Episode #17 – Flying For Fun Vs Flying Hire

Today’s show was spurred by a listener email that had to do with the pros and cons of flying for fun versus flying for work. There’s a lot of opinions out there on the Internet and aviation forums, some from disgruntled airline pilots, other from passionate aviators looking to fly heavy iron.

Since Carl and Len are both airline pilots and Rick and Victoria fly for pleasure, what not a better group of people to discuss these issues with.

Pre-Flight

Our Stuck Mic AvCast co-host Carl Valeri of ExpertAviator.com, will be attending the Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, FL on January 19th and 20th. The event, which runs January 19th through January 22nd, focuses on Light Sport Aircraft and the Sport Pilot Certificate. Look for Carl in his Stuck Mic AvCast t-shirt armed with his video camera and audio recorder making his rounds at the Expo! He’s super nice and fun to talk planes with so make sure to catch him if you can.

The next announcement today is in conjunction with Women of Aviation Week, the second annual Women Fly It Forward event hosted by our very own Victoria Neuville of Aviation Insurance Resources. The event will be held at KFDK Frederick Municipal Airport, Frederick, MD on March 10th, 2012 and promotes aviation for women. Last year, Women Fly It Forward shared the gift of flight by providing free airplane rides to 185 women of all ages. The only requirement is that it must be your first time in a small plane. There’s also a chance to win a flight award for money and discounts towards flight training. Will you be there?

Cruise Flight

  • Intro to flying for fun vs flying for hire
  • Why we became pilots
  • Decisions to fly
  • Training choices
  • Desired outcomes
  • College education paths
  • Time off for other life pursuits
  • Pros and cons of flying for hire vs flying for fun
  • Flying as a hobby
  • Flying as a job
  • Co-hosts regrets and what’d they do different next time
  • Crusty and disgruntled pilots
  • Freedom of general aviation
  • Constraints of paid flying jobs
  • Flying as a long-term career
  • Changing careers to fly
  • Leaving flying for a career or personal endeavor
  • And much, much more!

After Landing Checklist

~ Picks of The Week ~

Victoria – Future Flyers Club: Your Online Toy Airplane Superstore

Carl – Aircraft: The Jet As Art display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

Rick – Announcing Microsoft Flight, the reincarnation of Microsoft Flight Simulator with a twist

Len – iFlightPlanner for iPad: A FREE flight planning app

Listen to Episode 17 Below

Video: How fast is the Citation X?

Recently, I flew a trip in the Citation X, and an opportunity arose to give a good idea of just how fast the airplane is.  Coming home from Lebanon, NH, we happened to be on the same airway as a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 going the same direction, only we were 2000 feet higher and going significantly faster.  You can see that in about 90 seconds, we gain over 2.5 miles on the 737.

I couldn’t get a good shot of the plane out the window, but I filmed the TCAS2 (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) display, in which you can clearly see the relative movement between the two airplanes.  Conveniently, our true airspeed and groundspeed are also shown on the same display.  In most conditions, the X cruises at around 525 knots TAS, and with a hefty tailwind, I’ve seen upwards of 615 knots over the ground, or roughly 700mph.

Enjoy!

Jonathan

HD video here

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