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By the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mis- takes if you've lived
your life properly. – Ronald Reagan
The company owners and our pi- lot cadre are an eclectic mix of ex- airline and military folks, corporate flight department transfers, “on my way to the airlines” hopefuls and even one really great stick that went straight from single-engine GA to jets. Well within the standard for pro- fessional pilots, safety requirements and my crew-concept-comfort level, but unlike the military and airlines (in which we are literally clones of each other), the pilots in this Part 135 outfit and the ones I’ve met around the system, are all different – a differ- ent background, approach to flying, career expectations and to leisure. The owner/chief pilot was an Army helicopter pilot, but for the most part, the rest of the company is owned and operated by a family that is totally home-grown GA. They, and the line pilots’ bad-weather comfort levels, desire to fly a lot or not a lot, and their long-range goals all vary widely.
Of the group, I’m both the new guy and the old guy – as indicated on the trip sheets that reflect my um, “seniority.” I have to say, it looks and feels weird to see 65 in the age col- umn next to the ones that say 30, 40 or 50 something. Especially since the hangar/office in which I now begin my trips is the exact same one from which a long-haired, bell-bottoms- wearing hippy washed airplanes in 1972 and began his 50-year journey. It’s embarrassing – how did I get to be so damned old? And unlike the air- lines, in which each airplane of the same type (i.e., S-80, B-737, etc.) are exactly the same inside and out, the 135 and contract jets are all different: different interiors, avionics, instru- mentation, paint schemes, post-f light paperwork, call signs and for those contributing to the inclining line on
the anthropomorphism chart – dif- ferent personalities. Lucky for me, all of the other pilots have much more experience in bizjets and how to make them behave despite their “quirks.” They are also more accus- tomed to the level of sophistication displayed by our clientele.
A stabilizer heat controller in a Citation VII kept us from Punta Cana.
going to hang with these folks). Lug- gage is transported in an Escalade, and the chauffeur transports the clients in a Rolls Royce SUV. I didn’t even know there was such a thing – not the chauffeur, the Rolls SUV.
And I love hearing the tales of their self-made success – it’s
Of all classes, the rich
are the most noticed
and the least studied.
– John Kenneth Galbraith
This is the first time in my flying career that I’ve been exposed to real wealth – not airline, first-class wealth – use your G550 to transport just the family’s cats to Hawaii wealth. My kit bag may be Tumi and wallet Coach, but their luggage and two or three pet carriers are often matching Louis Vuitton, Gucci or Prada. I have yet to see a set of HONMA Beres or Majesty Sublime golf clubs, but so far, I routinely see this year’s Title- ist, Ping or Callaway’s with mono- grammed bags (gotta trade in my Epic for a Rogue ST Max LS if I’m
The view from the new office is still spectacular. (Photo by Captain Steve Lambert).
April 2022 / TWIN & TURBINE • 25