LJDRVR

Another really great day was the first Thursday after September 11th when civilian traffic was allowed to fly again. Our day started early, taking a liver in a cooler from Hobby to San Antonio in a Lear 31 with my friend Richard. I've got the TCAS out to the 40 NM ring with no other traffic. ATC is just us and the contoller. I got to carry on a nice, long conversation with the Houston Center guy, who was as happy to be talking to us, as we were to return to the airspace. We drop of our organ and repositioned to Brownsville, where we picked up some stranded business travelers. Launched for Phoenix where we dropped four of them off, leaving two for a quick flight to Los Angeles. Not all the airlines were flying and those that were had reduced schedules. All day long the frequency was filled with the most friendly, professional pilots and controllers I had ever heard. I almost get chocked up just thinking about it. Turning final for 25R at LAX, it's one of those rare, perfectly clear days. I can see the entire basin, coastline, even Catalina. As we taxi in, there's an American 737-800 with a HUGE American Flag being held out of the Copilot's window. On the phone at the FBO, dispatch asks if we would mind heading down to San Diego to pick up one of our pilots (Kevin) who was stranded. An hour and a half later we've got him on board, and it's Richards's leg back to Houston. Reaching 410, I climb out of my seat, and relax in the back, getting caught up on my paperwork, and reading the comics. Kevin climbs into my seat, and since Kevin and Richard are typed, I let the two copilots take me back to Houston, while I reflect on how very lucky I am to live in this country and get paid money to fly airplanes. [ 16. March 2005, 11:14: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]

O.K, here's a civilian story: 1999, Dispatch calls me up around 9PM and says, "Hey, get in here as fast as you can, we got an ASAP up to Dallas Love, pick up four PAX, take em' to Vegas for a couple of hours of gambling, then back to DAL." We arrive on the ramp at Love in our Lear 35 to find our lead PAX (Bob) his buddy, and two strippers. They've all been drinking. Out to Vegas we go. Somewhere over New Mexico, Bob blurts out: "I'll give you guys a thousand bucks to do a roll." We decline, instead taking turns watching the "show" going on in back. One of these young ladies, (fully clothed) comes to the cockpit to chat. (You C-21 guys can picture her kneeling in the doorway.) We give her the .50 cent tour, after which she leaves. A few seconds later she returns, smiling "Bob says to show you guys my tits." After which she pulls her sweater up, spilling out her glands. At this point, the autopilot is engaged, but neither of us are paying any attention to the jet. SWEEET!!!! So, what's even better than a naked stripper in your cockpit? The $1500 a piece tip we got from Bob. Best trip ever. [ 16. March 2005, 10:38: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]

A couple of suggestions not yet mentioned: Thud Ridge & Going Downtown by Jack Broughton, both an interesting history of the USAF involvement with the pack 6 routes up north between 66 and 68. The latter book is probably the more interesting of the two, encapsulating the ordeal suffered by the author when the bomber mafia running PACAF went after him for being a stand up guy who protected his troops from being chewed up for inadvertantly violating some of the dumbest ROE U.S. fighting men have ever been subject to. As far a professional airmanship goes, I can't help but be a cheerleader for Tony Kern's books: Redefining Airmanship, Flight Discipline, and Darker Shades of Blue. Tony is responsible for AETC's first CRM training program, was a FAIP, KC-135 & B-1 AC/IP, taught history at the zoo, and is now a retiree engaged in what will be industry changing human factors work on how organizations learn and manage error. I've had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Kern and hearing his presentations several times. You will not find a more humble, dedicated warrior for safety. He'd deny it, but he's definetely one of those "fifty pound brain" guys. Anyone willing to read his books with an open mind and act honestly on his recommendations will find their entire existance as an aviator changed for the better. Happy Reading! [ 03. February 2005, 11:18: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]

Delta, A post-MQT guard dude should not have too much trouble getting attention at a regional. What you're going to bump up against is their minimums. The lowest they tend to go is 600/2 these days. With a fair dose of turbine PIC from IFF, and whatever you get in your fighter once qualified, you're competetive. What you're going to have to do is either get a full time position, or build your hours up a bit by flight instructing, banner tow, pipeline patrol or whatever flying gig you can get your hands on. (Try something teaching in a twin, as getting qualified to do so will remove your centerline thrust restriction.) Here's the big mistake a lot of folks make: If you've got the minimums, APPLY. Let the airline decide whether you're competetive ot not. A lot of folks won't apply for a job because they don't "think" they have enough flight time, PIC, lunar landings, whatever. Let the airline HR folks decide whether or not you should be hired. Hey dumsaisj, when you say it's difficult finding a desirable regional job, are you speaking from any experience? You're actually somewhat off-base with your assertion. Care to elaborate? (Disclaimer: There are some stinkers out there, but there also a few places from which one could happily spend their career.)

