Phenom 300 Training

The Phenom 300 is an amazing airplane. For a single pilot jet, this Brazilian monster is big, sexy, advanced, fast, and flies high and far.

I just finished up the Phenom 100 to Phenom 300 “Upgrade Experience” course at Embraer CAE Training Services (ECTS) in Dallas, Texas. This five-day course is built to allow pilots already type rated in the Phenom 100 to transition to the Phenom 300. The normal initial type-rating course for the Phenom 300 is seventeen days.

I expected the differences between the two airplanes to be few but I discovered that they are many. It’s no wonder the authorities didn’t want the two airplanes to share a common type-rating.

The first day is all “ground school”. Well, it’s really all ground school because even the “flights” are made in a simulator. But day 1 was all in the classroom. Instructor Lowell spent the session comparing the similarities and differences of the Phenom 100 and the Phenom 300. We reviewed all limitations, memory items, procedures, and systems. For each of these, Lowell presented slides showing tables or photos contrasting the two types of aircraft.

The maximum takeoff weight of the Phenom 300 is 17,968 pounds, which compares to 10,472 pounds for the Phenom 100. With 3,380 pounds of thrust per side, the Phenom 300 has nearly double the thrust of the Phenom 100, giving it significantly better thrust-to-weight ratio. We were warned that the resultant acceleration would make it easy to exceed the relatively low maximum flap extended speed of 180 knots after takeoff. On my first sim session, I learned that it is necessary to pitch to approximately 18 degrees nose up after takeoff to prevent a flap overspeed.

One really nice optional feature of the Phenom 300, which is actually now an option on the Phenom 100 as well, is TCAS II. I have never before flown a G1000 airplane with TCAS II. The symbology is fantastic. With a Resolution Advisory (RA), you don’t only get a vertical speed target, you also get a pitch target. It looks very similar to a highway-in-the-sky box.

One of the many changes from the Phenom 100 to the 300 is the TEST panel. On the Phenom 100, the test panel is comprised of three buttons located to the left of the copilot control wheel. On the Phenom 300, additional test features such as the baggage smoke detector and ice detector, require more space, so the panel has been relocated to the lower left panel ahead of the electrical panel and is now a rotary knob.

The hydraulic system is significantly different. The 100 uses a single electric hydraulic powerpack to pressurize the hydraulic system. Hydraulic system users are the landing gear and brakes. On the 300, the hydraulic system is pressurized by an engine driven pump on each engine. The users include the landing gear and brakes, but also mutli-function spoilers (more on this later), the spring-loaded-rudder-booster system, and the stick pusher. On the 100, the stick pusher uses an electric motor.

The electrical system on the two types are nearly identical, except that the 300 has higher capacity starter-generators.

On the 300, upon activating the starter for the second engine start, the running engine automatically accelerates to 72% N2 to provide more current from that generator for the 2^nd engine start. Curiously, it does this whether or not a GPU is plugged in and supplying power to the aircraft (at least in the simulator).

The 300 has a pressure refueling system. The 100 is fueled over-wing only. The pressure refueling system, also known as a single-point refueling system, is smart. The pilot can pre-select the desired fuel quantity in pounds and the system automatically shuts off when the desired fuel quantity is reached.

The multi-function spoilers serve three purposes: speed brakes, ground spoilers, and roll spoilers. Speed brakes may be deployed at any speed and are very effective in slowing the airplane. They may not be used with flaps. When flaps are extended, the speed brakes automatically stow. Additionally, the speed brakes automatically stow if decelerating below 110 knots and if the thrust levers are advanced. The ground spoilers automatically deploy on landing and during rejected takeoffs. The ground spoilers automatically stow at 30 knots on rollout. The roll spoilers provide supplemental roll control in the low speed flight regime when the flaps are extended (in any position other than up/0).

Another difference between the aircraft is pitch trim control. The Phenom 100 uses trim tabs at the trailing edges of the elevators. The Phenom 300 has a horizontal stabilizer that moves to trim. Tabs at the trailing edges of the elevators are used to lighten control forces automatically.

