Newsflight flying BBJ's

[Gumbydammit]

I was in Monterey, CA yesterday and a saw a BBJ that the FBO lady said belonged to Newsflight, Inc...anyone ever heard of these guys?

 

[Contract Guy]

News Corp Inc, FOX News owner Rupert Murdoch.
AKA News Flight America, or something like that.

N889NC

B737-700

Nice jet, we see it all the time in the NYC Metro area.

 

[avratdwc]

Hey Gumby, I saw you guys in MRY yesturday. Where ru out of, how often ru guys getting to fly your 73. CYA

 

[Gumbydammit]

Contract Guy...thanks for the info ...thought maybe it was some little cover for the CIA or something, having never heard of them and not one single nongeneric marking on the thing...it's got some funny looking antennas on top, too..

avratdwc....we're out of Fort Worth, TX and fly these things just about everywhere...nice flying machine. We don't get to Monterey much, but I diverted in there for weather as the visibility in Lemoore was 1/16th of a mile...what a beautiful place (Monterey that is)...Tarpy's is a nice lunch place nearby...used to have hotter hostesses though.

 

[GVFlyer]

B737

is that a reserve billet?

 

[Gumbydammit]

GV,
Sort of...I am a TAR (Training Active Reserve)...we "watch over" the reservists so to speak as the active duty guys, but the unit is a reserve unit composed mostly of reservists. Every 4th CO is a TAR and the other 3 reservists.
How's the GV? I'm going to GIV training soon...may have an opportunity to do GV's later. How are the job prospects on the outside? Better deal than the majors or just different?
Thanks

 

[avratdwc]

Hey Gumby,

RU going to the GIV for Military Executive Transport, i.e. out in Washington DC. I know some guys that were doing that. CYA

 

[Gumbydammit]

Sort of...they fly all kinds of people but main "executive" flying is in the G5 now in another unit...fine with me though...I'd rather fly the sailors around

 

[avratdwc]

Good Luck man, you will love it. She is a great bird, CYA

 

[GVFlyer]

GV,

How's the GV? I'm going to GIV training soon...may have an opportunity to do GV's later. How are the job prospects on the outside? Better deal than the majors or just different?
Thanks

Gumby,

The GV is great. It has the flying qualities of a Scooter, but you can unbuckle and go to the back for a cup of coffee. The airplane does everything for you - all you really have to do is bring the gear and flaps up after take-off then send them back down again for landing. It knows all the terrain on earth and every approach and will avoid the former and fly the latter for you.

It has all the bells and whistles - Heads-Up Display, Forward Looking Infared, automatic pressurization, automatic three zone temperature control, automatic anti-ice, no-fuel management required other than having enough to get to destination, 2-3 Honeywell SPZ 8500 FMS's, at least six 9 inch displays, trailing link gear to make a hero out of you on every landing, and an outrageous thrust to weight ratio.

Having said that, Gulfstream doesn't make the GV anymore - everything rolling off the line now is a product improvement version - either a G500 or the longer range G550 (6750NM at .80M, 6000nm at .85M, 5000nm at .88M). These airplanes have 6 % more thrust, better aerodynamics (less interference, parasite and induced drag), smaller new generation avionics which weigh 220 lbs less, a 5' 6" larger cabin, 25% more baggage area, and a new cockpit. This is the coolest part. The new displays are four 14.1 inch full color LCD's which offer too many features to describe here, but some of them are: a three dimensional moving map display (better than X Wing!), real time weather downloaded from the satellite and superimposed on your route of flight, and a built-in Electronic Flight Bag with the Jeppesen plate displayed on your Nav Display and a little green jet moving around on the plate to show your position. Gulfstream is the first in the industry to certify these displays.

All the GV's and their variants have a normal cruise of .85 mach. They all can always start at level 410, regardless of conditions, and finish the flight at FL510. The charted weight for making FL510 is 57,000 lbs (the BOW for most of the jets is around 48,000lbs), but it can be coached up sooner.

The C-20 you will be flying is unique. It has a forward cargo door, seats for 24 sailors and marines, overhead storage compartments, and palletized mission gear that will load through the cargo door after you've taken the seats out. It's a real military airplane. One of the former commanders of that outfit now works for NetJets in Columbus. The guys at Andrews can hook you up.

As for job opportunities on the outside - they're great if you have GIV/GV experience. A friend who is chief pilot of a GV operation, just hired a furloughed US Air 73 driver because he couldn't find a qualified Gulfstream pilot, another friend just hired a Beechjet pilot directly into a GV for the same reason. Yet another friend who insists on a highly qualified GIV pilot has been unable to fill his slot for over 8 months and I can't recommend anyone to help him. Everone I know well enough to recommend is working.

The major difference between the majors and Gulfstream Corporate, in my view, is economic opportunity loss and stability. In most of the majors it's about seven years to $100,000 if you last that long. Coming out of the military, you should be able to start at at least that figure as a qualified Gulfstream pilot. AVJET, for instance, will bring in a G-IV Captain at $140,000. If you get the right corporate job you will be paid as much as a senior airline captain, fly better equipment to more interesting places and have a better quality of life. You will also develop personal relationships with people who appreciate what you do for them.