AirSprint - Updated Pilot Career Guide

[fish4life]

I’ll add that just because you are unionized doesn’t mean that you can get a JS agreement. It has to be reciprocal, Morningstar is an example that can’t get jumpseat agreements because they aren’t able to offer a seat in their planes to other airlines pilots.

[DanWEC]

Meanwhile in the US, homebasing is becoming the norm for corporate pilots.

[WCJetPilot]

Let's remember that AirSprint is operating corporate business jets (Citation CJ2+, CJ3+ & Legacy 450/Praetor 500's), which do not have typical "jump seats" like an airliner class of aircraft would.
Unless an aircraft is flying a true empty-leg, the only way for a non-acting crew/AirSprint employee to be onboard the aircraft - would be to be seated in the small cabin with the paying customers. (I'm sure the customers who pay a high amount of money to travel in a private cabin would have no issue sharing the ride with AirSprint employees looking to catch a lift - NOT!)

[Dronepiper]

Well then how does Cargojet have Myidtravel with AC? No one is allowed to travel on CJ, but apparently CJ pilots can fly on AC planes?

[Launchpad1]

We have availability at all of our bases at the moment, including Kelowna, so if successful through the hiring process you would be based at your preferred base upon hire.

Cheers!
Matt

Hi Matt,

I applied about a month ago with about 2600 hours (50 jet).

I was just wondering about the normal time frame for receiving feedback for your application?

Thank you

[AirSprintInc]

We have availability at all of our bases at the moment, including Kelowna, so if successful through the hiring process you would be based at your preferred base upon hire.

Cheers!
Matt

Hi Matt,

I applied about a month ago with about 2600 hours (50 jet).

I was just wondering about the normal time frame for receiving feedback for your application?

Thank you

Hi Launchpad1,

We’ll be starting another round of interviews next week as we have several positions to fill with the addition of 3 aircraft to the fleet over the next 2 months. Feel free to send your resume again to our careers email or directly at mrolleman@ airsprint.com and I’ll make sure it gets looked at.

Cheers!
Matt

[‘Bob’]

Union at a corporate job? lol.

I don’t think that’s how those jobs function, nor would any of the pilots want a union.

Pilots are there because they want to be there, and get satisfaction out of providing an excellent, safe product.

The union job is where you will find some pilots who get satisfaction out of working the least amount possible, and riding the seniority wave to higher pay. Higher pay not because of their contribution to the operation, only because of date of hire.

Nothing wrong with either, do what makes you happy.… just don’t bring the airline pilot mentality to the corporate world, just like you wouldn’t bring the corporate mentality to the airline world. The only thing in common really would be that safety is paramount, after that it’s two completely different worlds.

There’s no union here for the same reason there’s no union at most 704s, 703s, and your local McDonalds.

Nobody stays long enough to care. In and out. Short term pain for long term gain at either a non-union company that pays a lot better for far less work…. or signing a card and getting a number at a destination company.

This one isn’t either. That’s why the banner ads and the bonds like North Wright or Air Georgian back in the day.

[Checkspeed]

Union at a corporate job? lol.

I don’t think that’s how those jobs function, nor would any of the pilots want a union.

Pilots are there because they want to be there, and get satisfaction out of providing an excellent, safe product.

The union job is where you will find some pilots who get satisfaction out of working the least amount possible, and riding the seniority wave to higher pay. Higher pay not because of their contribution to the operation, only because of date of hire.

Nothing wrong with either, do what makes you happy.… just don’t bring the airline pilot mentality to the corporate world, just like you wouldn’t bring the corporate mentality to the airline world. The only thing in common really would be that safety is paramount, after that it’s two completely different worlds.

There’s no union here for the same reason there’s no union at most 704s, 703s, and your local McDonalds.

Nobody stays long enough to care. In and out. Short term pain for long term gain at either a non-union company that pays a lot better for far less work…. or signing a card and getting a number at a destination company.

This one isn’t either. That’s why the banner ads and the bonds like North Wright or Air Georgian back in the day.

Speak for yourself, I truly enjoy working at Airsprint and plan on making a career here. Every single pilot I’ve chatted with at the company is against a union, myself included. If there are pro-union pilots here they’re pretty quiet about it. No union is one of the many things I like about this company. I’ve worked at a handful of companies that ranged from hot garbage to pretty decent and Airsprint is by far the best place I’ve worked yet.
Is it perfect? Nope. But they’re constantly working on ways to make it better and you couldn’t ask for a better management team.