The Phenom 300 has a ventral rudder under the tailcone that provides yaw damping automatically when the yaw damper control is switched off.

There are two flap panels on each wing of the Phenom 300, as opposed to one flap panel on each wing of the 100. The 300 uses a relatively conventional drive system to actual the flaps, with a single electric motor actuating all of the flap panels simultaneously through mechanical linkages. The Phenom 100 has sophisticated computerized position monitoring system to prevent asymmetric extension of the flaps. There is no mechanical interconnect.

The pneumatic deicer boots on the Phenom 100 are replaced by bleed-air heated leading edges on the wings and horizontal stabilizer of the Phenom 300. Owing to this more sophisticated deicing system, the bleed air system on the Phenom 300 is a bit more complex than that on the 100. Pilots now have manual control of not only the Pressure Regulating Shutoff Valves but also of the Flow Control Valves for pressurization. Under normal circumstances, these are all controlled automatically, however the pilot can manually close any of the valves.

The maneuver profiles of the 300 are a bit simpler than that of the 100. For example, the flap position for all approach and landing maneuvers is position 3. It doesn’t matter if you’re making a precision or non-precision approach, single engine or two engine, and even circling, in all cases you use Flaps 3. Full flaps should be available someday, and then this simplicity will change.

On the 2^nd day, our sim session was a cold, nasty day scenario out of New York’s JFK airport. We learned about how to operate the anti-icing systems, their limitations, and impact on flight procedures. The requirements for use of anti-icing systems on the 300 are identical to those of the 100; engine heat must be used in visible moisture with temperatures of 10C or below, all other anti-icing equipment must be used in visible moisture with temperatures of 5C or below. There are a couple of interesting differences, however. For example, when the wing and stabilizer anti-ice system is enabled on the ground, the surfaces do not begin to heat. Instead, an “ARMED” CAS message is displayed. Approximately at liftoff, the surfaces begin to heat up automatically. Another interesting difference is that the wing and horizontal stabilizer heat have an “anti-ice envelope”. For example, if you attempt to activate the system above 30C, the surfaces do not heat up and an “INHIBIT” CAS message is displayed. Like the 100, approach speeds are significantly higher with the anti-ice systems on.

Also on the 2^nd day, we got our first crack at various types of instrument approaches and the airwork that must be flown on any type rating checkride.

Day 3 was a hot and high scenario. On takeoff out of 6,159 foot elevation Cheyenne, Wyoming with a temperature of 25C, I lost an engine at V1. I was quite pleased with the single engine climb performance, reaching 1,000 feet AGL and cleaning up the flaps quickly. We then came around for an ILS with a single engine missed approach.

My perception is that the 300 requires more rudder force during single engine takeoffs and go-arounds than the 100 does. Although the 300 has a rudder boost system, it also has about double the thrust of the 100. Your legs will feel it. I’ll have to visit the gym a bit more before my next 300 recurrent training.

Also on the 3^rd day, we had the opportunity to practice TCAS II RA response and TAWS escapes, as well as an emergency descent. The emergency descent is made with gear down and speed brakes extended. 9,000+ FPM descent rates are expected.

My instructor got a bit mean toward the end of the sim session, giving me a right generator failure followed by a left engine failure. With a loss of both generators, the electrical system automatically configures to the “Electrical Emergency” mode, isolating the main DC busses and keeping the emergency and central busses powered. In Electrical Emergency mode on the 300, you lose ALL trims. This was a big shock to me. You don’t even have backup elevator trim. Changes in airspeed yield big changes in elevator force. It took quite a bit of strength and stamina to limp the airplane back to the runway on a single engine. With no flaps and no normal brakes, the landing roll was long. It was good to practice this worst-case scenario.

Day 4 was essentially a mock checkride. This session and the checkride are based out of JFK again. This checkride is like every other type rating checkride you might have already taken. The tasks that generally must be performed include steep turns, stalls, unusual attitude recoveries, two non-precision approaches, one of which must be hand-flown and one of which must have a course reversal, two single-engine ILS approaches, one of which must be hand-flown, a single-engine missed approach, a balked landing, a visual approach, and a no flap landing. There’s also a circle-to-land approach thrown in there somewhere.

