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Confessions of a New Corporate Pilot
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In the Citation III Confessions of a New Corporate Pilot
Life would be sweet, I thought, now that I’d successfully passed my Cessna Citation III (CE-650) type rating check ride (this was a few years back). It meant I’d be flying my first swept-wing jet. Surprisingly, my first day at the new job at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) would also be the first time I’d been up close to a real Citation III since all the training and even my check ride happened in FlightSafety’s full-motion simulator.
From my research, though, I knew the 650’s cabin was roomy enough for eight, and its rocket-like performance was nothing short of spectacular with a VMO (maximum operating Mach) of Mach 0.85 and 39,000 feet on a standard day. In its day, M.83 was pretty fast. That meant we could make the West Coast out of PWK with four people in the back. I learned quickly, too, that the 650’s awesome performance meant I needed to stay much farther ahead of the airplane than I’d had to in the much slower Citation II (CE-550) I’d been flying in a 12-pilot charter department.
A privately held corporation owned this Citation III and I was the junior of three pilots. The chief pilot, my new boss, brought experience from several other flight departments, while the other pilot, I’ll call him Tom well, I was never really too sure where Tom had come from because the guy kept to himself as much as possible and wasn’t the chatty type. That made three-hour flights long when the entire conversation at FL390 ended with an occasional shrug of the shoulders.
But who cared what one guy acted like, I thought. I was there to learn how to fit into a flight department that needed another pilot on their team. Just like in charter flying, my job was to keep the people in the back happy. I came to know these passengers much better than we ever did in the charter world. These folks sometimes invited the flight crew to their home on Nantucket when we overnighted there.
The Interview
Looking back on this job now though, I guess the 10-minute interview the chief pilot and I engaged in before he offered me the job should have been a tip-off that maybe something was a little odd. But with a four-year-old daughter growing up at home, the chance to dump my charter department pager that always seemed to ring at 2 a.m. beckoned hypnotically.
Cessna Citation CE-650 Corporate line training began right away with me flying in all kinds of weather, where I regularly rotated flying left seat with the chief pilot and Tom. Having flown left seat on the Citation II, I wasn’t brand new to jets, just speedy ones.
After a few months, however, I began to notice a few operational oddities that started making me a little uncomfortable. Some sketchy flight planning and questions I asked were sometimes answered with annoyed expressions. If I appeared not to agree, someone might ask if I’d finished all the Jepp revisions (In those days there were no electronic subscriptions. Updates were handled by hand). I found the best solution for getting along seemed to be to just shut up and fly the airplane. Ignoring those distractions did help me pay closer attention to the little things that made my flying the jet smoother.
Then again … On one flight back from Cincinnati (CVG), I was flying left-seat with the chief pilot in the right. I wanted to add fuel before we left since the Chicago weather was questionable, but the boss overruled me explaining, “We’re fat on fuel.”I didn’t say anything. As we approached PWK, the ATIS reported the weather had worsened, considerably. The Swiss cheese holes began to align when Chicago Approach dumped us early. We ended up burning more fuel than planned. I flew the ILS right down to minimums, but my scan uncomfortably included the fuel gauges every few seconds. After a safe landing, we taxied in with 700 pounds of Jet-A, not much for an airplane that burns 1,800 pounds an hour down low. What if we’d missed at Chicago Executive Airport and needed to run for Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport I wondered? We’d have arrived on fumes. The boss looked at me after we shut down. “Don’t tell me that whole thing bothered you. It all turned out fine, didn’t it?” (more…)
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Remembering Gordon Baxter: Bax Seat was a Flying Magazine Reader Favorite
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(Reposted by request)
Each time I stand near my desk, my eyes naturally focus on the framed cover of the August 1983 Flying magazine. Below it is page 100, the “I Learned About Flying from That” (ILAFFT), where my first column appeared. On it, the author of Bax Seat, scrawled in brown ink, “To my friend Rob Mark. His story, my push. Gordon Baxter, August 5, 1983.”
