJ, ILM, RDU, etc., my first question to you as a Military Pilot is whether or not you have considered Part 121? While I am former Part 121 and one of our Recruiters, I am a pilot first and when one pilot wins.. we all win.

Therefore, I want to see you get the best deal for you and that includes going elsewhere if it is a better fit. I know how strong the Squadron Pipeline is to the various Legacies and Legacy Cargo Airlines, and honestly our 6.5 year-old Company isn’t going to beat those 90 year old companies or Legacy Cargo Airlines. What we can do, however, is to give you a very quick upgrade and let you live almost ANYWHERE in the lower 48 and PR. For example, I am flying home tonight to my NC home near you from my CA home where the Company finished me up. A week from tomorrow, I will fly out of ILM to start my rotation. I can say with full confidence that we have the most generous home basing policy in our Industry, with flyExclusive pilots regularly flying our of EWN, PGV, ILM, OAJ, etc.. So if you are looking to live in the area, flyExclusive is your huckleberry….

But again, 121 Legacy is the way to go if you can, as they have had nearly a Century to get everything that they have fought so hard for. Netjets is another great Company to consider, and I believe that they will fly you out of ILM as well. With countless friends there from my furloughed past, the ONLY reason that I didn’t consider them was that the upgrade when I was looking for a flying job was roughly 10 years, vs. one year for us. If I were in my 20’s, then that would be a no brainer, but at my current age, I just couldn’t wait that long. I believe with retirements and aircraft acquisitions, that number is coming down.

So, how do you like that for honesty, LOL?! In addition to being a bad recruiter by giving advice to consider elsewhere and other alternatives always, I am also a bad Realtor who always asks my befuddled clients “Are you sure that this is what you want to do?” Before they sign the Offer to Purchase. I do this because they are going to be my neighbors as well, and I treat prospective pilots no differently.

Prior to applying here, I would advise going back and reading this thread (I know.. I know) and taking up UTR’s and my offer to chat regarding this Company. I encourage you to read every one of UTR’s posts about us and every one of mine.. Note, there are more prolific posters on here, but I do post a lot and on varied subjects, so check the flyExclusive thread for just my posts about us. To make an educated decision, I would recommend reading all posts, both negative and positive. But my best advice regarding using this Forum for career decisions comes from the Prime Minister/Lead Moderator himself, Rickair7777.. While this Forum and APC profiles page are the gold standard for knowledge about an aviation company, you will find excellent, and terrible, advice on here. I didn’t apply here at flyExclusive for quite awhile because of said advice, so I am glad that I did further research (nearly 4 years later). flyExclusive was the perfect match for me, but not necessarily for someone else. Like most things, your mileage may vary, but not by much….

Good Luck, Flip, and have a great Christmas. Merry Christmas to you as well, UTR! And to you Peabody! And to all a good night!

Take it away, Rickair7777!!!

“If you're considering using APC advice for career planning, take a look at the poster's previous post history... if they have some history and sound like a real, rational person who discusses a variety of topics then I'd weight their advice.

If they're a broken record, or have a very short, focused history, then beware.”

Peabody17

B727DRVR: I nominate this as Post of the Year!!! And thanks for the info about FE and basing options in NC. I had no idea they were more generous than some of their "bigger" brothers...

iflybygps

Also, one thing to consider when looking for a Part 135 gig, if you aren't an ATP you have to have the ATP/CTP course and some companies will not consider you without the ATP/CTP course completed as well as the ATP written completed. Some will not consider you unless you are already an ATP. For the military guys this can be an issue because most have their licenses converted but they get it at the commercial pilot level. There are MANY companies that will pay for the ATP/CTP course, I would seek them out. I am 99% sure that FlyExclusive requires you to be an ATP at time of application. I look at the ATP/CTP course as an investment by the company, especially if they are going to have you under a training contract, there is no loss to them. Companies who are unwilling to make that investment in you just are not a good match. There are so many jobs out there that you don't need to go do this class out of pocket, those days are long gone (for now). The companies I have talked to recently all said they are struggling to get qualified pilots to the point that they are raising starting salaries and trying lots of other incentives just to keep up with attrition. Just some things to think about.

meitnerium

FlyExclusive currently pays for your ATP during the initial sim ride at FlightSafety. Right now they are requiring CTP and ATM written to be complete. We have paid for CTP and the written in the past. It’s all about how you can convince your Recruiter, who has to vouch for you to the DO and CP.

Also we just got a new Senior Vice President of Operations yesterday, someone who is a line pilot with executive management experience. WW stepped down. Will be interesting to see upcoming changes down the pipeline..

fllp23

I really appreciate it! Lots of good info. And I’m with y’all about shopping around. I just figured I’d reach out to get some perspective since most “Career” links on websites have a fairly limited picture. Again, thanks for all the information.