Gulfstream G-550 Pilot Staffing | Contract and Direct Hire Crew

Gulfstream G-550 Pilot Staffing

If you are here, you already know the hard part is not finding a pilot. It is finding one who is typed, current in this airframe specifically, current internationally, and acceptable to your underwriter.

We have found that most flight departments running a G-550 have exactly enough crew for a normal year. This aircraft does not fly a 'normal' year. A 6,750 nautical mile aircraft gets used the way it was built to be used, which means long international legs, short-notice owner trips, and a schedule that does not respect anyone's vacation. One retirement, one medical, one currency lapse, and your only ultra-long-range aircraft is short a seat.

Gulfstream G-550 pilot staffing is a different exercise than filling a light or midsize seat. We place crew on G-550's for corporate flight departments and Part 135 operators around the country. Below is what we have learned about staffing this type of aircraft.

G-V Typed Is Not the Same As G-550 Current

The FAA issues one type rating across three Gulfstream families. The designation is G-V, and it covers the GIV-X (marketed as the G-350 and G-450), the GV, and the GV-SP (marketed as the G-500 and G-550). ICAO uses GLF5 for the same group.

That single designation is why resumes mislead people here. A pilot holding a G-V type rating may have earned it in a G-450 and never sat in a G-550. Both are logged under the same rating. They are not the same airplane to fly.

So we screen past the rating. Time in type, the date and location of last recurrent, which airframe that training was actually conducted in, recent oceanic and international experience, and whether the candidate clears the minimums in your policy rather than a generic one.

Contract G-550 Crew On Our W-2

Every contract pilot we place is an IFCC W-2 employee. Background screening, drug testing, FAA records and currency verification, workers' compensation, global medical and repatriation coverage, and state employment compliance are handled before anyone gets to the aircraft. There is no 1099 arrangement, so there is no misclassification exposure on your side. You submit a trip request and gets a crew member.

Direct Hire for a Permanent G-550 Seat

When the seat is permanently open, we have the ability to recruit from a passive candidate database of aviation professionals who are likely not on job boards and not actively looking.

You should plan to start looking to fill any open positions roughly 90 days in advanced for the best results. The qualified G-550 population is small and mostly employed, so the sourcing phase is where most of the time goes.

While we have filled 99.7% of crew requests since 2002 including some last minute requests, and there is a real person answering the phone 24/7, it is best to get your account set up with us before the seat opens.

Gulfstream G-550 Staffing FAQ's