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as he often “gives back” his time through mentor flying– something which he’s benefitted from greatly as a mentee. “I can think of four mentors that I’ve had in aviation. My uncle David Boyce, a retired Cal Fire helicopter pilot, was the one that took me in the air for the very first time and had always been very supportive. Marco Grillo was my chief pilot at American Flyers and taught me what it means and what it takes to be a professional pilot. Then, Jim Yoder taught me how to fly jets and how to apply all the knowledge in my career to be a safe and competent jet pilot. Finally, Will Whiteside has always reminded me that aviation is a life’s journey. Together, Will and I have flown everything from RC airplanes to actual WW2 Warbirds including the T6 and Mustang together as well as modern jets like the M2 and Citation X. I am very grateful to have
these people in my life,” Keegan began.
“As such I find it important for me to mentor the next
generation of pilots as well. I believe that people get too hung up on the minimum hour requirements for various ratings and forget what they are really trying to do. That is to become a safer and more competent pilot which is never accomplished by doing the absolute minimum. We need to enjoy the process and remember that we all started to learn to fly because we love it and it’s just something we have to do.”
He is always excited to provide an overview of the very capable aircraft.
“The M2 is a real happy airplane in the mid-30s. It will go to 410, and we can direct climb there in 26 minutes. At that altitude, we burn maybe 720 pounds an hour – in total. When we are heavy, when we first get up there, it’s a bit shy of 400 knots – depending on the day and temps. 390 or 395 knots for sure when you first get up there, and then after an hour or two you are doing 400 knots. But in the mid-30s, you go right up there and are doing 400 knots. So that’s usually where we operate it. I only go up higher if I’m going longer distances, and have flown the plane an awful lot between the east and west coast.”
Overall, Keegan has been very pleased with his M2. Coming up on six years of ownership, he states that he has logged roughly 1,600 hours in the plane. Coupled with his thousands of hours of experience in other turbine aircraft, what could come next in his ownership journey is anyone’s guess.
It would be a tough decision, but he noted that his next aircraft could be a CJ4 – if he were to ever move up from the M2. But as he’s joked with other pilots, his long list of Citation type-ratings is punctuated by a Phenom 300 ticket. And as he’s learned through the headwinds and tailwinds of life, each chapter is full of surprises.
Keegan’s flying adventures can be found on Instagram under @mathewscottkeegan.
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August 2023 / TWIN & TURBINE • 29