“Which should I aim for, a corporate flying job or an airline pilot career? What’s the difference? How do the working conditions, benefits, and pay differ at each entity?”
Keep in mind that one track doesn’t necessarily preclude the other. Many airline pilots have accumulated experience flying corporate aircraft, and some have left airline flying to pursue a corporate career. Corporate jobs may be easier marks if you are familiar with the company you wish to work for and can court them in an appropriate manner. Airlines, on the other hand, hire in a more cyclical fashion, and your application will likely be measured against those of many other pilots with similar skills. Competition is probably stiffer at an airline, while the corporate world tends to rely more on who you know and being in the right place at the right time.
Typical work for a corporation ranges from being on call to knowing with a day or so notice that you’ve got a trip to fly. Some operators will give you a schedule of flights for the month, whereas others will tell you only your days off. One thing that’s common to almost all corporate flying is ground time. A big drawback for many in the corporate world is the waiting and the on-call nature of the work. You are, however, usually limited to a certain number of specific flying days per month. When the phone rings, it could be Minneapolis or Miami, one day or four. The wise corporate pilot has something to do to fill the long waiting hours, be it online learning or networking with other pilots.
Corporate flying can range from one airplane and one pilot flying a single individual, to numerous aircraft transporting all levels of employees, to a situation where the top brass are the only people transported. Corporate pilot job duties can also range from aircraft cleaning and fueling to planning and purchasing to budgeting and acquisition of equipment and services.
One way to describe the difference between airline and corporate flying is the “bus driver versus limousine driver” analogy. You have more advance warning of your working hours with the airline’s fixed schedules (some corporations do schedule trips weeks in advance) and probably better-defined working conditions and benefits. Corporation work often involves more perks in the form of expense accounts; Christmas bonuses; state-of-the-art equipment; and a chance to hobnob with the rich and famous.
Try to get both sides of the story so you’ll be prepared for whatever you find in your new cockpit. Remember that any job will seem wonderful as you start the routine, but several months down the line you’ll find your viewpoint changing—hopefully for the better.
Capt. Karen Kahn is the author of Flight Guide for Success: Tips and Tactics for the Aspiring Airline Pilot and a career counselor. A Master CFI and 30-year airline pilot, she flies the Boeing 757/767 for a major U.S. carrier.
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