Day 5 was the oral and practical test. On the oral, if you know the limitations, memory items, and basic systems functionality, you’re all set. There are no trick questions. The night before, I prepared by studying over dinner at Vito's Restaurant on the south edge of DFW airport. I highly recommend it.

I love this airplane. The design is very well thought out and the performance is breathtaking.

Companion Training at the 2010 CitationJetPilots owners conference

At this year's CitationJetPilot's owners conference in Colorado Springs, the folks at jetAVIVA were pretty busy.

First off, the firm was tasked with putting together a flight training course for companions of single pilot jet owners. The course focused on what the companion would need to do to get the jet on the ground should their pilot ever get incapacitated. Here's a video of the training experience... it was a total blast!

2010 CJP jetAVIVA Companion Flight Training from jetAVIVA on Vimeo.

Additionally, jetAVIVA's Cyrus Sigari presented the state of the Citation pre-owned market to the owner base. jetAVIVA's Meghan Conley welcomed all guests who flew into the Colorado Jet Center at the Colorado Springs Airport.

Next year, the event will be held in Amelia Island, FL at the Ritz-Carlton hotel and resort. Should be good fun!

Ohio to Australia: Phenom 100 Ferry Flight

Dear Friends,

It has been a few days since I returned home from one of the most amazing trips of my 9,000+ hour career. Every once in a while I have to “pinch myself” to believe that I had this opportunity of a lifetime.

I believe that most of us aviators chose to take that first flight lesson not thinking about a career in aviation or the flexibility that an aircraft can provide, but rather we did it for the adventure, the challenge, and the pleasure of flying.

This trip that I am about to describe was all about the adventure, the challenge, and the flying. It took Captain Edwin Sahakian and me 19 stops and about 10 days to fly an Embraer Phenom 100 from Ohio to Australia.

Our journey started weeks before the first takeoff. As one can probably imagine, 19 stops in 12 countries is not an easy task, and the amount of paperwork involved is overwhelming. After departing the US, every single landing requires some kind of permit, approval and/or previous arrangements. Most of these requirements are date-specific, meaning, for example, that our over flight permit for North Korea was good for the 12^th but unacceptable for the 13^th. Even though we were not in a hurry to get to our destination, we had to keep a very firm schedule to make sure that our permits were good for the trip.

Unfortunately, Murphy’s Law presented itself right on the very first leg. Upon our landing in Winipeg, Canada the hydraulic system gave up on us. After a pleasant ferry flight to Portland and excellent service coordinated by Embraer, we were quickly back in the skies.

From Portland all the way to Australia, our bird performed magnificently. There was not a single issue with the aircraft.

Our first stop after Portland was Juneau, Alaska. Unfortunately, we had to fly at night due to the fact that we were behind schedule. We couldn’t see much, but the scenery that we saw was beautiful. I can only imagine the beautiful scenery we would have seen had the flight been during the day.

After a quick turn in Juneau we proceed to Anchorage. Signature Flight Support has a great facility there. We chose to sleep in the crew room to save the time of getting to a hotel in order to get us back on the schedule with an early departure from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.

When we arrived in Nome, I started to realize what I got myself into. Canada, Portland, Anchorage were no big deal, just like any other flight, but when you look at the map and draw a line from Northern Alaska to Northeast Russia, it hits you. We were about to depart for one of the most remote areas on the planet. And for guys and gals like me that lived during the Cold War era, flying over and landing in Russia is just something that I never thought I would do. In the back of my mind I was always worrying about a MIG on my tail.

The MIG never came and we had a nice flight to Anadyr, in the Northeastern-most reaches of Siberia. Welcome to altitudes in meters and distances in kilometers. We received a fairly confusing clearance for an ILS approach, but we were able to perform a safe landing with almost 100 ft to spare before CAT I minimums. The runway in Anadyr hasn’t seen maintenance since Gorbachev was in charge but we managed to take it to the ramp with all tires inflated. As we turned off of the runway, a huge Antonov was revving up those Prattskis getting ready to go. We were in Russia all right!!

