Page 9 - February 2016

Mohawk“My practice expanded into multiple locations, starting in New Jersey and growing to include clinics in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and West Palm Beach, Florida,” said Masessa. “I was putting 500 hours per year on the Cheyenne, commuting among these sites. Clearly, I needed a faster plane. With a fuel stop, the Florida trip required six hours.”In August of 2013, he purchased a Citation 501SP with the Eagle II extended-wing mod and WilliamsFEBRUARY 2016fanjet engines, a perfect solution to his problem. With an easy 1,500 miles of range, he can do his trips in half the time; he flew the Citation 750 hours during the first two years it was in service.Masessa was well-prepared for the move into jets. He had already acquired a CE500 rating at SimCom in Orlando in 2007, because he knew the Cheyenne wouldn’t always be enough airplane. After 50 hours of mentoring, he was ready for the single-pilot jet. Most of his flying isdone at FL390 to FL430; maximum speed comes at FL340.Preserving HistoryOur present story, however, concerns Masessa’s weekend airshow activities with his Grumman OV-1D Mohawk, a twin-turboprop warbird. Some time back, he was at an airshow at Teterboro, New Jersey and chanced upon a Grumman Mohawk. “What is THAT?” is a typical response to the airplane’s aggressive look, massive turbineA Citation Pilot’s Weekend WarbirdTWIN & TURBINE • 7