Got a corporate job!

Av8n4life · December 11th, 2007, 12:50

Hello fellow JC'ers!

I'm a long-time lurker and a very lacking-in-experience poster on the forums, so I want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone out there. Even though I may not have talked with you directly, these forums have been a BIG help in me making my career decisions, and I'm happy to be a member.

Now for my news...

I got a corporate pilot gig!!

The whole process started back in April when I got a new student with a brand new glass-cockpit Archer. The guy had just called up Piper wanting to buy a Mirage (and with two hours of total time

)...thankfully they talked him into the Archer, and he came to me for flight training. He made it real clear that he wanted to upgrade ASAP (don't they all?), so we started training in earnest. The guy owns his own very successful company and that ties up most of his time, so six months later we're still working on his private.

This summer, he wanted me to take him and his wife up to Oshkosh. We got to the Citation Mustang display when he said "Why don't you just come fly for us? I have a million places to go and the company could use an airplane and a pilot." Thus began the "recruitment" process--it went on for a few months because I had that "Airlines are the only way to go" mentality and the thought of only flying single-engine equipment wasn't too appealing to me. We kept talking, though, and slowly I realized that this was the PERFECT opportunity for me. We get along great and we think the same way. He never feels like he absolutely, positively has to be anywhere at any set time, so we will never be pushed weather-wise. He also offered me a great engineering position in the company for the days I'm not flying (it really does pay sometimes to have a non-aviation degree). I will also be the PIC at all times and i will manage everything the airplanes need. Plus, the salary and benefits are AMAZING!

So we agreed on everything and I told him I'd come to work for him at the first of the year. After some discussion, he decided that it'd be best for him to keep his Archer and gain time and experience in it, and upgrade later. Meanwhile, I'll fly him on trips and for business in a larger, more capable plane. SO, we went down to Vero Beach this past weekend and ended up buying a Piper Matrix! The airplane will actually be ready for delivery next Friday, so I'm headed back down Sunday to start training at SimCom VRB. Our plan of action is for me to continue to instruct him through his private and instrument in the Archer, let him gain some experience, and meanwhile I'll be in charge of the Matrix. Then he'd like to sell the Archer, take the Matrix, and have the company buy a Meridian for me

. His ultimate goal for the company is to have a jet (he likes either the Piper Jet or Mustang) in the next 5-6 years.

I really feel like this is the best job for me at the time. It just goes to show you that meeting people and networking is everything in this business! It also taught me never to burn bridges and to always keep your options open as much as possible.

Thanks for listening, and thanks for all the advice over the years, JC!

Diego Dangers. · December 11th, 2007, 13:19

wow. congratulations man. good luck with everything!

PGT · December 11th, 2007, 13:30

Whoa sounds like you did very well.

congrats!

amorris311 · December 11th, 2007, 13:39

that is awesome!!!!!

PGA07 · December 11th, 2007, 13:42

Congrats!

It goes to show that your next step may come sooner than you may realize. I also shows us yet again that it is WHO you know!

Have fun with the new job!

Citationkid · December 11th, 2007, 15:24

Enjoy your new job. I spent about 200 hours in an '07 Mirage last summer. It was a little underpowered, but I think the Matrix is a little lighter so it should be a little better. It looks like you got boots, how about radar? The Avydine is a great system and I really enjoyed flying behind it. I got a great weight and balance tool from a company on the west coast, I'll get the information on it if you'd like. If you have any questions before school, let me know!

Alex.

taseal · December 11th, 2007, 15:34

nice!

want a FO for the way back trip?

n57flyguy · December 11th, 2007, 16:27

Congrads on the job! And welcome to JC!

ASpilot2be · December 11th, 2007, 16:38

Congrats!!! Sounds like an awesome job

Quote:

Originally Posted by n57flyguy

Congrads on the job! And welcome to JC!

Pay attention Paul, he is not new, he has been here since 06

dc3flyer · December 11th, 2007, 17:17

Sounds like a great opportunity and a great start in corporate aviation... CoNGRADS!!!

JDE · December 11th, 2007, 18:04

Very nice, congrats!! Where in East Tennessee??? It looks like I'm going to have to do some research...I've never even heard of a Piper Matrix...sounds neat though!

n57flyguy · December 11th, 2007, 18:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASpilot2be

Congrats!!! Sounds like an awesome job

Pay attention Paul, he is not new, he has been here since 06

My bad.....I saw "lurkler" and thought he delurked. Sorry!