Here are the highlights of our trip:

Route: Dayton, OH - Winnipeg, Canada – Great Falls, MT – Portland, OR – Juneau, AK – Anchorage, AK – Nome, AK – Anadyr, Russia – Magadan, Russia – Yuzho, Russia – Seoul, South Korea – Taipei, Taiwan – Hong Kong – Danang, Vietnam – Koh Samui, Thailand – Singapore – Bali, Indonesia – Darwin, Australia – Mont Isa, Australia – Sydney, Australia

Incredible sightseeing: The glaciers in Alaska are absolutely beautiful, with different tones of white and blue, their strange shapes and massive size.

Russia: difficult to explain, but it looks like they are running 20 years behind, from the hotel to the airport vehicles, almost everything is outdated. It was great to see the Russian officials wearing their uniforms. It felt like I just stepped into a Cold War movie.

Korea: Just like Russia, it was a little “funny” to fly through North Korean airspace and talk to a North Korean at Pyongyang Center; I kept checking my “6” for a MIG that never came.

Seoul was great; I have lots of memories from Seoul from the time that I used to fly MD-11s there almost 12 years ago. If Russia is 20 years behind the US, South Korea is 20 years ahead.

Hong Kong: We were able to spend a couple days in HK. It was another “pinch me to believe this is real life” moment. Wow!!, we are landing at Hong Kong International Airport, with only 747s and 777s in sight everywhere and here we come with our MTOW of little more than 10.000lbs. We had beautiful weather, a beautiful approach, and finally a couple days to relax and enjoy. We were officially back on schedule.

Vietnam: I knew that was a MIG coming!!! We landed in Danang on our way to drop our passengers in Thailand. After the warm welcome from the local authorities we watched a pair of MIGs landing just a few minutes after us. I am not sure if it was a good idea for an American on an American registered aircraft to be taking pictures of military MIGs in Vietnam but I couldn’t resist… Great stop, great people, and great pictures.

Thailand: I dropped the passengers in Koh Samui, a beautiful island on the East Coast of Thailand. With this landing, I became the first pilot to fly around the World on a Phenom 100. On a previous trip I flew from Los Angeles to Bangkok on an Eastbound route. Celebration followed with Don Perignon and pictures.

Singapore: Setelar airport is under construction, closing everyday at 18:00 local. If you arrive there a minute late, you will not be authorized to land and must proceed to the international airport where the landing fees and headaches are 3x more than Setelar. From the time that we reached our cruise altitude until talking to Singapore Approach, every single controller asked me what my estimate to destination was. It was actually 17:56, a whole 4 minutes to spare. After a few weather deviations, vectors for traffic and a last minute runway change, touchdown was at exactly 18:00L. I got a nice “attaboy” from the controller.

Bali: I enjoyed clear weather all the way from Singapore to Bali. Although I enjoyed having Captain Sahakian along for the flight, he had to get off in HK, and the passengers got off in Thailand, so I was alone on this beautiful flight. There were islands and volcanoes for as far as the eye could see. Upon landing in Bali, the local military approached the aircraft requesting my landing permit. I replied explaining to the officer that all documents were taken care of by our handler. Unfortunately, our handler forgot to send the permit to the local authority so I found myself detained on the local military base due to lack of proper documentation. I asked the officer what would be the consequences of not having a landing permit and he gently explained to me that the aircraft would be impounded and I would be transferred for the local jailhouse. After about 1 hour and a couple phone calls, the proper documents arrived and I was on my way to more comfortable accommodations. I had half a day to enjoy the local beach, food, and beverage.

Australia: Not much excitement to report in Australia besides the personal feeling of accomplishment. If was great to land and say: “Mission Accomplished”. It was a shame that I arrived late at night and taxied into the darkest ramp I have ever seen. It was so dark that I had to use landing lights for taxi. No pictures and no champagne.

Final thoughts: For a trip of this magnitude, the keys to success are experience, research, and preparation. There are many things that can go wrong, especially in the paperwork area. You just need one little mistake to be delayed for a few days or even spend the night in a jailhouse. It is also important to research opportunities to make the trip cost effective. We had quotes from $500 to $3,000 for the exact same service. Prices can vary drastically from one location to another and from one vendor to another at the same location.

