Logbook review

As with most things today, insurance companies run the show. That is no different in the aviation biz. All of us pilots at one time or another have had to fill out insurance forms to see if we qualify for a particular aircraft or can get a better rate on the premuims that we pay. If you own an aircraft ( which I don't ), these forms are probably very familiar. The same holds true for corporate aviation departments. We have to fill out forms listing our experiences and flight times. I have just completed mine. Here are my totals as of yesterday:
Total Time: 4265 Jet: 481 Turbo-prop: 1269 Multi-engine: 844 Cross Country: 2537
Actual Instrument: 255 As Flight Instructor: 1619
Lear 60: 205 King Air 200: 190

As a corporate pilot the flight times, as compared to the airlines, can be somewhat lower. I know a lot of airline pilots that are flying 80-100 hrs per month. In the last 12 months I've only logged 190 hours from corporate flying. Like all jobs, there are some good and bad things associated with corporate flying.
Bad Things:
Low annual flight time. On call 24/7.
Good things:
Good starting pay. Good equipment. Lots of time at your destination for sightseeing. And most importantly, in my experience, you're treated well by management members and passengers.

Yeah, I would like to log more time in the air, but I will definitely take the bad with the good.

Just back from King Air Recurrent

Well another King Air recurrent session has come and gone. This time around I went to recurrent training for the King Air at Flight Safety at the Atlanta Training Center. I have attended King Air training elsewhere, but this training was something else. It was outstanding. I had an excellent instructor and the King Air simulator was in fine form.

This time around the flight portion had the extra challenge of being single-pilot training. I had the usual emergencies, engine failures on takeoff, single engine go-around, and stuff like that. The Flight Safety instructors have the ability to put actual smoke in the cockpit, which is something mine did this time around. I faced a windshear event and various system malfunctions.

It can be challenging operating a King Air with two crew members, and as you might expect, flying with just one can be even more interesting. CRM with two crew members typically means communication between the two. The use of CRM with one crew member means using a lot of resources outside the cockpit. It's refreshing to think about different options. It's something that private pilots have to do on a regular basis.

So my training in the King Air is over for now, but I came away from that training with a renewed desire to keep up with my system knowledge and the procedures that I use on an a day to day basis.







The King Air Panel








The simulator line at Flight Safety International, Atlanta.

Labor Day

It's Labor Day and, for as long as I remember, that has meant one thing to our family, the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. Most of you know that my brother suffers from muscular dystrophy. Let me say that the disease is as terrible as they say. It robs a person of the use of their body while allowing their mind to be strong. My brother is, without a doubt, the sharpest person that I know. He is extremely smart, very witty and quite possibly the funniest guy I know.

So this day is my day to reflect on this disease and it's impact on families all across this nation. My brother, thankfully, is now 33 years old and is living a good life in Colorado. However, some families never get the chance to see their loved ones have a full life. When I was a teenager I attended a MDA camp. I was a couselor to a child that had muscular dystrophy. It was my job to help this child do things that their disease would otherwise not allow them to do, fish, canoe, swim, and things like that. The camp is a week long and it can be a life changer. The Muscular Dystrophy Association makes this camp possible. Yes, MDA does great disease research, and they are closer than ever to a cure, but they also provide the smaller stuff, stuff like the camp, that allows children to have a better existence.

Labor Day is my day to give, to pray and to hope that there is a cure to this terrible disease that has taken so much from my family and the families of others. Please look in your heart and give.

James, I love you.

Monday update on a Thursday

As normal, I'm running several days behind on my post. What I can tell you is I have some big trips coming up as well as King Air recurrent training. My King Air recurrent training will be at the end of the month at Flight Safety in Atlanta. I have never attended King Air training at Flight Safety, in the past it has always been CAE. In my experience King Air training is a little less intense that Lear 60 training, but not much. I'm hoping that Flight Safety gives me a good training experience, I think that will.

I have an itch to get back in a Cessna 172 or possible a 210. It has been awhile since I've been in a single-engine and I miss it. There is definitely a desire on my part to fly around the local area at less than 250kts, and remember that freedom that comes with flying a light aircraft. I have a picture of my favorite light single-engine, one I used to fly, N761FT a Cessna T210. I will include it at the bottom of this page. If I do get back into a light airplane I will be sure to write about it.

I will see you on Monday ( yeah right ) if not sooner.




N761FT, this one is special to me.

Okay it's Tuesday

I have been at DFW and unable to post until now. Doing a little King Air flying over the past few days.

It's been too long.

I haven't been keeping up with this blog like I wanted too. That will change. I have a few pictures to share from trips to Salt Lake City, Sun Valley, and Florida. I will upload them now.

Stay tuned, because I will start posting every Monday at a minimum.

On approach to Sun Valley, Idaho

Coming over the mountains toward the valley that leads to KSLC

Fire in Florida

Nice Clouds

Approaching a cell

Maintenance Time

Occassionally, we pilots are required to take the aircraft we fly in for checkups, just like cars. Since the corporation I work for doesn't have "in-house maintenance" we rely on service centers to take care of our equipment needs.

So for the past couple of days I've been parked in Wichita, KS at the Bombardier Factory Service Center. The Bombardier plant is kind of cool to see. Not only are there several types of Lears ( 31's, 45's, 55's and 60's) being worked on, but right next door they are rolling out new CRJ's. There seems to be quite a bit of activity at the service centers and that seems like a good thing.

Flights to the service centers can be different because we have no passengers and we WEAR SHORTS AND T-SHIRTS !