A day in the life of a corporate pilot

You may be wondering what it's like to fly in the corporate world. Like many other corporate pilots, I am on "call" 24/7. My company has provided a cell phone so they can get in touch with me at any time. Being available at all times is not as bad as it sounds. Luckily, my company and especially my Chief Pilot do a good job of informing the pilots of upcoming trips in advance when possible. We had a few trips throughout the year that we know are going to happen, but most are scheduled a week or so in advance. Then there's the dreaded "pop up" trips that can happen with very little notice. Here's how it all happens.

My boss calls me at 10am to tell me I have been assigned to fly a trip at 3pm the next afternoon. My job starts right after he calls. The first thing that I do is call the other pilot assigned to the trip so that we can coordinate the trip. After that initial call to the other pilot happens, I get on the internet and go to http://www.fltplan.com/ which is a great site, and it's free ( so far ). On fltplan.com a pilot can put in the departure and destination points to get a general estimate of the time required enroute. So, if I have to get passengers to a scheduled meeting I know what time to leave. Fltplan.com also allows you to file flight plans and check weather. I like to augment Fltplan.com with http://www.airnav.com where I can get the Standard Instrument Arrivals (STARS) and Departure Procedures (DPs). I take that information and come up with a flight plan that makes sense. With the flight plan filed for the following day, I figure the fuel required and place an order.

The initial call from my Chief Pilot should contain the destination airport and most likely the Fixed Based Operator ( FBO ) that the passengers want to go to. Our staff coordinates with the office staff to make sure transportation is arranged for our passengers and, of course, the crew (depending on how long the stay is). Our flight listing usually contains our overnight arrangements, if they're needed, and if they aren't taken care of then we do that too.

Once I arrive at the hanger, I verify the fuel load and figure the weight and balance. Then it's on to weather planning. If the weather looks questionable we come up with a plan for getting the passengers to their meeting. On every flight our department adds an alternate to the flight plan, to us it just makes sense.

An hour prior to the departure time the aircraft is pulled out of the hanger for the pre-flight. During the pre-flight stage, we make sure the aircraft has the passenger comfort items aboard. This would be items like coffee, ice, snacks, soda, catering if needed, and newspapers. Yep, the pilot's do all that stuff.

Next comes the aircraft "setup". On the Lear 60, we follow a checklist just like a student pilot does, although ours has a lot more items to accomplish. This is the time to run the before starting engines checklist, get the APU started and fire up the FMS. Then it's a waiting game.

Soon are passengers show up. We load the baggage, get the passengers into their seats, brief them on safety procedures, and then shut the door.

Time to go flying.

Watch the start up

This is a short video of the start of the # 1
engine during a maintenance check. Love that
sound!

Scenes from Arizona

Here are some pictures from a trip to Phoenix and Tucson

Here is a Delta Airlines 757 flying over the top.

We were at FL400.

This is the same 757 cruising by. This picture

was taken over KABQ.

This is a picture of an airliner "graveyard"

just north of Tucson. This isn't the famed

"Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan AFB. That one

is much bigger than the one pictured here.

Here's our bird on the ground at KPHX. This

shot was taken from the old air traffic control

tower that is now owned by Cutter Aviation.

Recent trip

Here are a few pics from a recent trip to KEGE ( Eagle County Regional )

Update

It has been awhile since I have posted anything on this site. I thought it was time to start again. I made mention of my new position in my last post. Here are a few details. I'm working for a NYSE Listed corporation as a Lear 60 /King Air 200 Captain. This is my first job in the world of corporate aviation and I really like it. Unlike the airline industry, the people I fly for actually know my name and seem to appreciate the job that I do. I've included a couple of pictures of the Lear 60 that were taken from my phone. I just purchased a new digital camera, so I will be posting more pics.

This is a view of the awesome flight deck of the Lear 60. It's not as automated as the CRJ200, but it's pretty close. It comes equipped with FMS, and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS).