TFaudree_ERAU · December 11th, 2007, 19:20

Congrats dude. Sounds like an awesome gig. Glad someone else has found the world of corporate aviation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Citationkid

I got a great weight and balance tool from a company on the west coast, I'll get the information on it if you'd like.

HA! I found a free one for the Cirrus, even downloads METARs and does takeoff and landing distance calculations. Cirrus still sucks though, regardless.

OldTownPilot · December 11th, 2007, 19:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDE

Very nice, congrats!! Where in East Tennessee??? It looks like I'm going to have to do some research...I've never even heard of a Piper Matrix...sounds neat though!

The Matrix is basically an unpressurized Malibu Mirage. The pictures of it also don't show the weather radar pod under the wing. At least I think thats a radar pod.

Citationkid · December 11th, 2007, 19:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldTownPilot

The Matrix is basically an unpressurized Malibu Mirage. The pictures of it also don't show the weather radar pod under the wing. At least I think thats a radar pod.

In order to keep the price down near that of a Bonanza they made the de-ice, A/C, second PFD, and radar all optional equippment.

Alex.

XLR99 · December 11th, 2007, 22:25

Congratulations! Sounds like an excellent opportunity!

Pacheco · December 11th, 2007, 23:35

Congrats!

RynoB · December 11th, 2007, 23:44

Way to go! It's about being in the right place at the right time.

JDE · December 11th, 2007, 23:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldTownPilot

The Matrix is basically an unpressurized Malibu Mirage. The pictures of it also don't show the weather radar pod under the wing. At least I think thats a radar pod.

Ahh, very good...thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by RynoB

Way to go! It's about being in the right place at the right time.

That is so right...and I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason...

Aero_Engineer · December 12th, 2007, 00:25

It sounds like a sweet deal, all the best of luck to you.

moxiepilot · December 12th, 2007, 11:31

i hate you.

Good job buddy!

Keep us posted

Sidious · December 12th, 2007, 11:46

Great job!

How long were you instructing?

SmoothLanderJ · December 12th, 2007, 14:58

Fantastic!!!....great story........and congrats

cloudman · December 12th, 2007, 15:10

Sweet!

Av8n4life · December 12th, 2007, 22:59

Thanks for all the responses guys!

I'll try to answer a few questions.

JDE, I'm actually from Johnson City--it's northeast of Knoxville, home of the UT Volunteers. I fly out of TRI, although the guy I'm flying the new Malibu for is based out of Lonesome Pine (LNP) about 30 miles north. We'll have to build a hangar at LNP, so for the foreseeable future, the plane will be based at TRI.

Citationkid--Good to hear from you! Sure, PM me some info about that W&B tool as I'll take every bit of advice I can get. I see from your a.net pics you've spent some time (and from the rego of your Mirage, probably done business) at Skytech Martin State--if you know Derek Windle, he's our salesman. Nice guy!

As for the Matrix's capability, it doesn't have onboard wx radar (not even an option

...guess they can't cannibalize Mirage sales too much) and it doesn't include the second Avidyne PFD. It does have boots and heated prop (FIKI certified). It does also include oxygen ports in the ceiling. It uses the new WSI Inflight weather downlink from Sirius (new to me, I'm used to the XM WX) and debuts quite possibly the coolest GA traffic advisory system I've seen--the new Avidyne TAS610. It displays tail numbers from Mode S transponder equipped airplanes and gives aural traffic alerts with position information--VERY nice! Plus the full WAAS capability will be nice (and given how many down-to-minimums approaches I've shot in the Archer in the past week, welcome). It is about 100 pounds lighter than a Mirage and performs accordingly...which means yeah, it's still a hefty airplane for a single 350hp engine. The Meridian should come in about a year, though--and considering that PT6 is 1000shp derated to 500, it should be great! We do have air conditioning, and AFAIK it's standard. It also seems to cool the a/c better than the wimpy Mirage system but don't quote me on that.

Sidious, I've actually been instructing since about July of 2006. I'm up to 1500 hours of TT now with an overwhelming 10 hours of multi time

TFaudreeERAU, definitely share my sentiments on the Cirrus man...it seems like ive been hit in the head in every single one I've flown/instructed in by some piece of falling interior lining/door seal/etc. Those things don't hold up too well, and I'm thinking they will replace the Bo as the ultimate "Doctor Killer." It's okay, though, if it all goes to hell they can just pop the 'chute!!

Thanks for all the compliments guys! I tell everyone that if I can do it, ANYONE can...haha. If I can be of any help to anyone, let me know!

