Being a pilot offers many opportunities, experiences, and relationships you’ll never forget. As a pilot, you have the flexibility to choose from multiple career paths ranging from the airlines to the military or corporate and business aviation. There’s a certain degree of overlap between each pilot job, including in-depth training on a specific aircraft and hundreds of flight hours logged; however, each role offers a different adventure with its own benefits. If you’re a pilot who may be seeking opportunities that allow for more flexibility or diversity, read on to learn the advantages of becoming a managed pilot at Airshare.
What are some reasons a pilot would consider becoming a managed corporate pilot?
Relationships — By working with the same people time and time again, you can form a special bond with the owners, family, and guests. This allows you to hone in on their likes and dislikes to elevate their experience and enable you to predict their needs and enhance the level of service provided to them.
Flying the same aircraft — By flying the same aircraft every day, you will get to know the aircraft on a much more detailed level mechanically.
Taking Pride/Ownership in the aircraft — A managed pilot can have more involvement with every aspect of the operation of a managed aircraft. This includes day-to-day operations, owner and customer relations, maintenance, etc. If you want to do more than show up to the plane to fly and then go home after the trip, this is the perfect role for you.
Flying with the same pilot/pilots — You can form strong relationships with the fellow pilots you fly with every day.
What are the benefits of a corporate pilot role versus working as a commercial pilot?
- Building relationships with the owner and customers
- Getting to know your aircraft
- Diverse trips and experiences
- The chance of being more involved with decisions made, i.e., aircraft purchases, upgrades, etc.
What does a pilot need to do to become a managed corporate pilot? What training do they need?
Being a corporate pilot involves a lot more than what most commercial airline pilots do. The pilot has to have a servant’s heart and be comfortable in many different settings with multiple responsibilities, in addition to operating the aircraft safely and efficiently. Managed pilots have many responsibilities, including requesting services from the FBO to meet their trip needs, communicating a trip request to the scheduling team, filing flight plans, checking the weather, checking airport NOTAMS and flying the aircraft. In addition, they are responsible for calling ahead to assure passenger arrangements are in place and communicating effectively and professionally with the passengers on the aircraft.
All Airshare pilots must have required flight hours and the following qualifications:
- Four-year degree or equivalent experience
- First Class Medical certificate
- ATP or Commercial License
- Must meet all currency requirements regarding instrument flight time and night landings
- Must pass an instrument competency check in the category of aircraft flown
- Corporate or charter experience is preferred
In addition, pilots will train in a simulator every six months and recurrent training on company-specific topics and FAA Regulations once a year.
What factors should a pilot consider to decide if becoming a managed corporate pilot is the right career choice?
1) Does you have a heart of a servant? Are you continually looking for ways to enhance the experience for your passengers?
2) Do you want to do more than fly the aircraft? If you want to be a managed pilot, you have to enjoy the challenges of touching nearly every aspect that it takes to have a successful and safe flight.
If a pilot is interested in a managed corporate pilot role, why should they consider Airshare?
Airshare has an excellent culture for managed pilots. We understand that the aircraft owner and their pilots have a special bond. We want to embrace that relationship and provide the pilots with the support and resources to help them make this the best experience possible for the aircraft owners.
What do current managed Airshare pilots like most about the experience?
Our owners and pilots are a remarkable group of people that always look out for each other and want the best for each other’s careers, families and lives. Airshare pilots genuinely enjoy the relationship with the aircraft owners and the gratification of serving them while continuously finding ways to improve their processes.
We asked a few of our managed pilots what they like most about their job, and this is what they said:
“I enjoy both being familiar with the frequented destinations of the aircraft owners and the adventure of exploring new places I’ve never seen.” — Christopher, Bombardier Global 5000 Captain
“I enjoy the diversity of the trips we fly and being able to focus on one customer. It’s great to have the chance to work with fantastic owners and crew members.” — Caleb, Gulfstream G450 and Embraer Legacy 500 Captain
Are you interested in building personal relationships with principal owners and playing an integral role in how they achieve their goals? Learn more about this role and our current openings by visiting managed pilot careers page.