Corporate Schedules

[RayJr]

Hi Gang,

I'm wondering about schedules for the different corporate outfits in Canada. Like days on days off in a row, reserve. And for the places will reserve, how many days are you actually flying of those reserve days.

Airlines seem very straight forward with their 1-5 day pairings in most cases. Do corporate have something similar? I'm sure everywhere is different but if you have experience flying some type of corporate I would be curious what companies offer what sort of schedules.

Cheers,

[JHR]

Schedules....

[JHR]

Schedules....

[JHR]

I'm laughing so hard I can't even hit the right buttons

[JHR]

I fly about 120hrs a year. Sometimes I am home for weeks at at time. But with only two pilots, when the boss says it's time to go, we go.

[CL-Skadoo!]

Likewise, I’m doing 200-250 hours per year for the owner. Shortest callout has been 2 days, but very rare. I typically know my trips months ahead of time. I take vacation around the aircraft or fly the ‘missus’ out if I am somewhere fun. If I have something special going on they’ll get a decent contractor. Fits my life quite nicely and I don’t have to see an airport terminal while making $250,000. I’m quite content.

Schedule though? Never heard of it, frankly, that word sounds made up.

[Liftdump]

Nailed it

[Canadaflyer46]

Good corporate gigs in Canada are like hens teeth. I know places like Air Sprint have set schedules so you’ll know days off ahead of time, but they work guys like rented mules for a third of the wage they pay in the US.

[RayJr]

I fly about 120hrs a year. Sometimes I am home for weeks at at time. But with only two pilots, when the boss says it's time to go, we go.

Would you say you're on call 24/7?

[RayJr]

Likewise, I’m doing 200-250 hours per year for the owner. Shortest callout has been 2 days, but very rare. I typically know my trips months ahead of time. I take vacation around the aircraft or fly the ‘missus’ out if I am somewhere fun. If I have something special going on they’ll get a decent contractor. Fits my life quite nicely and I don’t have to see an airport terminal while making $250,000. I’m quite content.

Schedule though? Never heard of it, frankly, that word sounds made up.

So schedule is 2 days call out at the least. Usually much more?

[Checkspeed]

Good corporate gigs in Canada are like hens teeth. I know places like Air Sprint have set schedules so you’ll know days off ahead of time, but they work guys like rented mules for a third of the wage they pay in the US.

While I agree we fly more than a true corporate outfit(everyone does), I think rented mule is a bit of a stretch. Right after covid things were insane and it was that busy but it's leveled out to an average of 45-65 hours a month, depending on the busy swings around christmas and the spring. The real benefit is the schedule for me, I have a set rotation of 8 on 6 off and know my schedules 6 months out. It's not for everyone obviously but I've done the "on call all the time" thing and it wears down after a few years, especially with a family.

[CL-Skadoo!]

Likewise, I’m doing 200-250 hours per year for the owner. Shortest callout has been 2 days, but very rare. I typically know my trips months ahead of time. I take vacation around the aircraft or fly the ‘missus’ out if I am somewhere fun. If I have something special going on they’ll get a decent contractor. Fits my life quite nicely and I don’t have to see an airport terminal while making $250,000. I’m quite content.

Schedule though? Never heard of it, frankly, that word sounds made up.

So schedule is 2 days call out at the least. Usually much more?

Correct. But if something big happened they’d want that aircraft’s engines lit asap.

[RayJr]

Likewise, I’m doing 200-250 hours per year for the owner. Shortest callout has been 2 days, but very rare. I typically know my trips months ahead of time. I take vacation around the aircraft or fly the ‘missus’ out if I am somewhere fun. If I have something special going on they’ll get a decent contractor. Fits my life quite nicely and I don’t have to see an airport terminal while making $250,000. I’m quite content.

Schedule though? Never heard of it, frankly, that word sounds made up.

So schedule is 2 days call out at the least. Usually much more?

Correct. But if something big happened they’d want that aircraft’s engines lit asap.

Right on. Interesting! Does that mean you can't have a beer like ever? or take an afternoon trip like a 4 hour drive away or something? Just in case the plane needs to move?

[CL-Skadoo!]

So schedule is 2 days call out at the least. Usually much more?

Correct. But if something big happened they’d want that aircraft’s engines lit asap.

Right on. Interesting! Does that mean you can't have a beer like ever? or take an afternoon trip like a 4 hour drive away or something? Just in case the plane needs to move?

Absolutely not, we’re expected to live like human beings and as they do as well. If I can get the airplane moving for them I would, otherwise the standard call out applies. If they wanted 24-7 coverage, they’d hire more people. It’s give and take, they play nice with 2 pilots and avoid the expenditure of 4. If owners don’t wrap their minds around that, they won’t be owners for long

[RayJr]

Correct. But if something big happened they’d want that aircraft’s engines lit asap.

Right on. Interesting! Does that mean you can't have a beer like ever? or take an afternoon trip like a 4 hour drive away or something? Just in case the plane needs to move?

Absolutely not, we’re expected to live like human beings and as they do as well. If I can get the airplane moving for them I would, otherwise the standard call out applies. If they wanted 24-7 coverage, they’d hire more people. It’s give and take, they play nice with 2 pilots and avoid the expenditure of 4. If owners don’t wrap their minds around that, they won’t be owners for long

Very cool. Thanks for sharing

[JHR]

I worked two days last summer. The trade off is having to cancel some things that I had planned here and there. Sometimes it's worth it...until the thing you had planned was important to you

[SangakaraMoory]

Corporate pilot schedules in Canada are all over the map! Unlike airlines, there's no one-size-fits-all. It depends on the company, size of operation, and aircraft type.

Here's the breakdown:

Days on/off: Can vary wildly - from weekend flyers to full-time schedules with reserve days.
Reserve: Reserve can mean standby at home or short-notice flying. How many days you actually fly during reserve depends on the company's needs.
Search online pilot forums or reach out to specific companies you're interested in for a better idea of their schedules. Good luck!