December 11th, 2007, 12:50	#1
Av8n4life Newbie Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: East TN, USA Posts: 25	Got a corporate job! Hello fellow JC'ers! I'm a long-time lurker and a very lacking-in-experience poster on the forums, so I want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone out there. Even though I may not have talked with you directly, these forums have been a BIG help in me making my career decisions, and I'm happy to be a member. Now for my news... I got a corporate pilot gig!! The whole process started back in April when I got a new student with a brand new glass-cockpit Archer. The guy had just called up Piper wanting to buy a Mirage (and with two hours of total time )...thankfully they talked him into the Archer, and he came to me for flight training. He made it real clear that he wanted to upgrade ASAP (don't they all?), so we started training in earnest. The guy owns his own very successful company and that ties up most of his time, so six months later we're still working on his private. This summer, he wanted me to take him and his wife up to Oshkosh. We got to the Citation Mustang display when he said "Why don't you just come fly for us? I have a million places to go and the company could use an airplane and a pilot." Thus began the "recruitment" process--it went on for a few months because I had that "Airlines are the only way to go" mentality and the thought of only flying single-engine equipment wasn't too appealing to me. We kept talking, though, and slowly I realized that this was the PERFECT opportunity for me. We get along great and we think the same way. He never feels like he absolutely, positively has to be anywhere at any set time, so we will never be pushed weather-wise. He also offered me a great engineering position in the company for the days I'm not flying (it really does pay sometimes to have a non-aviation degree). I will also be the PIC at all times and i will manage everything the airplanes need. Plus, the salary and benefits are AMAZING! So we agreed on everything and I told him I'd come to work for him at the first of the year. After some discussion, he decided that it'd be best for him to keep his Archer and gain time and experience in it, and upgrade later. Meanwhile, I'll fly him on trips and for business in a larger, more capable plane. SO, we went down to Vero Beach this past weekend and ended up buying a Piper Matrix! The airplane will actually be ready for delivery next Friday, so I'm headed back down Sunday to start training at SimCom VRB. Our plan of action is for me to continue to instruct him through his private and instrument in the Archer, let him gain some experience, and meanwhile I'll be in charge of the Matrix. Then he'd like to sell the Archer, take the Matrix, and have the company buy a Meridian for me . His ultimate goal for the company is to have a jet (he likes either the Piper Jet or Mustang) in the next 5-6 years. I really feel like this is the best job for me at the time. It just goes to show you that meeting people and networking is everything in this business! It also taught me never to burn bridges and to always keep your options open as much as possible. Thanks for listening, and thanks for all the advice over the years, JC!

December 11th, 2007, 13:19	#2
Diego Dangers. Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: North Bergen Posts: 101	Re: Got a corporate job! wow. congratulations man. good luck with everything!

December 11th, 2007, 13:30	#3
PGT Old Skool Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: IA Posts: 3,269	Re: Got a corporate job! Whoa sounds like you did very well. congrats! __________________

December 11th, 2007, 13:39	#4
amorris311 Old Skool Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Los Angeles soon to be phx Posts: 2,701	Re: Got a corporate job! that is awesome!!!!!

December 11th, 2007, 13:42	#5
PGA07 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Western Chi-Town Burb's Posts: 629	Re: Got a corporate job! Congrats! It goes to show that your next step may come sooner than you may realize. I also shows us yet again that it is WHO you know! Have fun with the new job! __________________ Tis the time for cooler temps., colorfull leaves and Archery Season! "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars!"

December 11th, 2007, 15:24	#6
Citationkid Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Delaware Posts: 1,424 Blog Entries: 5	Re: Got a corporate job! Enjoy your new job. I spent about 200 hours in an '07 Mirage last summer. It was a little underpowered, but I think the Matrix is a little lighter so it should be a little better. It looks like you got boots, how about radar? The Avydine is a great system and I really enjoyed flying behind it. I got a great weight and balance tool from a company on the west coast, I'll get the information on it if you'd like. If you have any questions before school, let me know! Alex. __________________ My airliners.net pics

December 11th, 2007, 15:34	#7
taseal Old Skool Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 1,961	Re: Got a corporate job! nice! want a FO for the way back trip? __________________

December 11th, 2007, 16:27	#8
n57flyguy Old Skool Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 3,814	Re: Got a corporate job! Congrads on the job! And welcome to JC! __________________ -Paul

December 11th, 2007, 17:17	#10
dc3flyer Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Everywhere Posts: 1,198	Re: Got a corporate job! Sounds like a great opportunity and a great start in corporate aviation... CoNGRADS!!! __________________ Paid to wait.... Fly for fun!

