Challenges of the biz aviation
New industry, new rules, new dynamics, new duties, new responsibilities…
Every job has its own challenges ,and I would like to highlight the ones of the business aviation.
I would start with the most obvious: the fact that, unless you fly a big Airbus for a Boeing or in special situations, you are alone in the cabin!
Single flight attendant operation
This is one of the most important requirements that Private jet Operators ask to candidates.
Not all the jets are operated by single flight attendants, however they are quite common.
Is basically your capability conduct a flight in solo, where you can count on you and yourself only.
Means that the crew is composed by 3 members: the two pilots and…. You.
I know it might sound scary, but I think it’s a great opportunity to push your limits ahead, test your organisation and prioritisation skills and mature as individual.
Yep, you have nobody to ask to if the situation get busted.
Oh yes, you have to do everything on your own because nobody else will help you.
And si. If you forget something there won’t be anybody else to remind it for you.
In that case it will be gone. Over. Forever lost.
Don’t count on pilots…. They are too busy with there own duties!
Why do I like it then?
Oh it’s not only that I like it… I LOVE it!
Your organisational skills will be trained to perfection, and your capabilities of problem solving will become at pro level!
Nobody will tell you what to do, when to do and how to do things because you are on charge of the flight.
It’s YOUR jet, they are YOUR customers and this is YOUR flight.
In other words, you create the experience in your own way.
From flower to catering, music to lightning, ambiance, room scent, wine pairing, silver service, customer interaction.
Your ultimate mission is to make it exceptional.
It doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as you do it.
Blank page in that regards!
Money are not an issue (so long as you don’t spend 50k in catering for one flight!).
I come from my first commercial aviation experience where we used to fly alone on certain sectors, so it wasn’t completely new for me.
But for my former colleagues from the Middle East, I understand that moving from a 33 members crew to three it might sound scary.
Yes you won’t sleep the night before your first solo flight.
And yes it will be a challenge that will create anxiety.
However, rest assured that once is done, that is it!
You are baptised!
Go and fly!
The VIP interaction
Oh well, this is a big thing.
You can fight against the need to be a cabin crew on a private jet, or you can embrace the challenge and understand that cabin crew is not flight attendant.
That your authority on board is different, and that the entire flying experience is based on different principles.
Safety and security yes, but also (and at the same level of importance) there are elegance, quality, luxury and grace.
This was for me the biggest challenge to accept.
The customers are also quite different, as one of my colleague from Russia once said “they are not the kind of people you meet in the street!”.
It couldn’t be more true tho!
Some people manage to leave their previous commercial life behind, some other can’t.
I think it’s just a matter of trainings combined with an open mid attitude.
This will teach you a lot about yourself, you shouldn’t miss this opportunity!
The unknown schedule
When you are VIP, you and your jet are one single thing during the entire duration of your duty period.
You go wherever the jet goes and you can’t really call sick because you just had a Cairo turn around.
Because you are the person on duty and they trust you show up for the flight.
Moreover, in some operations more than others, your schedule can literally change every hour.
Even every five minutes.
To make plans during your duty period can be extremely difficult, and sometime, you have to chose either if you want to wash your hair or sleep an extra 30 mins.
But it’s not this bad all year long (only in summer time!) and sometimes you are caught by surprise by a fancy destination, like that country in your bucket list that now you can tick.
Or even a place that you didn’t know it was in your list, but it just appeared there now!