What do you do for a living?

Corporate pilot/Director of Aviation Safety

How would you describe what you do?

My main job is flight operations for a corporation, flying corporate jets for the company employees and perspective clients as well as executives of the company itself. The safety manager side, I’m in charge of ensuring safe flight operations for the travel department as well as the ground crew and our internal travel department, I conduct safety audits, establish a safety reporting system, developing a safety manual and complying with all Federal Aviation Regulations and NBAA and Flight Safety Foundation guidelines.

What does your work entail?

Everything is based off of duty time and duty time is one hour prior to the flight that day and then one hour after the flight.

The other day, I left at eight o’clock in the morning, went to San Diego and back, and was home by one, then went to New York City that night. There’s not a whole lot of people that say they’ve been coast to coast in one day, and then you end up hanging out in Times Square that night, so that’s pretty good living.

If I count just my duty time alone, it’s about 50 hours a week and I normally work about four days a week. A lot of times my weekend is Tuesday, Wednesday or Tuesday, Thursday. And then the safety manager part is about another 20 hours a week. Normally I spend in the air a week, probably about 15 hours.

How did you get started?

I went to school at Kansas State University and went through their Aeronautical Science program. It’s supposed to be a a Bachelor’s of Aeronautical Science degree, but I actually did a Bachelor’s in Aeronautical Engineering. You go through your ground school and flight lessons to private instrument commercial multi-engine and then flight instructor, flight instructor instrument, and then multi-engine instructor. Continue Reading …

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What do you do for a living?

I am a Captain on an Embraer 190 for Jet Blue.

How would you describe what you do?

I safely and efficiently operate an aircraft that carries 100 passengers. I fly a schedule from point A to point B and ensure that it’s a safe flight.

What does your work entail?

The schedule entails staying proficient on aircraft systems, staying proficient on flying normal operations, practicing in simulators for abnormal emergency operations that and a good understanding of weather and forecasted weather. I average about 15 to 16 work days a month and trips vary in length from a one day to a four-day trip.

One of the cool things is the fact that you get to fly free on all airlines. So you and your family have the ability to travel and really do exciting stuff…It’s one of the coolest perks in the whole world.

So on a four-day trip, three nights would be spent at three different locations away from my base, which is JFK. My trips all start and end in JFK and kind of take you everywhere in between.

How did you get started?

I was born in aviation. My dad was in airline management for the better part of 25 years.

What do you like about being a pilot?

I like the fact that I can arrange my schedule. I can change it or rearrange to meet requirements for things I want off for whatever reasons. So, I have very good schedule flexibility. Continue Reading …

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