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Lears and Gs are pretty common planes and can easily be found with many charter companies. I tend to agree with velocityjets, finding a good broker that can get you what you need when you need it is the best way.
Flying Private?
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813 Posts
Anyone interested in a quote on any flight feel free to PM me. My next step is sponsoring L4P and providing this service regularly but thats in the coming weeks.
Would love to work with L4P members much more!
Would love to work with L4P members much more!
The 300 was amongst my favorite planes at NBAA last year.
Ease of travel and convenience. I took a Hawker 800XP and hit five cities in Texas in one day. That trip would've taken me 3-4 days if I had flown commercially--instead I was back in my own bed that same night.
Also, my Mom has stage 4 cancer and can't fly commercially, so she and my Dad fly privately to maximize their time together and avoid sitting on a plane full of sick people (illnesses that could potentially end her life).
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Just be careful out there when it comes to charter, etc. I don't want to get into too many details, however there are various "degrees" of safety out there. Just because a company meets the FAA Regulations when the FAA shows up... does not mean they are doing it all of the time. If you use a company a lot, you might consider having them audited. I have some first hand experience with some very shoddy operations...
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Examples?
The whole "donkey and the carrot" trick means you have to give the donkey the carrot once in a while.
You may also want to revisit the forum rules regarding sigs and commercial links / promotion.
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36 Posts
There are lots of examples. A few years back a chartered Challenger took off with ice on the wings because the company put pressure on the pilots not to spend money on deicing the aircraft (deicing fluid is very expensive). The result, the aircraft stalled right after takeoff, rolled to the right and burst into flames. The son of a broadcasting executive was killed.... Again, there are different levels of safety... and you tend to get what you pay for in my opinion.
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227 Posts
PM sent!
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813 Posts
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As of Monday my magic carpet is in for heart bypass surgery, i.e. gets new valve guides and seats in two cylinders, and the annual inspection. I'm hoping nothing else is amiss with it and I can fly it again soon.
The cost of upkeep and related expense is the unseen part of ownership that the charter customer doesn't see. But after 35 years of owning the same plane I am rarely suprised by anything that happens with it.
The cost of upkeep and related expense is the unseen part of ownership that the charter customer doesn't see. But after 35 years of owning the same plane I am rarely suprised by anything that happens with it.
Could you point me to a good operator?
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36 Posts
I wish I could... however I am not sure if I can do that on this forum without breaking some of the rules (you can pm me if you wish). However, really it comes down to price. As the company that I work for used to put in their ads, we spend what ever it takes to be safe, and continue spending whatever it takes to keep you safe. Safety unfortunately costs a lot of money, and rarely in aviation is it black and white when it comes to safety... rather lots of colors of grey.
I worked at Cessna Service Center in Mesa, AZ for a little while and got to see most of all there models and they were fantastic, the seats were comfortable, the service of the pilots were top notch, and they were at the beck and call of the passengers, be it the owners or people chartering it. I had the pleasure to fly a CJ3 once, right seat time was the one of the most memorable experience i had ever had!!! And yes since that flight going commercial has never been the same, even working at Cessna made going commercial such a drab experience. But i cannot afford the 2K+ and hr at this point. But i will, oh yes i will!!
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ive flown private a few times to aspen but usually travel business or first depending on which airline.... but flying private seems like it can be quite lonely sometimes to me because even when im flying commercial and the cabin i am in is almost empty it becomes quite lonely and cant imagine how it is to fly alone for a 6-8 hour flight but thats just me..
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690 Posts
Where are you flying that has a near empty first or business class cabin, almost every airline has FF programs that grant loyal customers who fly in coach complimentary upgrades to first and business on flights that have empty available seats?
People who fly privately don't usually fly by themselves, they usually fill the plane up with their entourage/family/friends for personal travel, adding more people to a private plane is only a few hundred extra in fuel. For business's there is almost always aids/secretaries/coworkers that fill up the plane.
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690 Posts
Yes I know what you mean, but it doesn't happen often. Flying private alone would be like driving on a long stretch of highway alone for 6-8 hrs, but without being able to watch a movie, talk to friends, surf the web, or the dozen other activities you can do on a well equipped jet.
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4,957 Posts
^It's a perk to not have to deal with the smelly, rude, and unkempt hoards of people.
Absolutely. I quite enjoy flying by myself or with just one other person.
It's also fun to take some friends as well, however. Here at the 2012 US Open in SFO:
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