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 Photo Courtesy of AirNet |
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Photo Courtesy of AirNet |
By Ian Tocher
AirNet Express pilots ply the IFR routes of America up to 500 times a night, building time in their personal log-books and saving time for customers who rely on the Columbus, OH-based check hauler to deliver valuable bank checks and overnight packages to their final destinations. AirNet is the nation’s largest operator of Learjets, with 31 of the quintessential business jets online, and the company operates scores of high-performance piston-twin aircraft. Pilots flying for AirNet progress rapidly through the ranks, making them prime targets for hiring by regional, national, and major airlines.
STARCHECK ENTERPRISE
Under their distinct “Starcheck” callsign, AirNet pilots are responsible for moving literally billions of dollars worth of checks nightly, flying coast-to-coast through every imaginable weather system. It’s a sophisticated delivery system that stems from humble origins.
AirNet Systems founder Jerry Mercer, who remains the company’s president and CEO, says he first considered an overnight check delivery service during a trip to Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport early in 1974. Mercer says his fledgling Pontiac, MI-based Part 135 freight operation had lost $6,000 in its first three months of operation and he remembers sitting in the terminal, beginning to wonder if he was in the right business, when he read an article about a profitable operation that was flying checks overnight for the Federal Reserve.
“My mind thinks in analogies and I thought if there’s an application in the public sector, there’s probably some application in the private sector too,” Mercer recalls.
Upon consulting his bank manager, Mercer quickly discovered the financial institutions of Detroit were well-served already, but there was a demand for his service from banks in the northern reaches of the state. So, on April 1, 1974, Mercer launched PDQ Air Service, flying a route from Alpena, to Gaylord, to Traverse City, and down to the financial heart of the state in Detroit.
In 1980, Mercer moved PDQ (People Dedicated to Quality) to Port Columbus International Airport and established an FBO that is still thriving today. He made the move to Columbus, OH, because the airport is rarely closed due to weather, and geographically, it is situated within about one hour by jet to nearly 80 percent of the country’s major banking centers.
A name change to Financial Air Express followed in 1984, with small package delivery added to the check service that same year. In 1988 and 1989, Mercer bought out his main competitors, Wright International Express and Air Continental. Mercer renamed the merged companies U.S. Check, but changed the name once more to AirNet Systems just prior to taking the company public with its initial public offering May 31, 1996 on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
AirNet continued its history of absorbing smaller air cargo carriers and freight handlers with the August 1996 purchase of Midway Aviation in Dallas, and five months later, Express Convenience Center in Southfield, MI.
A move in June last year to the New York Stock Exchange improved the company’s stock profile venue, and the acquisition of San Diego’s Pacific Air Charter about the same time gave AirNet its first west coast base of air operations. Chicago-based freight forwarder Data Courier was added about a month later. The most recent major acquisition came early in August this year as AirNet secured Boston-based Mercury Business Services, an express delivery management company.
Not all of AirNet’s efforts have been blessed, however, as a planned takeover of New York City-headquartered Q International Courier went sour this past June, leaving AirNet to pay a $2.35 million termination charge. Differences in management approaches, business philosophies, and corporate cultures were cited as the primary reasons for the merger’s failure.
In mid-September this year, Mercer declined to name any upcoming acquisition targets for AirNet, but he did confirm the company will continue to “seek those companies that share our vision and standards.”
MAKING THE GRADE
There are about 150 pilots currently flying for AirNet Express, but Director of Training Craig Washka says the company really needs at least 165 to operate at its optimum level. AirNet is facing pilot turnover of at least eight to 10 per month, and that trend suggests no sign of abating in the near future. Washka conducts most of the face-to-face interviews at Columbus and makes all of the final pilot hiring decisions. He says AirNet is taking on at least as many pilots as are departing each month, but would hire more if he received more high-quality résumés.
Pilots applying to AirNet Express need a minimum 500 hours flight time, with commercial, IFR, and multiengine certificates in place, although there is no minimum multiengine time required. These qualifications would get a pilot into AirNet’s time-building program, but full-time PIC applicants require a minimum 1,200 hours. AirNet applies the same pilot-in-command minimums the FARs stipulate for Part 135 IFR operations.
Washka says the average AirNet new hire has 900 to 1,500 hours total. Typically, they will have their commercial ASMEL, an instrument rating with 25 to 100 hours of multiengine time, and a CFI background.