Many months before, Gordon Baxter had given me the Flying editor’s phone number. When I rang with my brief pitch, all I heard was “yes.” I suddenly had an assignment for my first column. That 1983 issue was the first, but not the last, time my name and stories appeared in the aviation industry’s iconic magazine. That same issue also ran a pilot report about the then-new Cessna Citation III, an aircraft I later added to my list of type ratings. Looking back, there were so many aspects of my aviation career that came to life around Bax and that August 1983 issue, not the least of which was that we became friends.
Gordon Baxter, Bax as he preferred folks call him, helped shape my career as an aviation journalist like no one before him and only a few people since. The author of 13 books, Bax’s own magazine writing career at Flying spanned 25 years. His monthly column, Bax Seat, focused on vivid descriptions of his adventures. It was known simply as “Bax Seat.” Did I mention he was also a long-time radio personality in Beaumont, Texas, another interest we shared.
A Bit of Bax’s Background
I first met Bax in the mid-1970s. He brought his show, his act, or whatever the heck he called his evening of storytelling, to the Stick and Rudder Flying Club at Waukegan Airport. I was a tower controller not far away at Palwaukee Airport. Having been an avid Flying reader since high school, I switched shifts with another controller so I wouldn’t miss the event. Bax captured the audience for over an hour with stories from his flying career and his columns that often alternately “em rollin’ in the aisles” with gut-wrenching laughter and an emotional Texas-guy style that also brought tears to many an eye. Another way to think of Bax’s storytelling night was like an evening of improv but all about flying and airplanes.
Born in Port Arthur, Texas, he learned to fly after World War II following his stint as a B-17 turret gunner. Bax was no professional pilot—just a guy with a private certificate, an instrument rating, and eventually his beloved Mooney. On the back cover of one of his books, appropriately titled Bax Seat, Flying’s Stephan Wilkinson said “Bax tries to pass himself off as a pilot, but don’t believe him. He never could fly worth a damn. But Gordon feels airplanes, loves and honors them in ways that the rest of us are ashamed to admit. And he’s certainly one of the few romantics who can express what he feels so perfectly.” I couldn’t have written that myself, but I, too, felt it.
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Making the Brazilian ATR-72 Spin
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Note: This story was corrected on August 10th at 10:23 am, thanks to the help of a sharp-eyed reader.
Making an ATR-72 Spin
I wasn’t in Brazil on Friday afternoon, but I saw the post on Twitter or X (or whatever you call it) showing a Brazil ATR-72, Voepass Airlines flight 2283, rotating in a spin as it plunged to the ground near Sao Paulo from its 17,000-foot cruising altitude. All 61 people aboard perished in the ensuing crash and fire. A timeline from FlightRadar 24 indicates that the fall only lasted about a minute, so the aircraft was clearly out of control. Industry research shows Loss of Control in Flight (LOCI) continues to be responsible for more fatalities worldwide than any other kind of aircraft accident.
The big question is why the crew lost control of this airplane. The ADS-B data from FlightRadar 24 does offer a couple of possible clues. The ATR’s speed declined during the descent rather than increased, which means the aircraft’s wing was probably stalled. The ATR’s airfoil had exceeded its critical angle of attack and lacked sufficient lift to remain airborne. Add to this the rotation observed, and the only answer is a spin.
Can a Large Airplane Spin?
The simple answer is yes. If you induce rotation to almost any aircraft while the wing is stalled, it can spin, even an aircraft as large as the ATR-72. By the way, the largest of the ATR models, the 600, weighs nearly 51,000 pounds.
Of course, investigators will ask why the ATR’s wing was stalled. It could have been related to a failed engine or ice on the wings or tailplane. (more…)
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How the FAA Let Remote Tower Technology Slip Right Through Its Fingers
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In June 2023, the FAA published a 167-page document outlining the agency’s desire to replace dozens of 40-year-old airport control towers with new environmentally friendly brick-and-mortar structures. These towers are, of course, where hundreds of air traffic controllers ply their trade … ensuring the aircraft within their local airspace are safely separated from each other during landing and takeoff.
The FAA’s report was part of President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted on November 15, 2021. That bill set aside a whopping $25 billion spread across five years to cover the cost of replacing those aging towers. The agency said it considered a number of alternatives about how to spend that $5 billion each year, rather than on brick and mortar buildings.
