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“It was a client-owned CJ, and they wanted a co-pilot to help with the ra- dios and all. I didn’t need a type rating,” he explained. “The Captain was fantas- tic. He was professional as they come. He’s the kind of pilot I strive to be.”
While the f light to Cincinnati was educational, the real lesson came after they landed. As their lone passenger deplaned, he leaned in the cockpit and said that he had clogged the aircraft’s flushing toilet.
“The FBO wanted $800 to fix it, so we went to the store and bought all the stuff to clean it. When we got back to the plane, the Captain handed me the blue gloves and said, ‘Welcome to the glamorous world of corporate aviation,’” Max says. “I wasn’t raised to back away from a commitment. Even though I wasn’t getting paid, when I accept any job, I finish it. So, I put the blue gloves on and dove in...”
Max Earns His Stripes
After 18 months of hearing Max talk about all of the people using
single-engine airplanes for business, his dad decided to buy one of the first Cirrus SF50 Vision Jets.
“My father likes to be a maverick of sorts and was fascinated to learn that Cirrus was manufacturing a per- sonal jet that had a parachute. He de- cided it could make sense to have his own, professional-f lown Vision Jet for domestic travel,” Max said. “This was a huge step for my dad. He f lew in Coach until he was 50 – he’s just not that kind of guy. He knew other people who had airplanes, but he never understood the value they delivered until he got one.”
Max explained that after attending Cirrus training for the new jet, they flew it for about six months traveling all over the U.S. for business.
“It was on a longer leg when my dad decided he needed something bigger and with more range,” Max said. “So, after looking at the available models, the decision was made to upgrade to the Citation M2. The management company was hugely pro-Cessna, and
my dad liked that it was an American- owned company.”
While Max had already amassed quite a bit of experience flying the various Cirrus aircraft and Citations for the management company, his aha moment as a professional pilot came when he went to FlightSafety in Wichita for his CE525 type rating with the “S” (Single-Pilot) endorsement.
“We have always flown as a profes- sional operation, but FlightSafety really made me a much better pilot. I learned so much in those three weeks. I left with all the confidence and knowledge I needed to fly the M2 safely,” he said.
Speaking of professional pilot op- erations, Max stressed the fact that although he and the M2 (and subse- quent CJ3+) are single-pilot qualified, whenever his dad is on the airplane, every flight is made with another pro- fessional pilot in the right seat.
“In fact, my preference is always flying as a crew with another experi- enced pilot,” he says. “When I do fly
Sullivan’s Harbor Springs Airpark
22 • TWIN & TURBINE / August 2020 Jet Journal