Résumés may be sent to:
Craig Washka, Director of Training
c/o AirNet Express
3939 International Gateway
Columbus, OH 43219
AirNet also is using the Aviation Employee Placement Service (AEPS) to gather résumés, and may begin to access Universal Pilot Application Service (UPAS) records shortly. Résumés sent by e-mail to craigw@airnet.com or by fax to (888) 999-2374 are also accepted.
“We respond to all résumés, regardless of what’s in them,” Washka guarantees. “Basically, if they meet our minimum qualifications, they will be sent an application to return to us here in Columbus, or an application for consideration in our PASS program.”
Photo by Ian Tocher
Pilots applying directly to AirNet's Learjet program require 3,000 total hours, with 1,500 mutiengine, 500 jet, and 100 hours in type. Washka says AirNet would hire a pilot directly to a Lear captaincy only if there were no pre-qualified FOs in its system. "AirNet believes in upgrading from within our seniority system whenever possible," Washka says.
Washka explains the Preliminary Assessment Selection Service (PASS), is a program offered through eight American Flyers flight training schools nationwide, where prospective AirNet pilots can undergo preliminary screening, including the same AirNet written tests and similar simulator checkrides that Washka oversees in Columbus. If a pilot is successful in those stages, American Flyers will also administer and score a psychological profile test for AirNet before recommending the pilot for further training and hiring.
The test AirNet uses to measure behavioral tendencies is called a DISC, explains Director of Human Resources Dan Miller. He says it measures Dominance, which relates to force of character; Influence, a reflection of social and verbal abilities; Steadiness, the tendency for methodology and routine; and Cautiousness, which reveals a pilot’s orientation to detail.
“This profile gives us a measure of a pilot’s intensity in each area and I like to say it tells us who they are as an animal,” Miller says. “It lets us know who we’re hiring, but maybe more importantly, it lets the flight department know who they’re training.”
Miller says the ideal AirNet pilot is one who is committed to detail and is technically oriented without being anti-social. “Occasionally, we’ll see a person who is more social than task-oriented and that’s a problem because we know we’ll have to work on this person to keep their flying skills up,” Miller states. “Some people, they just want to keep improving, improving, improving as a pilot, and that’s what we’re really looking for. When you have someone who’s not really task-oriented, they may have the goal of becoming a professional pilot, but once they’re hired, it’s like they’ve reached their goal and it doesn’t go beyond that. It’s not part of their makeup to keep growing, and learning, and excelling.”
(above 48 hrs/week)
(above 48 hrs/week)
(above 48 hrs/week)
Notes:
* New-hires receive a signing bonus, with $500 payable upon signing and the remainder at the conclusion of the first year of employment.
* Part 135-qualified receive $100 per week during training.
* Bonuses are paid to pilots flying more than six legs per day.
Washka repeatedly mentions AirNet Express is looking for the same qualities in its pilots that the major airlines desire. The comments of recruiters from airlines like Delta, United, and American at a recent AIR, Inc. pilot hiring seminar really hit home, he says.
“They’re saying the same things that we are,” Washka contends. “We’re looking for someone who is trainable. Somebody with good IFR procedural skills, and somebody who has a good attitude and is trying to be the best pilot they can be.”
Pilots interviewing at Columbus usually know the night of their visit if a class date will be offered to them, although during particularly busy times Washka admits it can sometimes take two or three days for a decision to be made. If a pilot is not initially hired, they have the option of reapplying after at least six months, he adds.
AirNet can handle interviewing and doing sim checks with only three or four pilots a night in Columbus, so the PASS program allows Washka to sample more pilots from around the country without the expense of bringing all of them to AirNet’s headquarters. There is a $175 fee at American Flyers to cover the PASS process, which is subtracted from the mandatory $300 class retainer fee all AirNet new-hires pay, if the PASS applicant is hired. The class fee is necessary, he claims, to cover the cost of background checks and course materials ordered to fit the upcoming class. Washka adds that PIC-qualified pilots receive a $25 per diem throughout the four to five-week training period.
LEARNING THE ROPES
AirNet’s Baron program coordinator Richard Oney says AirNet Express usually runs two classes every six weeks, with six new-hire pilots in each class. The two classes are offset by one week to maximize use of the classrooms, simulator, and aircraft.
