“My father was an ATP-rated pilot and offered a job by Pan Am back in the late 60s, early 70s, but didn’t want to do it because he liked being an attorney more,” explained Jeff Plotka, a JetProp owner from Long Island. “I grew up getting into small airplanes to go on vacations. My first flight was when I was two weeks old.”
With this early foray into flight and a strong skyward interest, Plotka began flying as soon as he could. “When I was 16, I decided that I wanted to get my private pilot license and started moving that direction.” But a grim malignant melanoma diagnosis sidelined him from the cockpit (of both aircraft and boats) as a teenager.
He explained, “When I was 19, I was getting my captain’s license and my pilot’s license at the same time. I was taking flying lessons, had my medical, but then got sick and lost it. So, I stopped flying because of the medical, but more importantly, I started dating a woman and she hated small planes. But she liked the boats, so I kept the boating thing going for a while. I ended up marrying her and we are still married today.”
In the years since beating the diagnosis and starting a life with his wife Anita, Plotka took up flying again. But it wouldn’t be until years later that he returned to the cockpit on a consistent basis.
“Probably six or seven years ago, I was driving 90,000 miles a year in a truck and pulling a trailer. I sell lawnmowers for a living, so I was running around, running around, then had to have back surgery. After that, I decided I can’t do this anymore.”
Intent on making business travel more efficient, Plotka’s thoughts once again turned to the sky. He continued, “I already had salespeople on the road, but this is how I was doing business. So, I looked at my wife and said, ‘I love you, but I’m not doing this anymore. I’m going to start flying again.’”
And with her still somewhat reluctant support at the time, Plotka traded the pickup truck and trailer for a 2014 Cirrus SR22. This aircraft was replaced with a 2017 SR22 G6 just under two years later after Plotka flew it for several hundred hours.
“I really enjoyed training in the Cirrus. I wanted to make sure I returned to training in a current, technology-advanced aircraft. I also wanted to make sure I was able to take advantage of all the safety features as well. If you are going to learn how to fly, Cirrus does an amazing job. Unfortunately for me, my mission outgrew the plane’s capabilities.” And as any pilot who talks to Plotka will quickly learn, continued quality training is very important to him.
“Cirrus and their commitment to good training really set me up for success in moving up. It has put me on the path to continue to explore, learn and train. Cabin-class, pressurized, and turbine operations are all things that require training and proficiency, so I set out to find a similar standard of training in a different aircraft.”
In addition to being a pilot and PA-46 owner, Plotka enjoys spending time with friends and family, including his 21-year-old son, Robert and 24-year-old son, Jeffrey. Additionally, his hobbies include “anything with an engine,” such as cars, motorcycles and boats. While Anita initially hesitated for many years to join him in flight, he is happy to report that she is more comfortable flying now. They are currently planning a two-week cross-country flight to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2023.
Plotka’s outward zeal for life also includes everything related to his longtime business, Precision Work Inc (PWI). The company was started by his in-laws in 1965 and is a power equipment distributor based in Port Washington, New York. In addition to providing service for several other brands’ product lines within the lawn maintenance vertical, PWI is Walker Mowers’ (featured in the August 2021 Owner’s Corner) oldest and largest distributor.
At present, PWI has a presence in 12 states from Maine to Indiana. General aviation is integral to the business’ future territory expansion and ongoing customer support efforts. As the company’s footprint has grown, and even prior to the distributor’s most recent addition of three states in its network, the benefit of flying in support of the business was apparent.
Plotka currently flies a 1997 Piper JetProp fronted by a 560 shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-35. He transitioned to the turbine aircraft last May. The step into the retractable turboprop has been a rewarding one, allowing his team to travel more efficiently and be home more often when tending to sales calls.
“I have always believed that I am in the relationship business. I happen to sell lawnmowers, but we treat our customers and vendors as part of our extended family. Every employee touches our customers every day, whether it be via phone, email, in-person visit or even just the boxes that arrive via UPS. How our customers feel by our interactions is what sets us apart. I use general aviation to make sure I can continue to personally visit all of our customers as often as possible.”
