Putting airline pilots aside there is another, perhaps a more mysterious side to commercial aviation and that is the life of a Corporate Contract Pilot.

The majority of those aspiring to fly professionally usually aim to become an airline pilot which can offer a challenging and rewarding career path. But the prospect of being a corporate pilot can offer that something different, a new flavour, something which the airlines just can't offer?

So what exaclty is a corporate pilot? Various companies or wealthy individuals can either own an aircraft or own a share in one under fractional ownership. A corporate pilot is hired or even contracted to fly such aircraft privately.

This means a corporate pilot can be mixing with high flying businessmen, the rich and of course the famous. Such people demand the best and as such a corporate pilot can be expected to fly the very best and modern aircraft the industry has to offer.

The type of aircraft flown will also depend on the client, big multinational companies may require larger aircraft which can fly further and carry more passengers. Whereas an individual client may be happy with a smaller aircraft.

Most corporate aircraft are small jets with a twin engine bolted onto the tail, the most common corporate jets are manufactured by Cessna, Bombardier and Gulfstream. Boeing and Airbus also supply modified versions of their mainstream aircraft to the corporate jet market, although these are much rarer due to their size and cost.

Since a corporate pilot flies for private clients then they are at the mercy of the client in terms of their working patterns, flying hours and destinations. This differs from an airline pilot who will have a more regular working pattern.

Thus the life of a corporate pilot is far more unpredictable in that they will tend to spend much more time on call. This can be fustrating although it does mean that one can spend more time at home than away.

Destinations and routes can also be more unpredictable with the pilot having to fly to places in accordance with the needs of the client. This usually means flying to much smaller and various airports than the average airline pilot gets to visit.

The main difference of being a corporate pilot is the uncertainty, you can spend a lot of time sitting and waiting. Then when you do get the call to fly somewhere it can be at very short notice, so the pilot must be able to work quickly and efficiently when preparing for the flight.

Fractional ownership, also known as 'fractional jets' is where one purchases a share in an aircraft. This gives the client the benefit of having access to a private aircraft at a greatly reduced cost. It is also common for a company to have a share in a fleet of aircraft, this way they have a choice to charter an aircraft type depending on the number of proposed passengers and destination.

For the pilot fractional ownership also brings benefits. Instead of relying on one owner to provide all of your flying hours, there will be multiple owners all contributing to the demand required on the pilots. This means a pilot flying under fractional ownership will fly many more hours and to a wider range of destinations than other corporate pilots.

Gaining a position as a corporate pilot can be more or less difficult than an airline position. Many corporate aircraft are used by high end businessmen and wealthy individuals, as a result they usually demand the crop of very best pilots.

Because of this the majority of corporate jobs will only consider experienced pilots. Netjets, one of the premier 'fractional jet' companies require their candidates to posses at least 2500 flying hours for their regional positions, with 5000+ hours required for their larger aircraft types.

Most corporate pilots also need to be type-rated on the aircraft being applied to, as most corporate recruiters will not provide type-rating training. This does usually mean that it is upto the pilot to get type-rated to a specific type(s) before applying.

As with any arena of commercial aviation your pay will depend heavily on your seniroity and aircraft type(s) flown. This also holds true for the corporate pilot.

An experienced in command corporate pilot can earn close or upto the levels of an airline captain, whereas a newbie first officer can be earning something far more modest.PPP

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