One alternative addressed only briefly before rejecting it was a relatively new concept called a Remote Tower, originally created by Saab in Europe in partnership with the Virginia-based VSATSLab Inc. The European technology giant has been successfully running Remote Towers in place of the traditional buildings in Europe for almost 10 years. One of Saab’s more well-known Remote Tower sites is at London City Airport. London also plans to create a virtual backup ATC facility at London Heathrow, the busiest airport in Europe.
A remote tower and its associated technology replace the traditional 60-70 foot glass domed control tower building you might see at your local airport, but it doesn’t eliminate any human air traffic controllers or their roles in keeping aircraft separated.
Max Trescott photo Inside a Remote Tower Operation
In place of a normal control tower building, the airport erects a small steel tower or even an 8-inch diameter pole perhaps 20-40 feet high, similar to a radio or cell phone tower. Dozens of high-definition cameras are attached to the new Remote Tower’s structure, each aimed at an arrival or departure path, as well as various ramps around the airport.
Using HD cameras, controllers can zoom in on any given point within the camera’s range, say an aircraft on final approach. The only way to accomplish that in a control tower today is if the controller picks up a pair of binoculars. The HD cameras also offer infrared capabilities to allow for better-than-human visuals, especially during bad weather or at night.
The next step in constructing a remote tower is locating the control room where the video feeds will terminate. Instead of the round glass room perched atop a standard control tower, imagine a semi-circular room located at ground level. Inside that room, the walls are lined with 14, 55-inch high-definition video screens hung next to each other with the wider portion of the screen running top to bottom.
After connecting the video feeds, the compression technology manages to consolidate 360 degrees of viewing area into a 220-degree spread across the video screens. That creates essentially the same view of the entire airport that a controller would normally see out the windows of the tower cab without the need to move their head more than 220 degrees. Another Remote Tower benefit is that each aircraft within visual range can be tagged with that aircraft’s tail number, just as it might if the controller were looking at a radar screen. (more…)
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Pilot’s Delight
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The trip was going to be simple, I thought. My friend Steve would give me a ride from Pal-Waukee Airport PWK (now Chicago Executive) and drop me off at a short grass strip near Rockford (RFD), some 50 miles west, where I’d grab another Cessna 150 and fly it back to PWK.A couple of short delays later, we were finally ready to leave PWK. I could tell dusk was fast approaching, and since the grass strip had no lights, Steve was becoming uncomfortable about the trip. I knew it was probably the huge trees surrounding the strip that he didn’t like. “Tell you what,” he said. “I’ll drop you at Rockford, OK? The shop can ferry you over to the strip.” I nodded but smiled at his growing reluctance. But then he was a newly minted private pilot with 90 or so hours. I was a flight instructor with almost 1500.
The sun was nearing the horizon when Steve dropped me off at RFD. I began searching the ramp for my five-minute ride to the strip and stopped when I spotted a Tri-Pacer parked nearby. It wasn’t just any airplane, though. This one was … well, rough. I walked over and asked the pilot if he was my ride, and with a big smile, he said, “Sure. I’m Jack, by the way.” I gave the bird a quick once over, raised a skeptical eyebrow, and climbed into the right seat. “Let’s get going,” I said. I knew the approaching darkness wouldn’t be a problem if we wasted no time getting off.
Airborne again, I could see just how beautiful a midwestern sunset could be with the streaks of pink against the now graying sky. It seemed – well – almost peaceful looking. I thought of that old rhyme. “Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight.” It could have been written for pilots, too.
My mind returned to matters of the moment as Jack announced our arrival over the strip. It was still relatively bright looking west, but looking toward the ground, I finally realized how dark it had become. “Ah, Jack. Maybe we should go back to Rockford, and I’ll get someone to drive me back to the strip,” I said. Jack casually waved his hand and assured me he was experienced with this sort of thing. I thought momentarily and decided that sometimes a pilot needs to trust someone with more experience. It seemed to make sense … sort of. Tonight, it was my turn to be the student.