Here is the Lear 60 on a beautiful Oklahoma morning. The Lear 60 has two Pratt & Whitney PW305 turbojets capable of producing 4,600 lbs of thrust each. With a Maximum Gross Weight of 23,500 lbs (at takeoff) the engines provide a good thrust to weight ratio. This aircraft will climb!

We typically operate the aircraft at altitudes around 40,000 feet and speeds near the .80 mach number.

The Times They Are A'changin

News flash for everyone...I have resigned from my position as a CRJ200 First Officer. More details to come in the future, but for now let's just say that my airline time wasn't the most positive experience. Now I am off to training for a Lear 60 Captain position. I'm extremely excited and thankful about what has transpired during the last three weeks in my professional career. I'm off to Tucson for training from July 16 to August 3. After I finish I will furnish details.

Yep, Still Here

Franky, I've been busy since my CRJ200 checkride in December. I have been flying all over the east coast.

My time at JFK ( I was based there for only one month ) was very ...ah interesting. Such a large mass of humanity stuffed into one space. And I'm talking about the airport itself. Very confusing setup at the terminal. The actual flying part was cool. Very complex airspace and the controllers don't have a whole lot of patience. Even with that being said, the flying wasn't as hard as it might seem. Now I'm based in Cincinnati, and the flow into and out of there seems a lot easier. I continue to fly into New York on a regular basis and it's good practice. Incidently, if you fly into the JFK airport try not to schedule a flight into or out of there between the hours of 5PM and 10PM. That time frame is when the big international push happens each night. It is cool to be taxiing between a 747-400 and an Airbus A340, but when that taxi takes 2 hours it doesn't seem quite as cool.

In June I make the transition from the CRJ200 ( 50 seater ) to the CRJ700 ( 70 seater ), so I'm excited about that. Hopefully, since our pilot group signed off on a new agreement so things within the company will settle down and I'll start moving a little in seniority.

Signing off for now. Cheers.

One fine day

It was a beautiful day here in Cincinnati, a gorgeous Saturday morning. It seemed like sort of a waste to spend such a nice fall day inside of a simluator training facility. However, it was time well spent. Today was the end of an endeavor that began on Oct 9th. Today, was the day that I took my checkride to become an official airline first officer. I have spend two months training, studying, and sweating for this one 6 hour period. Actually, this journey began back in the fall of 1997 when I decided to go to Spartan School of Aeronautics. Then came a long period of instruction in Boulder, CO. After that came the job that taught me the most about flying and my own abilities, my Cessna Caravan time. I learned a lot in the Beech 18 shortly after that as well.

Now finally, I'm in a jet and ready to give this airline business a try. It has been a hard couple of months that ended in a challenging test of what I've learned.

My new gig

Yes, after flying a Beechcraft Model 18 for the past six months it was time to move on to something new and a little faster.


This is the CRJ700 operated by Comair, a Delta Connection. I'm in training now to fly the smaller version of this airplane, the CRJ200 ( which will be pictured below ). The CRJ series is very popular throughout the regional airlines. Obviously, this is a step up from the Beech 18 in every aspect except oil usage.

Don't get me wrong, the Beech 18 was a very good airplane to fly. It was one of those airplanes that taught you something just about everytime the round engines were fired up. I will miss my time operating that aircraft. But, look at this new aircraft, it's beautiful. Sleek, sophisticated and quick. What else can you ask for? So it is in the CRJ that I start my airline career. Here's hoping that it's long and prosperous.


On the left is the new destinations that I could potentionally be flying to in the future. I'll be starting my career out as a First Officer ( what used to be called the "Co-pilot" ). I can expect to hold that position for a number of years, until my seniority and the needs of my new airline allow me to move into the left seat.

I'm not exactly sure when I'll be able to actually fly the aircraft. I have a lot of training to get through between now and then. I'll try to make some regular updates to this site when I start flying.


Below are some more pictures of both the CRJ200/700. Enjoy.

Long time no write

Wow, it's been quite some time since I wrote anything on this blog. Everything is basically the same. I'm finally getting used to flying an old Beech 18 around the skies of Kansas. This being Kansas and all, the weather has been kind of a bear lately, lots of thunderstorms and wind lately.