Classmates ar
e housed free of charge during training at CMH in rented townhouses near the airport, with everything supplied, down to towels and linens, laundry facilities, and a cleaning service. Pilots in training share the three-bedroom apartments, with separate quarters for female pilots.
AirNet has two twin-engine simulators at its Columbus, OH, training base. This new Frasca 142 sim is the one used most often for the initial interview checkride. Photo by Ian Tocher
In a schedule designed to prepare new-hires for the AirNet lifestyle, pilots in training arrive at the Columbus base by 7:30, Monday through Thursday nights, with classes wrapping up at 6 a.m. the next morning.
New-hire pilots sign a training agreement the first night of class requiring them to work with AirNet for at least one year as a full-time pilot from the date of their first successful Part 135 IFR PIC checkride. If the pilot leaves prior to one year of service with AirNet, he or she must reimburse the company $7,000 for the cost of training.
“We don’t want the money. We don’t like collecting that from any of our pilots,” Washka states emphatically. “It’s just a way to protect us, and a year’s commitment is really a short time in the career life of a professional pilot.” The first couple of nights are spent going over AirNet aircraft and systems, then maneuvers, profiles, company procedures, and work issues are covered. By the third night, the class moves to the Frasca simulator to go over emergency and company procedures. The sim is available at no charge to pilots in training throughout the weekend and most take advantage of the opportunity to hone their instrument skills with critiques supplied by fellow new-hires, Washka says.
AirNet Express has two Beechcraft Barons decked in corporate trim dedicated to training, and each night an AirNet instructor/check airman flies in the right seat of a Baron while two new-hires trade the captain’s seat and observer positions as each training leg is completed.
“I expect [AirNet pilots] to be able to go to the limits of gross weight, minimums on approach, MDA (minimum decision altitude), and DH (decision height), but I don’t expect them to go across the line,” insists AirNet CEO Mercer. Mercer says he always makes a point of visiting each new AirNet class to tell the story of April 3, 1974, when he was flying a Baron into Detroit on what history records as the single heaviest tornado-activity day in U.S. history. He describes the descent on the
back course to runway 15 without weather radar that day.
Company Profile
Corporate Headquarters: Columbus, OH
Chairman, President, CEO: Jerry Mercer
Vice President, Operations: Glenn Miller
Director, Pilot Training: Craig Washka
Chief Pilot: Jeff Wheeler
Director, Human Resources: Dan Miller
Total employees: approx. 150
Total aircraft: 120
1996 net revenues: $82,346
1996 net income: $5,063 (loss)
1997 net revenues: $97,762
1997 net income: $13,203
1998 net revenues (1st half): $54,680
1998 net income (1st half): $4,606
Internet site: www.lansy.com
Stock Exchange/Code: NYSE/ASN
Note: Multiply dollar figures by 1,000.
“It was black, it was green, it was blue, it was yellow. It was ugly and we were getting hammered,” Mercer recalls. “That’s when the controller asked me a very profound question. Quite frankly, he probably saved my life. He asked, ‘Are you going to penetrate that cell?’ I thought I was already in the cell, so I said, ‘No thanks, I’ve seen enough,’ and I broke off the approach and went out and held at the Pontiac VOR. “I share that story because I want to convey that if I’m willing to break off an approach on the third night of operation for a brand-new company, I expect our pilots not to put themselves in harm’s way while operating our aircraft. Safety’s a very important issue for us,” Mercer states.
A solid week of groundschool covering the company manual, FARs, hazardous material handling rules, and pay and benefits wraps up the training, followed by a written test covering everything in the course, including flight training.
Each new-hire AirNet pilot will log about 15 hours in the sim and six to eight hours in the aircraft before going through a full IFR PIC checkride in the Baron. That same night, newly qualified pilots meet with Jeff Wheeler, AirNet’s chief pilot, to discuss what routes are available for bidding. If bidding on a route serviced by a Baron, they can start gaining initial operating experience (IOE) immediately during the transition-training process, then take over as captain. For routes serviced by a Chieftain, CE-310, or an Aerostar, further training is completed during the familiarization process, followed by a Part 135 PIC checkride in the aircraft.
FLYING THE LINE
Once on the line, advancement can be rapid for a new AirNet prop captain. In as little as 16 to 18 months, the move up to first officer in the Learjet is quite likely. A year later, a Lear captaincy is within reach.