The original plan had been to fly over the top of the strip until someone on the ground turned on their car’s headlights to guide us in. But as I gazed out the window, darkness spotted with an occasional streetlight was all I saw.
Jack smiled at me as he turned base for what I was beginning to believe was an imaginary runway. I smiled back weakly but said nothing. In my head, I began thinking we should call the whole thing off, but then I remembered Jack was more experienced.
Rolling out on the final, we approached closer. I could now see the lights of a car on the ground—but just one car! My eyes quickly moved to the altimeter, and I realized we were about 200 feet AGL. Another quick glance out the window revealed that the silhouettes I saw against the sky were the huge trees that surrounded the field, except now the tops were above us. With just that one set of headlights, my depth perception was nil.
With sweat pouring from my forehead I finally realized if I didn’t do something quickly, Jack and I would be tomorrow’s headlines. Instinctively, my hand grabbed for the throttle. “No,” Jack shouted as he pulled it out to idle. With full flaps, the airplane immediately stopped flying. I was convinced we were about to die.
A few seconds later I realized we weren’t dead. I looked out the window to see if the wheels were still attached. Almost immediately, I returned my gaze inside because I could barely see the wheels of the old Tri-Pacer for the darkness. We rolled to a stop at the end of the runway. Not even waiting for the prop to stop, I jumped out and gave a huge sigh of relief. Somehow we’d survived this insane journey.
That little voice – was it in my head or my gut? It tried to tell me a couple of times this flight was foolish, but I’d refused to listen.
Never again … ever was I going to allow another pilot, experienced or not, put me in a situation that my common sense told me was dangerous. As my career turned out, those situations did happen to me … more than once too.
As Jack and I were walking to the hangar at the grass strip I was still frazzled. I looked over at my companion and asked, “So how many hours have you logged Jack?” He thought for a minute. “Oh let me see. Must be 70 or 75 I think.”
I just stared at him. “How many times have you landed at this strip when it was getting dark like this?”
“This was my second,” Jack said with a big grin. “How’s I do?”
Rob Mark
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An Upwind Battle for Women Pilots
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In the BeginningIt was the afternoon of November 2, 1929, when a group of women pilots first gathered at Curtiss Field in Valley Stream, Long Island, New York. That meeting became the impetus for what became known as the Ninety-Nines, Inc., the International Organization of Women Pilots. The group named “Ninety-Nines” to represent the first 99 charter members. Today, the group’s membership includes almost 8,000 dedicated members from 44 countries worldwide.
In 1931, Amelia Earhart was elected as the group’s first President. Membership was immediately opened to other women as they became licensed pilots. In recent years, membership has been opened to include women with student pilot certificates. The 99s were organized long before the EAA, WAI, and other aviation organizations. Perhaps the Quiet Birdmen (QBs) are older, but we women are not allowed to know them. :-) Member benefits include the support given to women who yearn to make aviation a part of their lives.
We never stop promoting aviation for all.
The 99s Mission
Our purpose includes educating the pilot population and providing aviation outreach to the community. The 99s conduct pilot seminars to promote aviation safety. We also organize and conduct air racing and proficiency competitions to improve skills. We “air mark” the compass rose at local airports. We sponsor children’s career interest events, assist the FAA with safety presentations, and provide speakers to local community groups and schools.
Amelia Earhart in front of her Lockheed Electra in July 1937 One hundred seventeen women pilots assembled at that first 99s meeting to offer mutual support, promote aviation advancement, and create a central office to keep files on women in aviation. Louise Thaden was elected Secretary and worked to keep the group together as they struggled to establish themselves and grow. These early ideals still guide the organization today.
Although there are other female pilot organizations in various states and nations, virtually all women of achievement in aviation have been or are members of The Ninety-Nines. Those ranks include astronauts, military leaders, pioneering women airline pilots, honored record holders, renowned air show performers, high-time CFIs, airport managers, aviation industry CEO, and elected legislators – all united to support each other in a male-dominated profession.
Just how dominated? In the 1970s, women comprised approximately 6 % of the pilot population. By 2010, that number had only climbed to 7 %, a very small gain. More women are flying in every area of aviation and just for personal transportation. But still just a 1% increase????