I know that most jet owner/operators are busy individuals running a successful business, but if you have a passion for flying and adventure you must plan to take some time off and fly a trip overseas. I can guarantee you, it will be the experience of a lifetime.

Marcio Lucchese

jetAVIVA Acceptance and Delivery Manager

jetAVIVA completed two Phenom 100 deliveries last week. Marcio Lucchese, jetAVIVA’s Manager of Phenom Acceptance and Delivery flew a pre-owned Phenom from Ohio to Australia via Canada, Alaska, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. Look for a blog post soon from Marcio about this record-making flight.

Meanwhile, I joined friend and client Charlie Cope of Peak Aero Group to deliver their second new Phenom 100 from the factory in Brazil to the USA. Here is a picture of their airplane on the ramp at the Embraer delivery center in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil.

It was a great flight. We made an overnight stop in beautiful St. Maarten. Check out this video I shot of an airplane landing over the beach at Maho Bay.

Visit Peak Aero Group’s website at www.peakaero.com. We’re proud to have Peak Aero as a valued client.

Sean D. Tucker and jetAVIVA Team Up to Fight Loss of Control Accidents, Specifically for Light Jet Owner Pilots

Here's the latest news from jetAVIVA... exciting stuff for our beloved friends and clients to participate in!

Sean D. Tucker and jetAVIVA Team Up to Fight Loss of Control Accidents, Specifically for Light Jet Owner Pilots

Sean D. Tucker's Tutima Academy of Aviation Safety, the leading aerobatic and upset recovery training school, in partnership with jetAVIVA, the premier light jet acquisition and sales firm, are launching their new Light Jet Upset Recovery Training course. Geared towards general aviation's light jet owner pilots, the course is specifically designed with the modern jet pilot in mind.

Following the FAA's recent announcement urging all commercial operators to begin incorporating "Enhanced Upset Recovery Training", jetAVIVA and the Tutima Academy are demonstrating their dedication to safety by expanding this recommendation to light jet operators. A recent NASA study demonstrated that Loss of Control (LOC) scenarios continue to outpace other factors as the leading cause of fatal accidents in the last 20 years.

To help combat LOC accidents, the course covers LOC scenarios and aerodynamics with a specific emphasis on LOC psychology. The three-day course utilizes the highly capable Extra 300L and Pitts S2B/C, giving pilots the ability to experience all flight attitudes and to test the edges of the aerodynamic envelope in a safe and structured environment under the guidance of some of the world's top aerobatic instructors.

This course is open to any pilot who flies a turbine-powered airplane or is considering the purchase of a turbine-powered airplane.

The team at Tutima Academy, including company principal and world-renowned airshow performer Sean D. Tucker, developed the curriculum in conjunction with jetAVIVA's jet instructor pilots. Says Sean D. Tucker,"Flying aerobatics is the greatest thrill I've ever experienced. Being able to share my experiences to help other pilots survive emergency situations is even more rewarding."

Since its inception, jetAVIVA has been dedicated to the development of its clients as owner pilots. Says jetAVIVA president Cyrus Sigari "Training for and flying in competition aerobatics has significantly helped increase my personal flying skills, potentially saving my life one day. As a result I have become a firm believer that upset recovery training is not just an educational option; it should be required training for all those operating turbine powered aircraft." jetAVIVA developed its first Jet Familiarization Training course several years ago and has helped hundreds of owner-pilots transition from propeller aircraft to jets.

Based in Los Angeles, jetAVIVA provides expertise in light jet sales, acquisition, acceptance and training for clients from around the world. The Tutima Academy of Aviation Safety is located in King City, CA. The Tutima Academy strives to provide high-precision flight training for pilots of all levels, building confidence during maneuvering, and a deeper understanding into the art of aviating. The goal of both jetAVIVA and the Tutima Academy is to increase safety in one of the fastest growing areas of general and business aviation: the owner-flown light jet arena.

For more information or to sign up for the course, contact jetAVIVA at +1.818.574.7770 or e-mail to contact@jetAVIVA.com.