Try this link http://www.barnstormers.com/cat.php?mode=s...3ec8e8c0a51d0fb For 35K you're getting an airplane that you can fly for years with only routine MX, not to mention MUCH better resale value and price retention than any other rag and tube airplane. There's one with photos about halfway down.

Bergman, after reading your second post, I'd say clipped-wing cub for sure. 85 horse Continental Same purchase price as the older Citabrias, but a lot more fun to fly with WAY more character. Cheaper operating costs also.

Hey Bergman, Really depends on what you want to do with it. If you're going to teach, the metal-spar Super Decathalon is a good bet, as are the side-by-side Zlins. If you're looking for an airplane in which to compete, or just go out and relieve stress with G's, then the Pitts or Eagle are good choices. If you want to just have fun without burning much gas, and want to spent a lifetime trying to perform a perfect four-point hesitation roll, or a really fun immelman, then there is no airplane on earth like a clipped-wing, 85 horse Cub. [ 12. January 2005, 17:52: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]

Just a word of caution fellas, Inexperienced pilots engaging in maneuvers they are not trained or qualified to do is a recipe for an accident. You can still make a video and have fun without endangering yourselves and others by attempting things such as "formation steep turns"!? I know you guys are eager and confident in your piloting abilities, but PLEASE reconsider engaging in such activity. We all survived some stupid maneuvers when we were young and didn't know any better, but it involved some luck, and not all aviators survive long enough to mature. My suggestion is this: Don't listen to some stupid airline pilot with almost 5000 hours in 51 different aircraft and two type ratings, ask some of the IP's on the board here what they think of your idea. (You're gonna get a much more emotional response than mine.)

They are also attempting to market it to the DoD as a low-cost homeland defense interceptor. Interesting. [ 29. October 2004, 14:23: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]

Linda, The duty free shop at the BIKF terminal is actually the best one I've seen in fifteen countries and countless airports. (Except for the cheap coffee beans in El Salvador) Don't leave without getting over there. The seafood is pretty good too. Try to spend some time visiting with the locals, they're wonderful folks, as I'm sure you've discovered. Enjoy Iceland. I don't get to fly there anynore, but I always enjoyed shooting an ILS down to minimums and breaking out with that big wet, windy, piece of rock in front of me.

"when education should be geared toward understanding and accepting the differences between people...." Apparently this noble ideal does not apply to the author, who, at the tender age of 21 has got the world all figured out. Make no mistake, understanding and accepting peoples differences has no place in this guy's world, unless you agree with his positions. [ 23. September 2004, 14:25: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]

Got to agree with C-21 driver. The Learjet is an oven. Weak freon air conditioner ducted 12 feet to dinky fan in ****pit. I suffered through five summers in Houston like that. By comparison, any jet with PACKS is nice and cool. (The Embraers I fly now will make it snow in the ****pit.)

Two Navigators are hanging out at the O'club one Friday, when they happen to encounter a novelty vending machine. There, on the bottom row, resplendant among all the other trinkets, is pair of pilot's wings. "Wow!" says one of the NAVs; "Only one dollar!" After fitfully searching the pockets of his flightsuit, he manages to come up with two quarters. "Dangit! what've you got?" he asks his friend. After a bit of scrounging, the second NAV also comes up with fifty cents. "Let's get em'." His buddy scratches his head and says: "But who gets to wear them?" After several minutes of deep thought, it's agreed upon that they will share the pilot wings. They pool their resources, make the purchase, and the first Nav pins the wings on his flightsuit. "Wow...This is soo cool!" He boasts. "Come on, come on, when do I get to wear them?" asks the other. "Shut the phuck up, NAV!"

Unbelievable. I wonder if the folks flying with her realize what they've got there. My inner dialogue as a Captain would go something like: "She says she did the walkaround, but.....did she?" What blows my mind is that an airline would hire somebody with a general discharge. We've all been young and done something stupid, but to see someone throw away a promising career needlessly by lying and then ignoring a lawful orderfrom her commander is sad. Whats worse and in my mind inexcusable, is when that person claims they didn't know any better and that the Air Force was out to get them.

Hey speaking of "where are they now", whatever happened to that prevaricating sack of human excrement, Kelly Flinn? (If you ever need to vomit, read her book: "Proud to be")

For anyone intersted in seeing an over-G condition during landing on the prototype MD-80, I've posted this link. http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6kuhd/md-80.mpg The mishap aircraft was at Edwards on 02 May 1983 doing landing distance trials. The Captain let his approach get a bit unstabilized, and they hit the ground at 970 fpm. (Yes you're seeing what you think you're seeing. ) [ 13. April 2004, 23:33: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]

I wondered about that, I've heard it twice. ("On the hold") Thanks for staightening me out guys, though it still shouldn't be used in the system. (Civilian ATC) I heard a controller repeat himself twice recently, until the 737 crew read back "position and hold." (Too much coffee? Or maybe not enough...) [ 26. March 2004, 22:09: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]