People seem to get all bent out of shape that Airsprint doesn’t fit into the corporate “box" or the airline “box”.
It isn’t either of those things, it’s fractional, which is a category all on its own.

[digits_]

Is it perfect? Nope. But they’re constantly working on ways to make it better

I've read that about them here on avcanada multiple times over the past 6 years. That place must be paradise by now

[NovaBoy]

Spoke to a couple of AirSprint guys in YUL, boys seemed pretty happy, sounded like a good gig, with decent pay. Good option if the airlines are not your thing.

[JHR]

Did the pay go up?

[Calrissian]

Some questions for management:

1. With regards to scheduling.. is the 14/14 a guarantee of 14 days off in a row?
2. For the 16/12, it was mentioned earlier as 8 on/ 6 off... could you work 16 straight and have 12 off?

A rotational position on a jet sounds pretty great. I don't know of many companies doing that in Canada, and personally it's a major selling point. Without flight benefits though, a consistent schedule known well in advance would be important - otherwise it would be tough to afford to fly anywhere in your time off.

3. Can you be based out of one your sub-bases, Victoria, for example? Or must it be Toronto / Montreal / Vancouver?
4. How quick can an F/O upgrade to Captain? I am sure this is a case-by-case basis but maybe you can shed light on some F/O's that came to you with roughly 1500TT, ATPL and some two crew experience, that now sit in the left seat.

Much appreciated.

[AirSprintInc]

Some questions for management:

1. With regards to scheduling.. is the 14/14 a guarantee of 14 days off in a row?
2. For the 16/12, it was mentioned earlier as 8 on/ 6 off... could you work 16 straight and have 12 off?

A rotational position on a jet sounds pretty great. I don't know of many companies doing that in Canada, and personally it's a major selling point. Without flight benefits though, a consistent schedule known well in advance would be important - otherwise it would be tough to afford to fly anywhere in your time off.

3. Can you be based out of one your sub-bases, Victoria, for example? Or must it be Toronto / Montreal / Vancouver?
4. How quick can an F/O upgrade to Captain? I am sure this is a case-by-case basis but maybe you can shed light on some F/O's that came to you with roughly 1500TT, ATPL and some two crew experience, that now sit in the left seat.

Much appreciated.

Hi Calrissian,

Sorry for the confusion on our schedule but I'll need to clarify how it works. The 14/14, 16/12, and 18/10 are part of our PBS (preferential bidding system) schedule. Each month you bid for the days you want to work or would like off and the system does it's best to work that out for you. There is no guarantee of having 14 consecutive days off, however it is technically possible. The bid rules are such that normally you would be assigned 6-8 consecutive working days followed by a minimum of 4 days off. Depending on how you bid that could result in any number of combinations of days on and days off during the 28 day bid period that results in 14 days of work and 14 days off (or 16 days of work, 12 days off, etc.). It is not possible to bid to work 16 days in a row, the maximum you could ask the bid to assign you would be 13 days, and this is only if you request it, the system is capped at 8 days otherwise.

We do have fixed rotational schedules as an option, so the 14/14 becomes a 7/7, 16/12 becomes 8/6 and the 18/10 a 9/5. These, along with the 14/14 and 18/10 PBS schedules are on an as available basis as we require a somewhat even amount of pilots on each schedule. Seniority and first come first served determine who is able to get what.

While we have no policy against pilots commuting or attempting to do a rotational schedule, we would strongly advise against it due to the costs involved with a lack of a reciprocal agreement with the airlines. Pilots may choose to be based at either our main bases (YYC, YYZ, YUL) or sub bases (YYJ, YVR, YLW, YWG, YXE, YWG, YOW, YQB) and we handle all costs associated with getting you to an aircraft and back home. Positioning occurs on your available to work days.

Captain upgrades require a minimum of 3000 hours internally (our external requirements are listed in our job ad - viewtopic.php?t=175521). Our pilots typically fly 500-600 hours a year.

I hope that answers your questions but feel free to email me directly mrolleman @airsprint.com if you would like to discuss our scheduling options in further detail or have any other questions!