“Being in the lawnmower business means that we are by nature not in the big cities very often. We aregenerally in the suburbs or more rural areas further away from a large commercially accessible airport. This is where general aviation really comes into play. I can be anywhere in my territory in about three hours, and there are a lot of general aviation airports that put me close to my customers.”
Overall, he has many positive things to say about being a PA-46 owner and how it has enabled growth in both new and 35-plus-year relationships. “I have enjoyed every last bit of it. I have put 320 hours on the plane in a year, even with giving it up for two months. During that time, I put in a brand-new interior and panel. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. The panel came on time and on budget, exactly as it was expected. We installed twin G500 TXi’s, two GTN 750Xi’s, and a GFC 600. It’s just beautiful.”
And it’s not the upgrades alone that Plotka has enjoyed about the ownership experience, either. “I love the efficiency of the JetProp and the price per mile. I’m burning about 32 gallons an hour and typically see 258 to 260 [knots] true, but I’m always at 26,000 or 27,000 feet. I know some that prefer to fly it at 22 to 24, and they’re burning 30 gallons an hour and pulling the power back, but that’s not me. If I’m not hurting anything, I will go as fast as I can go. I like to get there as quick as I can because it’s for business.”
Recent territory expansion and increasing demands require PWI carry more salespeople and other personnel further, stretching the airplane’s capabilities.
“The pain points in the JetProp are strictly useful load and fuel. That’s my struggle. It’s basically me and full fuel if you are going by book numbers. So, once I take anybody, I’m starting to shed fuel. That’s okay in certain examples, but now it’s reached a point where I need to put in four 200-pounders and go three and a half hours. I also don’t like landing without a lot of fuel.”
More range, without sacrificing passengers, initially sounded like the perfect role for a King Air Plotka thought. But after careful consideration, it was determined the King Air no longer fit the budget and the TBM 850 would be the right fit. While it sports one less engine and two less seats, the TBM 850 suits the mission profile nearly perfectly, in addition to having a physical footprint that allows him to keep the plane in his current hangar.
Just like in his JetProp and earlier aircraft, the 53-year-old entrepreneur plans on continuing to have an intentional focus on recurrent training.
“I fly a lot and also train a lot. I don’t want to be the guy that flies himself and creates bad habits because he can get away with it, thinks that okay, and now that is just standard. Last year, I bought my JetProp and went through my initial training. I had a 30-hour solo requirement and a 50-hour requirement to be able to take passengers and I did that in eight days. After getting my airplane back from the shop, I completed a whole other recurrent training with Casey Aviation plus went through a MMOPA mid-year training event with Joe Casey. I then went back for my annual recurrent and commercial training with Deanna Wallace and Joe in the plane. So, I went through three recurrents and a new license in one year, as well as flying for work.”
The cost of proper and continued training is negligible compared to the costs of an aircraft and its operating expenses, contends Plotka. Similarly, the reward of proficiency certainly outweighs the pitfalls of related expenses and the costs of inadequate preparation.
“I think that just because the insurance company says you are safe doesn’t make it so. Flying 300 hours a year is good, but more training and going after more ratings is even better. I am currently getting my tailwheel endorsement and plan to also complete upset recovery training and get my seaplane rating. I want to build up enough time to go for my ATP. A multi-engine rating won’t help me unless I buy a twin.”
He concluded, “Continuing to train and push myself is crucial. To learn and grow is an important part of staying proficient. And it’s fun too!”
I read your article with great interest as I am considering a Jet Prop myself . I am a Gulfstream Pilot out of HPN but am doing lots and more initial and transition training for Goldberg Aviation in all models of the TBM. The TBM is above my pay grade to own but I think you have identified the reason the TBM for payload speed and range is a good compromise.