December 11th, 2007, 18:04	#11
JDE Old Skool Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 1,615	Re: Got a corporate job! Very nice, congrats!! Where in East Tennessee??? It looks like I'm going to have to do some research...I've never even heard of a Piper Matrix...sounds neat though! __________________ Jason

December 11th, 2007, 22:25	#16
XLR99 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Medina, OH Posts: 112	Re: Got a corporate job! Congratulations! Sounds like an excellent opportunity! __________________ Just when you think you're of average intelligence, someone comes along and elevates you to genius.

December 11th, 2007, 23:35	#17
Pacheco Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: East Bay San Francisco (KLVK) Posts: 56	Re: Got a corporate job! Congrats!

December 11th, 2007, 23:44	#18
RynoB Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Bixby, OK Posts: 654	Re: Got a corporate job! Way to go! It's about being in the right place at the right time. __________________ Ryan ATP (CE525, CE510, BE-300), SIC BE-400, CFI, CFII, MEI, IGI States I've landed in:

December 12th, 2007, 00:25	#20
Aero_Engineer Old Skool Join Date: May 2005 Location: California, USA Posts: 2,052	Re: Got a corporate job! It sounds like a sweet deal, all the best of luck to you.

December 12th, 2007, 11:31	#21
moxiepilot Old Skool Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: CFI / CFII in PA Posts: 2,758	Re: Got a corporate job! i hate you. Good job buddy! Keep us posted

December 12th, 2007, 11:46	#22
Sidious Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Titusville Posts: 497	Re: Got a corporate job! Great job! How long were you instructing?

December 12th, 2007, 14:58	#23
SmoothLanderJ Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Orlando Fl & Memphis Tn Posts: 567	Re: Got a corporate job! Fantastic!!!....great story........and congrats __________________ "........Instead, people need to beat around the bush because being overtly racist these days isn't acceptable."

December 12th, 2007, 15:10	#24
cloudman Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 74	Re: Got a corporate job! Sweet! __________________

December 12th, 2007, 22:59	#25
Av8n4life Newbie Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: East TN, USA Posts: 25	Re: Got a corporate job! Thanks for all the responses guys! I'll try to answer a few questions. JDE, I'm actually from Johnson City--it's northeast of Knoxville, home of the UT Volunteers. I fly out of TRI, although the guy I'm flying the new Malibu for is based out of Lonesome Pine (LNP) about 30 miles north. We'll have to build a hangar at LNP, so for the foreseeable future, the plane will be based at TRI. Citationkid--Good to hear from you! Sure, PM me some info about that W&B tool as I'll take every bit of advice I can get. I see from your a.net pics you've spent some time (and from the rego of your Mirage, probably done business) at Skytech Martin State--if you know Derek Windle, he's our salesman. Nice guy! As for the Matrix's capability, it doesn't have onboard wx radar (not even an option ...guess they can't cannibalize Mirage sales too much) and it doesn't include the second Avidyne PFD. It does have boots and heated prop (FIKI certified). It does also include oxygen ports in the ceiling. It uses the new WSI Inflight weather downlink from Sirius (new to me, I'm used to the XM WX) and debuts quite possibly the coolest GA traffic advisory system I've seen--the new Avidyne TAS610. It displays tail numbers from Mode S transponder equipped airplanes and gives aural traffic alerts with position information--VERY nice! Plus the full WAAS capability will be nice (and given how many down-to-minimums approaches I've shot in the Archer in the past week, welcome). It is about 100 pounds lighter than a Mirage and performs accordingly...which means yeah, it's still a hefty airplane for a single 350hp engine. The Meridian should come in about a year, though--and considering that PT6 is 1000shp derated to 500, it should be great! We do have air conditioning, and AFAIK it's standard. It also seems to cool the a/c better than the wimpy Mirage system but don't quote me on that. Sidious, I've actually been instructing since about July of 2006. I'm up to 1500 hours of TT now with an overwhelming 10 hours of multi time TFaudreeERAU, definitely share my sentiments on the Cirrus man...it seems like ive been hit in the head in every single one I've flown/instructed in by some piece of falling interior lining/door seal/etc. Those things don't hold up too well, and I'm thinking they will replace the Bo as the ultimate "Doctor Killer." It's okay, though, if it all goes to hell they can just pop the 'chute!! Thanks for all the compliments guys! I tell everyone that if I can do it, ANYONE can...haha. If I can be of any help to anyone, let me know!

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