As much as we try to personalize them, airplanes are above all mindless mechanical devices that wear down and break at regular intervals, in spite of our mechanic’s best efforts. When this occurs, the pilots involved (and I am definitely one of them) invariably tend to blame themselves and lie awake at night thinking about Read More
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably shocked by the price of an aircraft paint job these days. Just 10 years ago, I remember getting paint quotes from a reputable shop on a mid-size jet for around $60,000 to $70,000. Those days are long gone, unfortunately. This got me wondering, “Why is painting an aircraft Read More
I recently added an FAA Part 135 Citation 525-series Captain position with Jet Methods (based at Palomar, California) to my aviation experiences. The process required an interesting combination of ground, online and flight training. Each charter certificate holder has a set of FAA-approved operating specifications known as “OpSpecs.” They detail everything from dispatching the airplane, maintenance, Read More
A few thousand dollars spent now can be the difference between the right price and no sale at all. It’s no surprise that the aircraft sales industry is a highly dynamic and cyclical marketplace. At any given point, one model market can be “on fire” at the same time another market is completely dead. This Read More
WHO: Jed Johnson COMPANY: Pilatus Aircraft POSITION: Chief Pilot HOMEBASE: KBJC RATINGS: FATP, CFII, MEI HOURS: 11,300 1. Can you summarize your aviation background? My father got me exposed to aviation. He worked with VanDusen, AAR and Duncan Aviation, so we traveled in GA aircraft a lot when I was growing up. I followed a Read More