C17wannabe, You've heard some excellent advice here. I've got to take issue with your corporate pilot comment. Dude, using the slang you describe in the cockpit of any corpaorate aircraft out there would get you a serious beating for making us look like tools. Quite frankly, if you responded to an altimeter setting with something like: "3 balls in the K-box!", I'd do several things: 1-Tell you to shut the ___up and read the advisory back myself properly before the controller puts us in a penalty box or lectures us. 2-I would probably be handling the radios for the rest of the leg, with you instructed to listen carefully to everything I said in my readbacks. In fact, I would probably have you parrot my responses out loud when I was done transmitting. (That way I would know you got some practice, not to mention insuring you understood the controller, as your shennanigans have forced me to turn the airplane into somewhat of a single-pilot cockpit.) 3-If you ever pulled a stunt like that to embarass me again, you, the chief piot and myself would be discussing what sort of training/counseling you'll be getting. Dude, I don't mean to sound harsh. I remember (and cringe) when I recall myself as a 19 year old aviator. It hurts to even think about it. The sooner you disposses yourself of such notions, the more professionaly you'll be treated by your fellow aviators and ATC. What's cool is that you're taking steps via asking for advice on this board that will help you out a lot. Here are some common radio pet peeves: If you want to abbreviate, then don't do the "with you" thing. They KNOW you're with them. Your data block is flashing on the radar display, and you've just read your callsign. Read back position and hold runway___as position and hold, runway_____. Don't do the "on the hold" BS, or any of the other less than precise slang. I'm on a 3 mile final doing 136 KIAS, the controller isn't the ONLY person who needs to hear and understand your readback. Do not use the word "to". As in: ...descending to 5000." (are you gonna stop at 2500 or 5000?) Use phraesology like: "..7200 descending 5000.") Just use the word climbibng or descending in place of "to". We're not going to crash if you don't check in with the new controller immediately. LISTEN before you press the PTT. You'de be suprised how many expereinced folks have a problem with this. In the constraints of high-G, O2 mask wearing, hooking, turning, sweating BFM in a military A/C, the use of "tally" to acknowledge traffic is appropriate, expected, and about all you're gonna be able to say. Anybody else who uses it in conjunction with civilian ATC, sounds like a complete moron. Just some "tough love" brother, good luck with your career! If I can be of any help at all, feel free to ask.

Yeah, I'm going to go fly Embraer 135's and 145's for a regional airline. Tremendous pay cut, but for long-term stability and quality of life, it's got to be done. Here's an update to the tired old joke that any Lear guy or gall will appreciate: How can you tell a Learjet Crew? They drag their suitcases across the furniture in the FBO.

Having over 2000 hours in the civilian Learjets, I thought I'd nitpick a few things in Hueypilot's outstanding and informative post. About 50 percent of the Lear 35's out there have the XFLOW annuciators and standby pump pinhole lights. I've yet to fly a 35 retrofitted with the parking brake light, but you'll see it on 31's and some later serial number 55's. The 31's have a bendix MFD, but the only thing you'll see in the 35's are the Avidyne unit. (Same stuff.) Most of our 35's have HF/SELCAL. No UHF or SATCOM. You'll see a variety of RNAV in the jets, from UNS-1K's to GLS to older GPS units, which are the most common. The EVSI/TCAS unit is becoming common, especially on RVSM modified A/C. The C-21 and LR35 are very much the same airplane. Any qualified military or civilian crew would be able to swap aircraft without batting an eyelash. The C-21 does have the FC530 autopilot, a much better piece of electronics than the FC200 that you see in about 90% of the civilian Lear population. (No altitude select:() Interestingly enough, the OSA mission VERY closely parallels what we do in the FAA part 135 world, with the exception of pilot seasoning and DV's flying the jet with the AC acting as IP and the copilot stuck elswhere. I can neither confirm or deny the occasional presence of a pretty female passenger in the cockpit... I'll echo HueyPilot's sentiments on the jet itself, a WHOLE lot of fun to fly. A seasoned and talented Lear pilot will have no problem at all transitioning into any type of transport category aircraft or MWS. The cockpit is cramped, (I'm 6'4", 215) once you figure out where to put your elbows, you're O.K. My finis flight on the Lear is coming up in two weeks. After 5 and 1/2 years, I'll miss her a lot. (But not getting out of bed after just falling asleep and stepping to the jet at 0100 to fly to Guatemala.) The biggest difference is C-21's are well-maintained by the GLASCO folks. Lear 35's run the gamut. One of ours has over 21,000 hours on it. Simuflite is never a problem for us because we routinely get to deal with abnormals and emergencies in the airplane. I still do love the jet though. Too bad we can't have an exchange program between a C-21 unit and a large part 135 operation. I think both sides would get a lot out of it. Good luck with you career man! You're gonna get paid to fly airplanes. What a scam.