I just got back from my CJ flight.  It was a lot of fun.  The pilot I flew with was cool to fly with and offered a lot of information on the way up there.    We were a deadhead up there and had one passenger on the way back.  The pilot, also a current CFI, was cool enough to let me fly the leg up there, including taxi, takeoff, cruise, and landing.  We used autopilot on the way up there though as he was explaining to me a little bit about everything.  Overall it was a great flight and I took a lot away from it.  It's always fun to get up in the flight levels.  I've also been studying the ATP oral exam guide and written exam guide to get ready for an airline interview I have comming up this week and a lot of the things I've been studying - i.e. turbine systems, high speed aerodynamics, etc. - made sense after todays flight.  The guy I flew with was even cool enough to offer a couple of beers afterwards.  How could I refuse. If I'm fortunate enough, I'll get to go back up in one again tomorrow.  It all depends on whether or not they need someone to fill in that right seat.  Anyway, enough rambling on.  Here's what few snaps I took after the flight.  There was too much going on in flight so I wasn't able to get any in flight shots.  Without further ado...

very nice indeed

Fly2e wrote on Mar 16^th, 2008 at 8:28pm:


Thanks!  No, unfortunately not.  I was too busy flying/catching up to the airplane.  It was an hour flight up there and an hour back so things happened pretty quickly.

I know it must be rough, especially with all the beer afterwards... hang in there, guy. 

Nice shots! Glad to see you can fly again!

Looks a pretty cool little jet. Shame as with many things that size they skimped on fitting EFIS for the Co...

Wow!  How cool is that?!?  Did you say this was your first crew member flight in a jet (that is what I got from your linked post to this one)?  Oh, man, that is waaay exciting.  Well-earned congratulations to you!  I have to admit, I got a chuckle out of the fact that there was two crew and one passenger. (Note to self: must make more money; perhaps change careers!)

So, I am not sure if I understood this correctly or not, but do you mean to say this was your first time flying a jet (crew member vs. passenger) or that it was the first time flying a jet as work (crew member vs. trainee).  Either way, it is uber interesting!  How did it feel and handle?  I guess since you said you did the trip up on auto-pilot, it was probably a lot of knob-twisting and button-pushing.  Still . . . you did taxi and take-off, so how did it feel?  As good as I fantasize about such things?  (Second note to self: learn to grow up and choose life-interests sooner should time-travel or age-regression ever become a possibility!)

Thanks so much for sharing your experience.  I could read these personal experiences and tales all day long.

Gratefully dreaming,
Darrin