Going back and forth between Great Bend and Wichita, I'm getting the multi-engine time that I've been needing. Even though it's at a rather slow rate. Still I'm flying a big twin twice a day and gaining some great experience. In fact, it's always an "experience" landing a big multi-engine taildragger.

On a non flying related subject; my Rockies are doing great and as I write this they are in first place in the NL West. I've been a fan through the bad times and the better ones. Go Rocks!




No new flying pics, but I do have a few shots of a camping with my Josh ( my 10 year old son ). We went camping in Eastern Oklahoma with the Boy Scouts. We camped with a group of Civil War reenactors...very cool.

New Job

So I have given up my job as a Cessna Caravan Captain in order to move my career forward. I am no longer flying out of Guymon. Instead, my new run starts in Great Bend, KS and ends in Wichita, KS. Here is a picture of the "new" aircraft that I am currently training in.

Welcome to the world of the Beech 18. The longest running ( in years) production aircraft in the world. Some 9000 built. This one is a 1961 model.







Ain't she a beauty.

Well, well, well

Obviously, I haven't been doing a very good job of updating my blog. Sorry. But I'm back now and will be making regular entries. Here are a few pictures during the period I was away.

Some pictures from this past week of flying

The week started out with the threat of some cold and snowy weather. And on Tuesday it arrived out here in the panhandle. The week began with beautiful weather in Guymon. Here's a picture of the Caravan I was flying early in the week parked at the Guymon airport along with a Citation and a C402. My Caravan looks huge!

The nice weather didn't last long. It was a major cold blast that came through. Guymon went from highs in the 50's to highs in the lower teens. Brrr.

There was a chance of snow on my route and most of that happened in the Tulsa area. In fact, on Wednesday night I spent most of the flight from Guymon to Enid in the clouds but not taking on much ice. After I left Enid, the ice situation changed. I began to pick up a continuous amount of light rime ice. There was a lot of snow at 7,000 ft but not much of it sticking. About 20 miles outside of Tulsa I was told by Kansas City Center that Tulsa International was going to be closed for at least 30 minutes for snow removal and I had a couple of options, hold in the clouds and ice or go somewhere else. After a call to the dispatcher, it was decided that I would hold. It was challenging, holding and removing the ice for the next 40 minutes. Finally, the snow was removed from the runway and I was cleared for the ILS approach. The pictures below are from Tulsa after I landed.


As you can see, there was some snow on the ground. Probably a couple of inches. The snow was extremely dry so it didn't stick to much. After a small wait in Tulsa for de-icing it was on to Dallas to pick up more freight. Didn't actually make it to Dallas that night, the airport was shut down due to the bad weather happening down there. After a return to Tulsa and a short wait it was back in the air headed torwards Oklahoma City to pick up the normal route back to Woodward and Guymon. The storm by 4 AM had passed the Tulsa area and it was clear along the rest of my route.

Stop 2: KWWR

Welcome to the heart of Oklahoma's "Red Carpet Country", a reference to the color ( red ) of the iron oxide rich soil in the northwest section of the state. You have just landed in Woodward, OK. It's been pointed out to me that people from this town call it " Wooderd " and calling it Woodward makes you kind of an idiot.

I'm guessing that Woodward has somewhere between 15 and 20,000 residents, which would make it a medium size city in Oklahoma. You know it's at least a medium sized city because it has a Super Wal-Mart not a standard one.

What drives the economy of Woodward? I have no idea. I assume that at one point it was oil and gas production, but that industry has all but disappeared in Oklahoma. Farming is probably the big thing, either that or fast food joints.

When flying to the West Woodward Airport ( KWWR ) just keep in mind that it's always windy. Towns all over Oklahoma will be reporting calm winds and KWWR will have a 20 knot crosswind. It makes for good landing practice.

