Hi Ryan. That is a great idea to go down to ATP in Trenton especially if that is where you would end up doing your training. As far as hours: the big number in corporate aviation as far as insurance for operators is that pilots have a minimum of 2500 hours fixed wing. That can change from place to place but that is widely used. I know Netjets minimums are 2500. To be competitive it is good to have more time than that and also multi time and even jet time which is very valuable on a resume. That would make you really attractive to potential employers. So for me, a regional airline was a good way for me to get a lot of hours quickly (850 per year) and fly a jet getting valuable jet time and experience in all kinds of different weather, destinations, pilots, etc. So even if you don't want to end up in the airlines, a regional can get you headed in the right direction. If not, another way could be to find a flight school that has multi-engine airplanes and perhaps does some chartering with a King Air and try to get some seniority on the instructor roster to fly that. Then move on to a charter or cargo company that has a Learjet, etc. That can take a long time to build up the required hours. So again you can cut out a lot of time through a regional that flies jets.
As far as being a sweet spot in the industry, that depends. There are good jobs and bad jobs in corporate just like the airlines. You could end up flying for a low budget charter operation that will fly your butt off or you can end up flying for a Fortune 500 Company that has a good schedule and pay scale. It all depends on where you are able to get hired. Some pilots are hardcore airline pilots and that's it. Yes it's nice go to Paris for 5 days and the next month Cancun. Instead of a 14 hours overnight in Rochester, NY. But at some jobs you could be on call for 24/7 where as the airlines have definite days off. Pay is low in the airlines in the beginning but it does pick up as you get more seniority and upgrade to Captain. In corporate you could start with a higher salary but don't have as high of increases every year. So it's tough to say what works out to more. In the airlines you can live where ever you want to and commute to work. In corporate you pretty much need to live within 2 hours of the airport that you are based at. (except for Net Jets) So there are good points and bad for each industry.
The experience I had in the airlines vs corporate is also this:
In the airlines you just show up and fly. You get your paperwork(flight plan) a half hour before the airplane is supposed to leave then jump in the airplane and go to your destination. In corporate there's much more set up involved for the pilot. You have to arrange handling at the destination(landing permits, fuel, catering, car rental, hotel, etc) also you must run your own flight plan and file it, put all the catering on the airplane, call for the airplane to be rolled out the hangar, order the fuel, be in contact with the passengers in case of delays or changes, etc) So that could be something that a pilot would want to consider. Some people just like to just show up and fly. I personally like being in control of the details of the trip. Another biggy is that there is no union to stand behind and be protected by in the corporate world like there is in the airlines. If you lose your medical in the airlines you can get insurance against this and continued to get paid even though you are not fit to fly. If you break an FAA regulations then it's just you who must answer for it. Something to consider.
So there are some factors to each side.
I hope this helps.
Dan
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