A few days in the life of an airplane salesman.

The last few days has been good fun. An exciting week in general at jetAVIVA as many of our team members are on all corners of the world, from Australia to Brazil.... As for me, while holding down the fort, I received a call Saturday from a Client who had decided to sell his Citation Mustang and wanted jetAVIVA to represent him in the sale of his plane. The plane as of this weeekend was to be in Orlando getting some maintenance done. As I was planning to be on the East Coast this week anyways, I figured why not jump on the red-eye to Orlando on Sunday night to have a look at the bird and do all of the standard stuff we do whenever we bring a new plane to market. Unfortunately, while checking in for my flight, I was advised that the flight was oversold by 15 people and I was pushed to a fight the next morning at 6 am. Oh joy... another reminder as to why we're in the business of taking people out of airliners.

The next morning, off I went to Orlando where I was to meet the Client at the Orlando Citation Service Center. We had a good time hanging out and reviewing the plane together... this should be a super easy plane to sell as it's low time and in mint condition.




After I gathered the information I needed, off I went to the Marriot in Orlando to get some rest. The next day, I headed up to Baltimore where I met Brad Harris, President of Dallas Jet International who is representing a buyer for Mustang SN 139 which we are selling. Brad and I drove to Harrisburg about 2 hours away for him to review the plane for his Client. Jamey Guise, the director of maintenance on SN 139 took Brad through all the log books and walked him through the plane from tip to tail. Not a scratch on it with 300 hours total time. Jamey did a great job!


Apparently the viewing went well as the next morning we had a contract signed and off to the pre-buy facility we went.


A fun 3.5 hour flight non-stop from Harrisburg, PA to Wichita, KS dodging a few big thunderstorms towering up to 55,000 feet. The plane will live in Wichita for the next week or so during the pre-buy inspection. Jamey flew out with us and will stay with the plane during the inspection... he is a bit sad to see it go...


But... his sadness is temporary as the the boss is buying a bigger, faster Citation CJ2+ to replace the Mustang.


Next week I'll hopefully come back to finish the closing with Brad and fly the plane with the new owners to Dallas where it will be based.

Back home to LA I go next... unfortunately this time my chariot will be a United airlines A320.

Blue skies,
cs

Oshkosh 2010 with a jetAVIVA client

Great time flying out for the Oshkosh event. VIP treatment from the jetAVIVA crew.

JetAviva @ St Paul's Basilica, Vatican City, Rome... huh?

This evening around 1 am, I awake from my slumber by some sounds coming from outside the house... something innocuous like a truck or equivalent driving by. I then have a hard time getting back to bed and decide to open up the trusty computer to see what the world has to say via email/the web. The first email I see is from one of our Client's, David Wihl...

David owns and flies this beautiful Mustang based out of Boston:



I open up the email and see the following words:

JetAviva @ St Paul's Basilica, Vatican City, Rome...

Between the late night email opening and not realizing there was a picture attached to the email, I said... "Huh?"

I then realized David had sent me the following picture of him wearing the unmistakable jetAVIVA baseball cap while standing in front of St. Paul Basilica in Vatican City.


Cool.

Oshkosh, the jetAVIVA way!

Wow, what a week… The 2010 Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) annual AirVenture extravaganza was something to remember!


550,000 people, 10,000 planes, and some of the greatest aviators in the world all arrived in the small Wisconsin town for a week of air shows, exhibitions, parties, and plane fun (pun intended).


This year jetAVIVA hosted a number of the firm’s clients, and due to jetAVIVA’s support of EAA's philanthropic missions, our guests were exposed to a truly first class VIP experience to help get them excited about what EAA is all about.


From the arrival to departure, our guests experienced Oshkosh in a way few people have. From access to the VIP arrival hangars, all access badges and credentials, rides on helicopters, the Goodyear blimp, and most memorable, and thanks to the generous support of Tracy Forrest and Rae Lovenbury, for a few lucky guests, a flight with the Aeroshell formation T-6 aerobatic team.


