Flight Training - November/December 2021 - 47

with the job flew several trips with me
on live legs with the company personnel
and soon kicked me out of the nest to
handle things on my own. I knew the flying
was going to be challenging yet fun,
but I quickly learned that single-pilot
corporate operations are hard work!
At the airline, I have an entire
support staff in the way of dispatchers,
flight attendants, baggage handlers,
load planners, and, most importantly,
just a bowl with cat litter that's undignified
to use and even more so to clean.
After loading everyone in, it's time
to play flight attendant and make sure
that everyone on board knows where the
emergency exits are and how they operate.
I point out the coffee, ice, and snacks,
which 90 percent of the time don't get
touched. I waddle awkwardly hunched
over among the passengers to the front
and get to work. Corporate flying is all
THE DAYS WERE LONG, THE PAY WAS LOW, BUT THE
EXPERIENCE COULDN'T BE BETTER FOR A BUDDING
PROFESSIONAL PILOT. HOW WOULD I DO NOW AS A
51-YEAR-OLD PILOT AT A MAJOR AIRLINE?
another pilot to back up everything and
bounce ideas off. In the Cheyenne, I am
everything. The logistics can be staggering
at times and the changes can come
with little or no notice. The planning
phase starts the night before: getting the
briefings, flight plans filed, weight and
balance squared away, and verifying fuel
and services are set up at every airport
we will visit. Sometimes we leave from
our home base and other times we pick
up our passengers in nearby Baltimore,
which always adds more legs/logistics.
Because it's a small company, we
attempt to source low fuel prices, which
adds more complexity to the mix given
the required passenger/baggage load for
every leg.
The next day I show up at the
hangar, get the coffee brewing, check
the galley for snacks, drinks, supplies,
and cleanliness. I hook up the tug while
attempting to not get grease on my
sleeves, drag the airplane (carefully) out
of the gang hangar, stow the tug, and
close the hangar door. Ugh, forgot the
coffee. And the ice too.
When the passengers arrive, I immediately
count heads just to make sure I
have the right number of souls on board.
I help with their bags and encourage
them to use the bathroom in the hangar
while I load them up. Although the
Cheyenne has a potty seat, it's essentially
about getting these folks where they
want to be as quickly and comfortably as
possible so the mood is hurried. But this
is where I must slow down, take a breath,
and not do anything rash as I start these
$200,000 engines, which could be ruined
with a misplaced switch or lever.
Once in the air, it's just doing what
I've always done whether it be flying my
own airplanes or the Boeing for work:
find the best ride at the most efficient
altitude and keep an eye on the systems
and cabin temperature. A call to the FBO
from the air, when possible, gets the
passengers' rental cars readied for the
all-important step from the air stair to
the car in less than 50 feet. And they're
off. I dump the coffee and ice, clean up
the cabin, arrange for fuel, and take a
breather in the FBO lounge among the
big-iron crews with their Challengers
and Gulfstreams. In a few hours, the
process starts over and may be repeated
three or four times a day. The days are
long and challenging and I realize that
in my 50s, it doesn't come as easy as it
was in my 20s. If you can comfortably
wear all the hats that corporate/charter
pilots must, you're well on your way to a
successful piloting career. FT
PETER A. BEDELL is a pilot for a major airline
and is co-owner of a Cessna 172 and Beechcraft
Baron.
FLIGHT TRAINING NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
47
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Flight Training - November/December 2021

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