Matt

[yowflyer23]

Pilots may choose to be based at either our main bases (YYC, YYZ, YUL) or sub bases (YYJ, YVR, YLW, YWG, YXE, YWG, YQB) and we handle all costs associated with getting you to an aircraft and back home. Positioning occurs on your available to work days.

Hi Matt, is the YOW based now closed? If so, are there plans to reopen it in the future?

Thanks!

[AirSprintInc]

Pilots may choose to be based at either our main bases (YYC, YYZ, YUL) or sub bases (YYJ, YVR, YLW, YWG, YXE, YWG, YQB) and we handle all costs associated with getting you to an aircraft and back home. Positioning occurs on your available to work days.

Hi Matt, is the YOW based now closed? If so, are there plans to reopen it in the future?

Thanks!

Hi yowflyer23,

My apologies, I neglected to include YOW in the original list, it is indeed open and growing!

Thanks for bringing that to my attention and I have corrected my post.

Kind Regards,
Matt

[N181CS]

What about week on week off?

It’s impossible for some to move as our partner would take a substantial pay cut. Toronto and Ottawa while they are only a few hours away, it’s not a drive that one wants to do all that often.

['97 Tercel]

[AirSprintInc]

What about week on week off?

It’s impossible for some to move as our partner would take a substantial pay cut. Toronto and Ottawa while they are only a few hours away, it’s not a drive that one wants to do all that often.

Hi N181CS,

While we do offer a 7 and 7 schedule it may not be available depending on position as those schedules are typically quite popular particularly with Captains. All schedules, aside from the standard 16/12 are awarded based on seniority. Also, while we don't have any limitations on where you live, during your available to work/fly days you do need to be within 90 minutes of your home base airport in the event of a callout. This could make it difficult for anyone living several hours away from their base airport, particularly if assigned an overnight at your base.

Hope that helps!
Matt

[N181CS]

Thanks for the reply. Seems very doable after a bit of time with the company. One would have to commit to being at their base to meet the 90 min call requirements and just like any other rotation not go home in the middle.

[LegoMan]

What percentage is night flying (after 9pm)?

[Checkspeed]

What percentage is night flying (after 9pm)?

Not very much, the odd flight goes past 9pm but the majority of the flying is during the day. If you're used to a nocturnal medevac lifestyle, Airsprint is pretty much the opposite.

[SA77]

Thanks for being so transparent here and posting all this information.
A few questions for the management,

1. Do we have a choice of equipment when being hired or is it awarded on an as-needed basis? If not, when can we change equipment and does it affect the training loan, is it based on seniority?

2. What kind of visas are you looking for non-Canadian nationals(permanent or temporary residents), can we get crew visas for the countries of operation after being hired or do we need to have them before?

Thanks again.

[AirSprintInc]

Thanks for being so transparent here and posting all this information.
A few questions for the management,

1. Do we have a choice of equipment when being hired or is it awarded on an as-needed basis? If not, when can we change equipment and does it affect the training loan, is it based on seniority?

2. What kind of visas are you looking for non-Canadian nationals(permanent or temporary residents), can we get crew visas for the countries of operation after being hired or do we need to have them before?

Thanks again.

Hi SA77,

Equipment awards on are on as needed basis. Normal progression is CJ or EMB FO then CJ Capt then EMB Capt. Pilots with under 2000 hours may be assigned to either type, higher time pilots that do not qualify for a Direct Entry Captain position will typically be assigned to the CJ fleet for the purposes of upgrading to CJ Capt once they meet upgrade requirements.

For non-Canadian citizens we require both the C1D and B1/2 for the US. Beyond that we have not had any issues with non-Canadian crew members entering other countries on short notice as crew without a specific visa. While having the C1A and B1/2 visa's in place prior to applying helps, it does not necessarily exclude you from employment without them as we can typically get expedited processing should you be successful through the selection process. It would be a condition of employment that those visas are obtained prior to flying the line.

Hope that helps!
Matt Rolleman

[pelmet]

What percentage is night flying (after 9pm)?

Not very much, the odd flight goes past 9pm but the majority of the flying is during the day. If you're used to a nocturnal medevac lifestyle, Airsprint is pretty much the opposite.

Bet there are a lot of 3am wake-ups though. That's pretty nocturnal to me.

[10milefinal]

Bet there are a lot of 3am wake-ups though. That's pretty nocturnal to me.

Bet you you’re wrong.