“We like to see a Learjet FO get at least four seasons worth of experience before going out to fly as a Lear captain, because we want him to be familiar with the operational characteristics of the jet in each season’s weather,” Washka says.
Learjet captains typically stay at AirNet for three to five years, although several have considerably more time with the company. Not surprisingly, these highly-qualified jet pilots are being snapped up by airline recruiters during the present hiring boom. Although Washka admits it’s sometimes tough to see his most experienced pilots leave, “if a pilot flying a Learjet here really has aspirations to fly a Boeing and move on to an airline environment, by all means we support those pilots in their career goals.”
CURRENT FLEET
Aircraft
Online
Learjet 35
Learjet 25
Piper Navajo Chieftain
Piper Aerostar
Cessna 310
Beechcraft Baron
Total
120
In fact, AirNet has a policy in place to cover those pilots who need time off to attend airline interviews. Washka says pilots are simply asked to submit a request to Wheeler as soon as possible and to arrange interviews for Tuesdays or Wednesdays so that a replacement pilot may be flown to the interviewing pilot’s base without the need for airline travel.
“We don’t frown on it at all. We don’t blacklist pilots for going to interviews,” Washka stresses. “All we really expect them to do while they’re here is to perform well, be a safe pilot, a good representative of the company, and if they eventually need to move on, that’s okay too.”
A $1,500 signing bonus applies upon completion of the Part 135 IFR PIC checkride, with $500 payable immediately upon starting a route, and $1,000 paid at the end of the first-year commitment. A $500 moving expense is also paid upon signing, regardless of where, how far, or even if, a pilot has to move to his or her chosen base, Washka says. Following the initial bid, moves for up to two awarded bids are paid for each year. There are approximately 70 pilot bases in the AirNet system.
“The pilot lives where the plane lives,” Washka states. He mentions that, normally, once a pilot has been awarded a route,
more senior pilots cannot bid into that route and the chief pilot makes the final decision on all pilot placements.
Several of AirNet's Learjets have a special modification developed for the company that allows up to 200 pounds of freight per side to be placed within converted wingtip fuel tanks.
Paid vacation times are based on a seniority bidding system and are scheduled through the chief pilot’s office. Pilots receive one-week off after their first year, two weeks per year through their fifth year, and three weeks a year thereafter. Under the four nights on/three days off schedule, AirNet pilots wind up working about 200 days a year, Washka says.
AirNet has a 401(k) program in place and the company matches 50 percent of the first six percent of income each pilot invests. There also is a 423(b) plan allowing a 15 percent discount on AirNet stock purchases through payroll deductions.
Pilots are eligible for medical insurance coverage immediately upon hiring, with dental coverage available after 120 days. Expenses are paid for with an 80–20 split between company and pilot, but the plan is undergoing revisions, Miller says, which may change the current $250 deductible for single pilots to a $20 per visit co-pay system.
Recently instituted short- and long-term disability insurance plans are employee-funded.Since it flies routinely scheduled routes, AirNet has extensive reciprocal jumpseat agreements in place with many national and major U.S. airlines, including AirTran, Delta, DHL, FedEx, Northwest, and Southwest Airlines, among others. Beyond the travel opportunities, AirNet pilots benefit from networking with airline crewmembers who may one day provide an essential reference for advanced
employment.
All of the Lear cockpits are equipped with traditional "round dial" guages. AirNet has two Learjets dressed in corporate trim for charter operations and shuttling company executives.
MAKING A HOME
Despite all the talk of pilots building time and eventually progressing to the airlines, it is important to note AirNet Express has several pilots who have chosen to make AirNet their final career destination. The job offers stable hours, decent pay at the senior levels, good equipment and maintenance, and a decidedly positive working environment.
“For those pilots who decide to make AirNet their home, we really appreciate them. We know they are very valuable to our team,” Washka says. “Their experience allows us to perform in an excellent manner on a nightly basis in often difficult conditions. Our business reflects that, and our safety record reflects that too.”
Ian Tocher is a private pilot and the assistant editor of Airline Pilot Careers magazine. He is also a motorsports journalist and photographer. Ian graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto, and a journalism degree from Centennial College in Toronto, ON.
AIR, Inc. * Atlanta, GA * Copyright ©1998 * 800-AIR-APPS * www.airapps.com