I'm a New Hire!

[TurboS7]

I'll never forget the first time I rolled down the runway in the right seat of a Lear 35. It was like a go-cart at 200MPH., I have found that the rush is greater in the 35 vs the 20 series as the rotation speed is greater. There is nothing like a Lear it is a wonderful machine, if I had my choice of the aircraft that I would be flying all the time it would be the Lear. The 35 is great as it has the range to go to Europe or anywhere else in the world. The auto-pilot works great on the 35 on the 20 series it is a piece of junk unless the operator spends a lot of money keeping it up. We just hand flew the 20 series all the time. You need any help or have any questions you can PM me, I have a copy of that Lear manual too if you need it.

 

[TurboS7]

I will second everything LJDRVR says, great machine.

 

[naviator]

Congrats!

I'm almost in the same boat as you.

After flightinstructing for about a year I lucked in and got a job flying a Lear 55 out of FXE.

I'm actually overnighting in Boston right now on my second trip and I'm telling you it can't gt better than this!

I still don't know what I'm doing, and the irplane sure is aster than that good old Duchess but man it's a bast.

The other guys had somegood advices though. Get a hold of the AFM, emergency checklists, limitations and the Flightsafety Manual and start reading. Also sit in th airplane and familiarize yourself with switches and buttons as you do the checklst. That has helped me out a lot my few flights

Now, if I could only get used to saying FLIGHT-LEVEL 390 instead of 39 000, maybe I wouldn't sound so much like a rookie!

Anyway, good luck in your new job and maybe we'll meet in the flightlevels one day.

 

[Timebuilder]

OK, time for an update.

First, I thank God that we have no 20 series aircraft, only 35's and a 55.

I had a part 91 flight yesterday with my company owner as PIC and the jet's owner in the back. Apparently, it was time for this Florida "snowbird" to return to New Jersey.

The boss and I went down from PHL on AirTran, in a brand spankin' new 717 that smellled like a new Corvette. We drove from Lauderdale up to Boca, met the owner (along with beaucoups baggage, after all, he had been there since last fall) and flew him home to Jersey. I was so awed by the sheer speed on takeoff (I was once a drag racer, so I enjoyed this part a lot) that I missed the first two calls, airspeed and power set, but luckily I came to my senses in time to call V1 and rotate. We don't wear headsets, so I was missing my ususal "head clamping" from my DC's, and now I have to get back to my roots and use a speaker and hand mike...the same model mike I used in the Cherokee 140 I started in! I guess I could call it the circle of Aviation Life.

The flight from jersey back to Pa went a liitle better. We left VFR just after that rain had cleared out, and it was sunny all the way. I had the calls, and missed none on the radio. It was starting to feel like home. I had never before travelled at 2,500 MSL while doing 250 indicated.

Today I finished the formal systems ground school, and tomorrow we fly all morning to work on my official SIC status, file the background check papers for my airport ID, and then I go and get a passport for those three day island trips.

You know, I can get used to this.

 

[Rook]

Now these are the kinds of replies I like seeing. You can literally see the enthusiasm you have with flying. Congratulations once again on the job and remember Once you think you know everything, that's when something bad happens to humble you. Enjoy the Lear and have fun.

Rook

600' AGL Autopilot on.
'WHEW!'

 

[TurboS7]

20 series Lears are great, I cut my teeth as a Lear captain on LR23's converted to cargo out of YIP. What a blast to fly, if I wanted to fly just for fun it would be the old Lear 23 flying cargo in the summer. Great job. Great fun.

 

[banned username 2]

Timebuilder,

Your enthusiasm shows that you have what it takes to be successful in an Aviation Career!

Good Luck, Fly Safe and NEVER stop learning!

 

[bobbysamd]

Sounds like fun to me! I remember how excited I was when I took my Citation type - and we barely got out of the pattern!

The B-717 trip sounded like fun, too.

Once again, congratulations. Good show!

 

[ShawnC]

The Lear Jet rolls extremely nice just ask Bobby Yunkin

Good luck, now one of these days I am going to have to find me a job. Seems like an awesome job too, in a few years I am going to have to send my Resume there, I like the 3 day island trips part of it.

 

[Timebuilder]

Today, I found out just how cool it is to be hurtling down the runway in the LEFT seat, while the boss calls your v-speeds, says Positive Rate, and I'm the guy saying "Gear UP"!

Spoilers are pretty neat, too...

 

[banned username 2]

Just don't deploy the spoilers when you have flaps selected.. a No-No in LearJets!

Enjoy and fly safe!

 

[Timebuilder]

I wouldn't dream of it. I've read too many reports about guys who did.

I used to ride thoroghbreds when I was a preteen (yeah, rich kid...) and this plane definitely falls into that category. High strung, and a real performer. You just have to watch out for those hooves and teeth!

 

[saabtrash]

????????????????????????

 

[Fr8DoggyStyle]

I miss the LR35 too. I have about 700 hrs in one. The previous posts are correct about becoming best friends with the ADI. When you are PNF try to keep looking at the ADI to learn where it needs to be in what flight regime. As in..... Approaches you should be just about level. Level flight at altitude a few degrees nose up. And EVERY one of those degrees of pitch is a world of difference in that airplane. Learn the same way with power settings. With a power setting and a pitch a peformance can be "expected" with alarming regularity.

Dont ever let it go too fast. It is essentially a straight wing airplane so if you do and the stick puller doesnt work it could be the last thing you do. From talking with friends that work for learjet some of the lears have some chance of coming out of a mach tuck if you catch it quick, while in others its pretty much game over.

