QOL (Quality of Life) — London Zade

So what is quality of life? I'm on these Facebook groups for pilots, and I always see someone give advice along the lines of "Airlines are a better quality of life, don't go charter" and then the next comment is a corporate pilot saying "I love my set schedule, I'm home-based, and never commute!" So we get both ends of the stick here, and everything in between. So what actually is quality of life?

There are many good reads out there:

The Quality of Life (1993) by Martha C. Nussbaum & Amartya Sen — a foundational academic text exploring the philosophical definition of well-being.
The Psychology of Quality of Life by M. Joseph Sirgy — focuses on hedonic well-being, life satisfaction, and eudaimonia across various domains like work, health, and family.
Quality of Life: What It Really Requires, How To Get It And Keep It by Bryan Kemp — offers practical steps and self-assessment tools to improve daily experiences and life satisfaction.

But I want to be different and step away from the psychology, finances, schedule, health, and all other points that have been researched on. I've always said the Quality of Life is relative to one person. It is not by-design a word to tell people what it is, and then tell them how they can make their QOL better. It is 100% subject to that specific individual. It does not matter if you have the same job title as him/her, or if you have the same schedule, or amount of kids as them. My writing on this will be tailored more towards a life in aviation and how QOL plays such a big factor. But a lot of the meanings and answers will carry across to any job, family, and work-life balance.

So as a corporate pilot at a Part 135 charter company, why do I prefer it over working at the airlines like some of my buddies do under Part 121?

Almost every airline pilot I talk to says "hey London, don't chase the fast money, go to the airlines and one day you will make an insane amount of money, my friend is a captain at so and so airline and made this much money last year" but on the other side, some charter captains I fly with say they prefer corporate, they hate commuting, and don't want to live near base somewhere — which are your two options as an airline pilot. You can live near base, or you can commute. If you ever find a pilot who is miserable and complaining about everything, ask them "hey sir/ma'am, do you commute to work?" 9/10 times the answer is yes. Not saying that's why, but in my years that seems to be the underlying condition. Having to leave the spouse and kids a day early and try to catch 3 standby flights or jumpseat to work? Is not fun for anyone.

The other option is having to live in base and you and your family don't get to choose where you live cause you didn't want to commute. I would say the majority, even some charter captains will still always say "go airlines."

So London, why haven't you gone airlines? You have well over the hours, you have your ATP license, you should go there instead. But this is where we get real specific on how QOL is respective to one person and one person only.

I'm very big on seeing both sides. I think the total career payout is better at the airlines, their retirement accounts are insane. I know guys who aren't even close to retiring yet with millions saved up with the airline 401k contributions. Also, you are heavily protected at the airlines. Everything is cut and dry. You do this — nothing more, nothing less. Dispatch does your flight planning and performance numbers. Most of my airline friends are on the Airbus. They say it is a dream, they show up and the flight plan, fuel, and weight and balance has been done for them. They shut the door and the flight attendants handle what's in the back. All of this sounds perfect. And if someone asks me for advice, I'd also probably say go airlines.

I like corporate aviation because there are a few factors that heavily play into my QOL.

Home-based — I can live anywhere I want because we have a floating fleet. Meaning they will just fly me to whatever plane they want me to fly.
No commuting — every Monday my ops team sends me an email with an airplane ticket at my home base, rental car, and hotel.
Set schedule — no such thing as "reserve" or "bidding a line." I work one week on, one week off. While a lot of airline guys have played the system well and are home most of the month, I just like not having to even worry about that. All of my family and friends know my schedule. London will leave on Tuesday, come back Tuesday, and be off until next Tuesday.
Mission planning — I love mission planning, and being able to choose my route, amount of fuel we take, do the weight and balance, and being more involved with passengers as we fly VIP and very high net worth individuals.
Never knowing what's in store — one day I'm in the middle of Texas at a small airport I didn't know existed, and the next day I'm in Turks and Caicos or St. Martin staying somewhere on an island. The change of pace and getting to meet people and go to places and events they go makes for a new story every day. Some people will prefer flying the same routes and same major airports all the time and that's cool. For me, I like the change of pace.
Early captain opportunity — I also have a chance to make captain at a young age and be in a good financial situation. I understand that airlines have a better career payout. But I'd rather start making more money and having my money compound early. This is a personal belief of mine. The airlines are also an option later as well.

So even though me and maybe one of my buddies are both pilots, we have the same job title, same interest in cars, same interest in sports, etc. — does not mean we both have the same QOL values.

I say all this because I want people to understand that their QOL is not based on someone else. If your friend John says one thing, and Bob says the other — you may lean closer to John, or you may relate heavily to Bob. But at the end of the day, your QOL relates only to you. What makes you happy, what makes your spouse's life easier, what makes you more involved with your kids, what makes you have a good Quality of Life?