How to become a corporate pilot?

Question

How do you find these corporate jobs and how do you go about getting them? I've heard corporate can pay well, any ideas?

Answer 1

Try Flying Magazine.

Answer 2

Luck, good experience, and personal connections. 90% of these jobs are inside deals where someone in the company gives a personal recommendation.

I fly corporate (not fractional) and our current minimum for a turboprop copilot is 1500TT, 500ME, 100 turbine, with 100 hours in type required unless you have Flight Safety training in type, which you have to pay for. Starting copilot pay is about $30k and Captain pay is about $55k. A Captain requires minimum 2000TT, 1000 turbine and 500 in type. The minimums for a jet copilot with our company are 3000TT, 1000 multi and 500 hours of turbine, and the captain requirement is 5000TT, 2000 multi, 1500 turbine and 500 in type, 100 within the last 12 monhs. The starting pay for either seat is about 20% above the turboprop payscale. We only average 400 flight hours per year, so a new copilot with the bare minimum new-hire turboprop requirements is looking at over 1 year to upgrade to turboprop captain (if there's an opening) and at least 5 years after that to make jet captain. Maximum pay is currently $110k plus benefits.

The insurance company is the one who sets the requirements, not FAA regulations.

Answer 3

Subscribe at www.climbto350.com.  Apply to enough and you'll get on somewhere.  Do a good job for the scumbag that hires you, and move on from there.

Answer 4

It is about knowing people. Unfourtunately it has little to with skill. I know of many guys who worked as a line fueler at FBOs and just started talking to crews and owners and led them to jobs.

I personally fly corporate and it is because of who i know. I had a job working at the Cirrus factory delivering/training new owners in thier aircraft. That lead to a job which lead me to know someone who knew of a job and so forth. I am on my 3rd corporate job.

My advice is (if you are low time) is to get as much twin turbine PIC as soon as possible. That may mean flying Mu-2s cargo at night out of bum "F" nowhere with no autopilot and shotty maintenance.