Learjet Pilot

The Learjet pilot is a high qualified, skilled professional with several thousand hour flights. To become a Learjet pilot, a person must have a high level of aeronautic skills and competence. Go get your airfares. It is necessary to obtain your personal pilot certification, your instruments evaluation and your multi-engine business certification.

They must accumulate at least 250 pilot hour to get these privileges, but many flyers need more elapsed times to get these certifications. Construct 1,500 hour airtime, which is the minimal necessary to obtain a pilot's license for aviation. This can be done by taking an entry-level pilot location such as aerial rescue, overnight cargo fly or aerial taxis.

Successfully complete the air traffic pilot test. To receive your pilot certification, you must take a test in writing (with a 70 per cent mark). You' ll also have to take a test plane with a check-Airman. Receive a sample entitlement in one of the many Learjet aircraft types.

Pattern certification is a Federal Aviation Administration certification that allows a pilot to fly a particular variant of a jetship. As with other air assessments, you must take a test in writing (with a 70 per cent mark ) and take a test. You will find a position as First officer or co-pilot in the Learjet class in which you have a Learjet class credit assessment.

» A charter pilot's lifetime - A complete Learjet 34A trip

As a commercial pilot, I have always asked myself: "What does the world of a pilot look like? "I had the chance to get an experience with Martinair (a Part 91/135 carrier - UniRELATED to my last name) this past season and flew with a Learjet 34A from Richmond RIC to Baltimore BWI.

It was my aim for the trip to accompany the pilot through all facets of their flights, from the pre-flight and arrival in Baltimore to the returning and clean-up in Richmond, to get a glimpse of what it is like to fly as a charters pilot in everyday life. That was my first plane ride on a privately owned plane; is there a better way to get it than looking at the platform?!

is a Part 91 and 135 carrier headquartered at Richmond International Airport in Virginia. Proprietors who fly on board their own aeroplane (or another corporate aeroplane at a specified speed) shall operate in accordance with the requirements of Part 91 used by operators. Frequently, charters have timetables that are fully driven by client demands.

Knowing about the Martinair plan, I saw that planes apply for "hard free days" when they had serious conflict, and only require free day. During " working holidays " the pilot is mainly on call for a client who can call up to two workinghours before departure of the flight. Excursions are often planned much earlier, so drivers have a good understanding of what their months will look like.

I had the possibility to fly aboard a part 91 Learjet 35A (N804TF) from Richmond to Baltimore. Arriving around 9am for the plane, I was waiting a few moments for the arrival of the pilot. I think it was really awesome to be led up near the plane by a pilot who has so much flying to do.

While the co-pilot had already made a pre-flight in the aircraft, the skipper wanted to show me some nice features of the aircraft. Learjet 35 was first used in 1973 and remained in production until 1994. Learjet A35A has a cruising distance of 2,789 mph and a 931 gallon refueling capability.

To fly the airplane is about as near as to fly a combat airplane as you can reach it from a civil one! We went in after our tour to see the first mate who had submitted and prepared a timetable. At this point I began to get a feel for what a pilot experiences in a chartership.

With many " regular " airline companies the pilot go on board and receive a timetable. Separate caterings will be provided and the crew will make preparations for the cabins. In contrast to the airline companies, the Part 91 and 135 pilot companies are in charge of almost all aspect of the flights. Ranging from food, cleanup and refueling to scheduling (not to speak of flying!), these planes have a fairly heavy working load.

Once all the first work had been done, it was all about the wait for the people. Arriving at the airport, it only took us a few moments to taxi to the airport strip - which is quite unbelievable from the passengers' point of view. Fly in a personal aircraft means you can get away from the wait through safety, delay and long queues (which can last up to 3 hrs at high traffic airports) for a fast ride that is virtually on your itinerary.

The Learjet A35A for the whole afternoon had 7 seats: Each Learjet 35 is not fitted with this seating configuration, but I was certainly happy to have this prospect of the Jump-Seat! So the Learjet is as near as possible to the flight of a combat aircraft, so we were on the floor very quickly.

My aim has always been to see from the pilots' point of view what it is like to fly with a plane. Seeing and hearing everything they went through during our 25 minutes long trip was fantastic and something I will never ever forget. What we did was a great experience. It was incredible to look out of the front window while cruising through clouds with a high speed plane.

The Learjet was convenient to fly, even for such a small aircraft. This was a short 25 minutes ride before we started to descend into the bustling skies around Baltimore-Washington. When we had driven up to the loading bay, the pilot quickly switched off the aircraft and opened the cab doors for the people.

They were off the airplane in less than 2 min and brought to the FBO by gulf cart. From Richmond to Baltimore, these travellers could travel in about 40 min, while a regular business trip could take more than 4 h when all is said and done. Flying off, the pilot of our aircraft started the clean up and the controls after the air.

They had no hop-on, hop-off skills for these planes, they were the only persons in charge of the entire operation of the plane. The Baltimore system has an extreme rigorous approach to ramps that demands that all air travelers and drivers have an airfield escape on the docks. Upon arriving, an escape will be sent out to supervise all pilot and passenger activity.

They cannot enter the dock without an accompanying person opening the slide door with a keys tag, which was definitely one of a kind to see at first sight. When the plane went around 1:00 p.m., the prisoners hadn't shown up yet. Another important part of the model is the passengers' timetable.

The co-pilot and I went to the airplane to set everything up. During a tour and aircraft inspections I was able to discover more of the aircraft. When it turned around 14:30, the passenger showed up and within a few moments we rolled back to the take-off strip to take off for the RIC.

In the following you will find pictures of the return trip to Richmond: The second stage of the stage was as quick as the first, about 25 min. long. Below you can see pictures and a movie of our return to the RIC: As soon as we started, the airplane was switched off again on the Martinair dock.

Travelers got into their cars to go home, a little drive! However, the pilot's days were not over yet. You had to park, wash and uncover the aircraft before it was on the dock. Altogether, this brief journey has really given me a good feeling for what many charters experienced during a journey.

You have a heavy working load before, during and after the flights, but still like your work and can get quite your gear flying! Luckily I had this opportunity before I decided which way air travel would take me. Hopefully this will give you a little insight into the lives of company pilots!