On Tuesday night, a number of our guests rode on a chartered bus into town to have dinner at the world famous Lombardi’s restaurant. Unfortunately, that evening Jack Roush crashed his Beechcraft Premier on landing at Oshksoh, which caused the airport to be shutdown until the next morning. With three of our guests on approach to Oshkosh that evening, all three had to divert to back up airports. Thankfully current reports indicate that no one was seriously hurt and Jack and his passenger are expected to recover fully.


On Wednesday night, jetAVIVA along with a good friend of the company, Tracy Forrest, principal of the Orlando Sanford South East ramp, put on a special party at the VIP flight line pavilion at the end of Wednesday night’s air show.


Many industry VIPs were in attendance including, the star of the air show, Sean D. Tucker… more about Sean D. Tucker and a new program we are putting on with him shortly.

Sean D. Tucker and Plane & Pilot Editor, Jessica Ambats

On Thursday night, a group of about 60 combined guests all went to the Young Eagles charity auction and dinner, aka Gathering of Eagles. EAA raised over $2,000,000 during the auction, with proceeds going towards the wonderful mission of getting more kids in the air.


On Friday night, all of our guests were invited to join in at the President’s Circle BBQ where EAA’s VIPs gathered to enjoy some good food and discussion.

And finally, on Saturday night, the first ever night air show and fireworks performance. By far the most entertaining air show I have ever seen at Oshkosh.

All of the major OEMs proudly showed off their flying machines, with limited large announcements by any of the light jet manufacturers. Cessna debuted their new High Sierra edition Mustang and Embraer for the first time at Oshkosh showed off their Phenom 300.

Unfortunately, it’s time to get back home and back to work. There are planes to be sold and new jet pilots to be built.

Until next time...

Blue skies,
cs

Phenom to the Philippines... Part 5 of 5 - FINAL EPISODE

Below is the final episode of the 5 part video documentary of the Phenom 100 flight from Santa Monica to the Phlippines. Enjoy!

Phenom to the Philippines... Part 4 of 5

Phenom to the Philippines... Part 3 of 5

Phenom to the Philippines... Part 2 of 5

Phenom to the Philippines... Part 1 of 6

Join jetAVIVA's Phenom Acceptance and Delivery Manager, Marcio Luchesse as he and his crew fly a Phenom 100 from Santa Monica to the Philippines. In the next few weeks you will enjoy 6 episodes of his journey.

Here is episode 1 on youtube. Enjoy in HD.

First place!

For the better part of last week I was up in Northern California preparing for and ultimately flying in the annual Paso Robles aerobatic contest. Paso Robles hosts the largest competition of the year for the west coast. On Wednesday morning I flew up to King City California where I worked with Ben Freelove at the Sean D. Tucker school of aviation safety to help me prepare a little bit before the contest. Ben is one of the schools head instructors and a member of the USA Advanced Aerobatic Team. He is an awesome stick.

I stayed the night in King City and had the pleasure of sleeping at the school, which is kind of like being at airplane camp for grown ups. I slept on a futon in the hangar surrounded by beautiful aerobatic airplanes. The next morning the whole group from the school got up, prepped the planes and headed south 40 miles to Paso Robles for the official contest practice day. With the number of competitors (60 overall) flying in the contest, I was only able to get 10 minutes of flying in the contest aerobatic box. Practicing in the contest box is always helpful as each venue has different sight cues that are used throughout one's routine to help orient properly during the contest flights.





On Friday morning, I got my first official contest turn in the box. I ended up having my best contest flight of my short aerobatic career, putting me solidly in first place. That evening, Ben Marcus from jetAVIVA showed up with his girl friend Jessica in a Phenom 100 to show support for my final two flights.







My second flight went OK... I got 2nd place, however, I still had first place overall due to the total points scored between the two flights.






Time finally came for my third and final flight. I felt like my third flight was not my best flight of the series, and it showed in my scores. I got 4th place on the the third flight. However, due to my very strong first flight and relative high placement on the second two flights(out of 20 competitors) combined with a little bit of luck, I managed to squeeze a first place overall finish with only a 2 point advantage over second place (out of a 4000 total points!).