For Those With a Financial Need
Support for the 99s comes in many forms. The group operates an incredible scholarship fund, the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund (AEMSF), that has been growing since 1940. The scholarship’s protective charter mandates cautious investments and limited disbursements.
Scholarship applicants must be 99s members and can request funding for academic, technical, and advanced flight training. Adding student pilots to our membership ranks added another form of mentoring and more scholarships. The AEMSF funds First Wings scholarships for our active members who have the financial need to complete their initial training. These scholarships have made possible new certificates for women worldwide. Scholarship payments reward and repay achievements such as initial solos, successful knowledge test completion, and other worthy milestones.
A more recent program for mentoring career pilot aspirants is the Professional Pilot Leadership Initiative (PPLI), which provides a carefully curated pathway to success for women. This successful program is conducted by volunteers and given without cost to Commercial pilots who want to make their careers “take off.”
Our member’s directory is a real listing of women who understand and approve of the organization’s premises. If a 99 needs assistance in another country, she has a “sister” to call upon. The 99s is a non-profit, charitable membership corporation holding 501(c)(3) U.S. tax status, with an International Headquarters building on Will Rogers World Airport (OKC), adjacent to their well-respected Museum of Women Pilots. They also own and operate (in partnership with a local board) the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison, Kansas.
The 99s are a community of our own. Those women at Curtis Field in 1929 knew how things worked. Today, we honor their foresight and continue their commitment.
Madeleine MonacoIf you are, or know, a woman pilot who wants more info or to join us, contact Ninety-Nines.org.
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About the author – Madeleine Monaco has been an active member of this outstanding organization since the beginning of her flight training. Her first instructor was a 99 who introduced her to the world of aviation, both local and international. “She made me feel welcome. This is no small feat in a world where only 6 percent of the occupants were of my gender,” she said.
Monaco is an active CFI, CFII, Multi-Engine Instructor, ASEL, ASES, Ground Instructor, airport ambassador, and activist. She co-founded the Palwaukee Airport Pilots Association (PAPA), which evolved into the Chicago Executive Airport Pilots Association (CEPA), where she served as president and other leadership positions. Monaco is currently the 99’s Chicago Area Chapter Chairman and has served the 99s in international, regional, and local leadership positions.
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Two Different Aviation Companies; Two Entirely Different CEOs
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Heaven knows journalists, me included, have spent an enormous amount of time pillorying Boeing and its CEOs over the past decade. It’s tough not to when this giant American corporation continuously offers so much ammunition.
But I’m also old enough to remember a different Boeing, the Seattle company that also created some of the greatest aircraft known to man, like one of the most successful jet airliners in 1957, the 707. In 1969, Boeing took on a huge gamble and won when they launched the first jumbo, the Boeing 747, just a few years after the first flight of the 737. Before the airliners, in 1955, there was the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The rock-solid B-52 is still an active part of the US Air Force arsenal nearly seven decades later. Before that, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress made a decisive difference in the Allies’ battle against Hitler over the skies above Europe during WWII.
Kelly Ortberg is Boeing’s current CEO, and for once, they seem to have hired a guy with his head screwed on straight. In the few short months he’s been at the helm, the company successfully weathered its first strike in a decade. The union pushed, and Ortberg bent a little. He also took up residence in the Seattle area, not in DC, near Boeing’s headquarters. He seems to have a management strategy and style Boeing employees can finally relate to and perhaps even respect.From the WSJ a few weeks back, Ortberg tossed some much-needed cold water in Boeing’s face during a widely viewed meeting. “We spend more time arguing amongst ourselves than thinking about how we’re going to beat Airbus,” Ortberg said. “Everybody is tired of the drumbeat of what’s wrong with Boeing. I’m tired of it and haven’t been here long. Boeing has faced many highs and lows,” he said. “We’re at a low here, folks. Today, we have an opportunity to come racing out of where we are and improve.”
But the topper was, “Don’t sit at the water cooler and bitch about people,” Ortberg said. “Let’s focus on the task at hand.”
Ortberg sounds like the kind of leader this once-grand company and its employees may be able to count on to have their backs over the next few years. (more…)