Susan's Tip Corner
The Transition From Commercial To Business Aviation
Becoming a corporate flight attendant is a wonderful transition from commercial aviation to an exciting and ever growing industry called business aviation. It is a fabulous new career for you in aviation. It is a sophisticated environment that can provide one with a wonderful opportunity to travel all over the world with the people that make the world go around and the stock market go up and down!
I always say that it is like a paid vacation in some ways. It is hard work, and each trip offers new and exciting challenges. It is a process of continually reinventing oneself. I have been in the business aviation industry for 23 years, and I can honestly say that there is not a trip that I fly that I have not learned something new about my passengers, service, catering, and managing the back of a $30-$50 million dollar aircraft. Being a corporate aviation flight attendant is a profound experience.
The commercial experience that you have is something you will never forget. But trust me, this is very different. As a child it was probably your dream to be a flight attendant. I can remember when I was accepted to American Airlines and how excited I was. My dream had come to fruition. I was flying all over the world and I grew up on airplanes with profound interactions with my passengers and great dialogue with people from all over the world. It was a dream come true!
When the second commercial airline that I flew for went out of business, I discovered corporate aviation immediately, and made the transition with many mistakes, and learned by trial and error. In today's world, there is no time for errors and not knowing what to do and how to do it. Chief Flight Attendants and aviation managers do not have the time to train people. It is out of my experience of "breaking" into an industry that had NO TRAINING classes except for one company back then that only taught "corporate specific" emergency and first aid training that I created this training program, Corporate Flight Attendant Training, in 1999. It is a training that will provide you with all of the answers to all of the questions that I and my many colleagues all over the US that are Chief Flight Attendants for Fortune 500 Companies had no answers to many years ago. We all learned the hard way.
It is very important for you to know that commercial and corporate flying hold nothing at all in common other than safety is first and foremost. Probably 98% of the corporate flight departments will not put people on their aircraft without corporate specific training. I TELL MY COMMERCIAL STUDENTS TO LOSE IT BECAUSE YOU WON'T BE USING IT!
There is a need for really good contract flight attendants in our industry. There are also full time corporate flight attendant positions that open up on a regular basis when flight departments expand or purchase new equipment that would facilitate a third crew member or one of their full time flight attendants leaves. The salaries differ depending on where you live in the United States. That applies to full time and contract pay and benefits.
It is also important for you to know that there was an announcement five years ago at the National Business Aviation Association Board Member meeting in the autumn of 2002 encouraging all of the membership (over 6000 corporate flight department members) to not employ anyone as an acting third crew member on our aircraft without what we call "corporate specific" training. So, if you are serious about this industry, do it in an educated, informed and professional manner. You only get one chance to break into this industry right, and your first time on a corporate aircraft might be the last chance and impression you create in terms of our specific job related duties. Believe me, this is an industry totally unlike commercial aviation. It is 150% different from commercial aviation. In our training I always say, "You Don't Know What You Don't Know."
Since the very tragic events of September 11, 2001, there has been a surge of "new" training companies out there for corporate flight attendants. They are not known in the industry, and have no track record so to speak at this point in time. That is not to say in a few years they will not have the syllabus / curriculum that the others have, but do your homework and choose wisely. When researching where you wish to invest your money to attain the education needed to be a professional corporate flight attendant, make sure that you are indeed an educated consumer.
Be certain that they are known and well recognized within business / corporate aviation. When Mr. Aviation Manager or Ms. Chief Flight Attendant sees their name on your resume will they know who it is? Will that training you are investing in for yourself reflect the level of education for emergency training that is needed, respected and known in this industry for competency?
How long have they been in the training business? Does their facility use Part 91 equipment for their simulator training, and inquire how many people they have trained since their inception and are these people flying?
You Only Get One Chance To Make A Great First Impression!
In Life, You Are Only As Good As The Chances You Take!
I wish you the best of luck. If you are a person that has been furloughed or downsized by a commercial airline, just know that everything happens for a reason. Trust the process........
Susan C. Friedenberg - President
Corporate Flight Attendant Training & Services
more tips:
International Safety and Security Tips : November 29th, 2008
The Transition From Commercial To Corporate Aviation
Things To Consider Prior To Hiring A Contract Or Full Time Flight Attendant
The "Elegant" Fast Continental Breakfast
Starting Out In Business Aviation Appropriate Questions To Ask