Also dont turn the battery power off with the Transfer/fill or crossfeed open- or let fuelers you dont know fill it without you present. If you do you may come back to a tipped over airplane with a dented wingtip

You will have a blast in that airplane! I'm slightly jealous

 

[banned username 2]

EVERY one of those degrees of pitch is a world of difference in that airplane.

If I remember correctly, at cruise speeds and altitudes 1° of pitch attitude change equaled 800 FPM change in climb/descent... so that means 1/8° of pitch is 100 FPM.... Interesting plane to hand fly, keeps you honest....

I had a blast in my couple years flying a Lear 35! It is a great first jet... makes everything else look easy!

 

[Timebuilder]

Funny you mentioned the fueling problems. I've been warned that line guys can tilt the plane, and about how embarassing it is for the pilot. One of our guys must have already had that experience...

I'm becoming acustomed to using the AI precisely. Keeping 4 degrees nose up in a steep turn at 250 knots really helps keep the chasing to a minimum. Doing airwork is a gas. It's almost a shame that I finished my basic training today. I'm on the call list now.

 

[TurboS7]

Let me know when you make captain and I'll send my wife's violin student up to be your FO. Timing should be about right. Ol' timer trick for fueling if you are in a hurry or need to pack a tank. You can put 150 gallons in one tip(have your FO sit on the other wing)then put 150 in the other tip. Next top the next tip keeping the FO on the wing. Put the cap on and open the crossfeed, crossfeed from the opposite tank till she overflows-crossfeed off and pump off, top the other tank. Taxi out with the engine of the packed wingtip side, start up the other engine when cleared into postion and hold. When you roll down the runway you will be at max fuel, great to have on the other end when you need it. If the FO lays out on the wing while being fuel ballest with a bikini on it helps the fueler's and captain's morale.

 

[Timebuilder]

Great! A little chamber music for the layovers.

And now the Symphony Number Three, Garrett No. 731, for Violin and pressurization valve...

 

[TurboS7]

But you need a little CJ610-6 noise for the standing ovation. Now I am going to tell on myself...I think enough time has passed. At our church we had two services one at 0800 and the other at 1030. I was singing in the choir and just at the end of the 0800 service my pager went off . It was an ambulance trip and I had to go in a hurry. The wind that day was out of the west so when I took off I got the standard clearance to a heading of 310 to 2000 feet. I turned to a heading of 310 and leveled off at 1000 feet and pulled the thrust back. Right in front of me on the perfect heading of 310 was the church. As luck just would have it just when we got close to the church we were cleared to 16000 feet. I stood the Lear 24 on its nose and poured the coals to it. My wife said later that the pastor was in the middle of the sermon for second service. The noise was so loud that he couldn't speak and everything in the church shook. When the noise finished he calmly said, and that is one of our members going out to do the Lord's work on the Lord day, then went on with his sermon. Everyone was laughing as they all knew who it was.

 

[FL000]

Turbo, great story.

Mine's similar, but not as holy. We would often get roused late at night to do harvest runs in the 25. We relished coming home around 5am since our dispatcher's house was on about a 7 mile final. We'd get a good coast going, then throw the coals to it for a couple of seconds right over his house. Good thing for us he took it in stride. It provided great satisfaction.

 

[TurboS7]

Hey at least he knew you were home. In Alaska we were flying for a fish canary(sp) at night or should I say in the twilight we would buzz the canary so they would send the truck up to pick us up. We lived on a little two story dorm and my wife would jump out on the porch to see us go by. One day I got a little carried away and she was looking down at my smiling face as I buzzed by. (Cessna 206)She claims I missed the building by less then ten feet, I said it was intentional. She said if I ever did that again that she was packing up and going home, even she called me an idiot. Oh well...fun while it lasted.

 

[Timebuilder]

Yesterday I learned that the runway 24 approach takes me very close to the home of racing legend Mario Andretti. Michael's home is near his dad's.

I understand Mario's Lockheed Jetstar is for sale. It lives in the hangar at our home base FBO. Four engines, big fuel pods under the wings. Gulp, gulp, gulp.

Yesterday, I started flying with someone besides the check airman. We got along well, which is good considering we had almost five hours of flight time. This is good.

 

[saabtrash]

Boy, is this still interesting?

 

[capt_zman]

No.

 

[Snakum]

Yes ... to many of us low-time wannabes it's VERY interesting.

Minh

Thanks for the blow-by-blow Timebuilder!

 

[saabtrash]

sorry

 

[Timebuilder]

I suppose we could debate the "thread worthiness" of my recent romance with the new airplane. Frankly, I hope this is the beginning of a long-term relationship. I've loved flying since I first looked up from my lawn and saw a formation of "flying box cars" on training missions out of Willow Grove NAS, so I doubt that I will become so jaded that I will dismiss the shared experiences of other aviators as they move from private pilot to jet pilot.

When I was twelve, I had to sit around for several hours at a fly-in breakfast to overhear pilots talking, so this is a far better venue for the sharing of experiences.

When I add the "captain" in front of my name, I hope that a thread like this will still be interesting. If not, I'll ask my friends to throw some dirt on me.

 

[capt_zman]

Glad your excited about your new airplane, but every reference to "In the lear...." is getting too painful to read. Sounds like you've been flying the thing for years, when in actuality, you have less time than a newly minted private pilot in a 152.

I truly am excited for you and wish you well in your career, but please spare me the news reel about Andretti's house. Who knows, you may be flying for a celebrity one day, are you going to give us the details about servicing the blue water? I'm sure some low-time wannabe's would be interested.

 

[Snakum]

Not interested? Don't click the link ... and we promise not to PM you the latest news.

Minh

(Who's living vicariously via T'Builder)

 

[capt_zman]

Aren't you suppose to be in night school now?

Go do something useful instead of dream of being an SIC.