Woodward is located next to some interesting geological sites. The Little Sahara State Park is just down the road. The Little Sahara State Park, as the name suggests, is a large area of sand. Also down the road is an area known as the Glass Mountains ( sometimes called the Gloss Mountains ). Picture below.

Amoung the notable history around Woodward is Ft Supply, OK ( about 10 miles northwest ), which started out as Camp Supply in the 1800's and was built to supply General Armstrong Custer's regiment during the frontier indian wars.

The Glass Mountains


For more info on Woodward, OK go to http://www.woodwardok.com/

Our next stop will be my hometown of Enid, OK. Until then, cheers.

Lets visit the stops along my route: KGUY

For the next several posts I'm going to describe the towns and cities that I stop during my normal route.

I'm back on my normal route this week, which starts and ends in beautiful Guymon, OK. If being able to see for miles around, without those pesky trees getting in the way, than Guymon is for you. It's a town of about ten thousand and , you guessed it, farming is the game around here. Pig farms are huge here and so is the associated pig farm smell. I think at one point oil and gas exploration was the going concern, but not so much nowadays.

Overall, it's a pretty pleasant place, the people are very nice and they seem to have a certain kind of pride that, I guess, comes from living here on a vast prairie. A vast prairie that can have, at times, very harsh weather. All of the massive thunderstorms that roll through Oklahoma are born out here in the panhandle. Winter can be pretty harsh here as well, not many trees to stop those north winds after a cold front passage.

The sky out here reminds me of Colorado, very clear and great visibility. In fact, it's not out of the question the see standing lenticular clouds ( a mountain wave cloud formation ) out here due to being within a couple of hundred miles of the Rocky Mountains.

When leaving here each evening I can clearly see towns in both Texas and Kansas, now that's some flat terrain. Okay our next stop will be Woodward, OK. I would be taking more pictures, but since the seanson and the time change, nearly my entire flight is in darkness, but I will try get some more shots like the one below.

The vast flatness of the Oklahoma panhandle
See you next post.

For more information about Guymon, OK please visit http://www.guymonok.org/

Pictures coming soon

I have a digital camera on the way and I will be taking lots of pictures when it gets here. I will post some of the better shots.

Be A U Teeful Night

I think last nights flight was one of the best since I started this job. It was an exceptionally clear night, the winds were light on the surface and it seemed that I had a tailwind enroute each of my destinations, but maybe that was just my imagination. Also there was a meteor shower ( at least a lot of them coming down ) last night as well. It all made for an extremely nice flight. It's good to get those.

The visibility was incredible. I was at 8,000 ft after departing KDFW enroute to KOKC, I could see OKC's airport beacon from 86 NM's out. That sort of visibility was common place when I instructed in Colorado, but it's pretty freaky down here in Oklahoma.

It was a great flight and I really enjoyed it. Let's hope there's a few more like that before the return of winter and all the fun stuff associated with winter flying. Check you later. Cheers.

In Big D this week

I'm spending the week in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. I'm filling in for a standby pilot. I've been flying newpapers from the Dallas area out to West Texas all week. It's a fairly easy flight when the weather is good. Just one stop and fly back to Dallas empty. The weather at the beginning of the week was pretty awful, with those pesky West Texas thunderstorms firing up. Last night was so easy, no clouds, no wind, just a beautiful Texas sky and a sweet running Caravan.

Something did happen yesterday that has never happened to me before. I got stuck a hotel elevator for an hour and 1/2. It was an interesting time. I was stuck in the elevator with four strangers. During the ninety minute period, I saw the human animal in it's raw form. There was panic, stress, anger, happiness, revenge and pretty much every other emotion you can think of expressed in that very hot, very small container. My advice, take the stairs.

Okay got to get ready to deliver those papers. Later.

Baseball division series

Let me just say quickly... Go Yankees and Cardinals !

All is well

Well thankfully Hurricane Rita never made it up this way. With the exception of a pretty powerful low pressure at the end of the week, the weather has been pretty favorable.

In the next few weeks I will be adding pictures of my flying and destinations. For now I'm signing off.