The next contest I'll be competing at will be the USA Nationals Contest in Texas. The best aerobatic pilots in the country will be flying at the national contest and ultimately the champion for each category will be named after the completion of the contest.

Until next time...

Getting a Helicopter Rating

I've been fortunate enough to be able to fly airplanes ranging from the Piper Cub (70 knots maximum) to the Gulfstream IV (480 knots maximum), fly aerobatics in the Pitts Special, fly gliders, the Goodyear blimp, and now a helicopter. There are so many awesome experiences to enjoy in the air. Each is very different and, for me, equally thrilling beyond words.

On Friday, I earned a helicopter rating. If you already have a pilot certificate with an airplane rating, you can get the helicopter add-on in as little as 30 hours, but you should probably plan on 35-40.

Week in the Life (Yes... it is fun)

Well actually, it was more like 10 days.

Wednesday May 26

LAX-IDP

David Chapman and I departed Los Angeles International Airport for the Cessna Citation Mustang factory in Independence, Kansas (IDP). We flew into Tulsa, Oklahoma and drove the rest of the way.

The nice folks at the Apple Tree Inn welcomed us.

Thursday May 27

IDP-DPA

We began the acceptance inspection on this beautiful new Mustang early in the morning. The owner, Dave, owned another Mustang previously, so he took the controls for takeoff and landing.

On the post-flight inspection, we noted a minor problem with the aileron system. It took quite some time to fix the issue and so we were not able to depart IDP until about 9:00 PM.

We had dinner in Independence while we waited for Cessna's maintenance team to do their thing.

Friday May 28

DPA-JAC-SAN

A beautiful day and a beautiful flight from DuPage Airport near Chicago to Jackson, Wyoming.

We stopped for fuel in a beautiful airport in Lexington, Nebraska. I will definitely stop here again. Nice scenery, nice people, and good fuel prices.

Take a look at those beautiful snow-covered Tetons on approach to Jackson.

And now have a look at the Teton's on the Garmin Synthetic Vision Technologies (SVT) display.

Upon arrival in Jackson, I boarded a flight to San Diego with a connection in Denver.

Sunday May 30

SAN-DAY

Delta Airlines - San Diego to Dayton, OH with a stop in beautiful Atlanta... oh yeah.

Monday May 31

DAY-FLL

I drove from the Dayton International Airport area to Wright Brothers Airport south of Dayton. This is where Phenom 100 serial number 29 is based. We are selling this aircraft and I had to take some photos and inspect it.

The pilot who flies this Phenom, Brett, pulled up in his highly modified Pitts S-2C after a short flight over from his home airport.

Then I jumped back on Delta down to Ft. Lauderdale, via Atlanta.

Tuesday June 1

FXE-VNY

One of the partners on Phenom 100 serial number 15 asked me to join him on a flight from Ft. Lauderdale Executive back to Van Nuys.

It was a nice flight with lots of thunderstorm dodging. Thanks to XM weather, we were able to complete the flight safely.

Wednesday June 2

VNY-CCB-VNY-SMO-MYF

My day started with flying with Tian, a client from China. He recently purchased a hangar at Cable Airport in Southern California. He wanted to try both the Phenom and the Mustang before making a final decision, so we took the Phenom to Cable. It's a rather small airport but the Phenom handled it well. In the end, Tian decided on a Mustang and shook my hand on a Mustang purchase over lunch.

Then it was off to San Diego's Montgomery Field in the Bonanza that we fly from time to time. the next day, I'd be flying with one of my client's pilots from San Diego to Sedona, Arizona to provide some mentoring in the Phenom.

Thursday June 3

MYF-SEZ-MYF-SEZ-MYF-SMO

I got to do some fun flying with Bill, who is a former airline pilot and naval aviator who recently got his Phenom 100 wings. Bill flies for a couple of partners based out of MYF with a Phenom 100.

Friday June 4

Phenom 300 Party at jetAVIVA Hangar

I was very pleasantly surprised that one of my clients came all the way from Mexico City to join us for the Phenom 300 reception. The next day, Saturday, we flew the 100 together. I also did another 100 familiarization flight with a client from San Antonio.

Good thing I like to fly, huh?