X121FO

As a light jet/VLJ mentor pilot, I have seen the ugly and not so ugly side of life in the "fast lane" of flying. My job is to satisfy insurance requirements for minimum pilot qualifications, provide flight training for the non-professional pilot-owner and perform PIC/SIC duties from the right seat. A typical flight for me is arriving an hour or so early to do the requisite preflight duties (the pilot-owner will usually arrive with his passengers just before departure) of weather brief, route planning, fuel requirements, filing, aircraft inspection, FMS programming, etc. Although he is capable, the pilot-owner usually is more interested in "flying the jet" than doing the mundane preflight duties.

Once in the air, it's my job to monitor and critique his flying and make the critical decisions that he is incapable of making or fails to make in order to comply with ATC and/or our clearance. Also I have to keep the unsuspecting passengers oblivious to the fact that a 600 hour pilot is occupying the left seat of the jet aircraft they are flying in. Typically my job becomes one of single-distracted pilot, and occassionally, we find ourselves a bit behind the aircraft due to his or my oversight. It's a constant struggle to not find ourselves in a pilot deviation moment out there due to the fact that we are capable of and do cruise at FL410, fly on both sides of the clock to Class B airports (Boston-Logan last month) as well as podunk uncontrolled 4000 ft coral runway airports in the Bahamas.

Just looking for insight or similar experiences from the forum. I know that once the hundreds of backordered VLJs are cut loose on the public there will more people in my shoes.

BoilerUP

I don't fly a VLJ, but I do fly with my owner quite a bit in his personal SR22 so I've got at least a little hint of what you're talking about...

How did you get into VLJ mentoring? Did you have to buy your own Mustang type, or did somebody do that for you?

detpilot

Same exact thing in the mooney I fly in, with the pilot owner. You couldn't have summed it up better.

chignutsak

Whatever you get paid, it's probably not nearly enough. Before I went 121 I was offered a similar position on a PC-12 and I ran screaming in the other direction.

X121FO

Just looking for insight or similar experiences from the forum. I know that once the hundreds of backordered VLJs are cut loose on the public there will more people in my shoes.[/QUOTE]


He paid for the type. I was the pilot-owner's flight instructor from several years ago. Last year I trained him for the multi-engine rating and he announced that he was purchasing a Citation Mustang and wanted me as his mentor pilot. Off to Flight Safety we went . BTW, thats a whole "other" story!

BoilerUP

Very cool...

X121FO

I am fortunate to have this opportunity but as they say, "be careful what you wish for..." LOL

jedinein

You remain PIC, you remain flight instructor, and don't sign 'em off 'til he's capable and doing all of the tasks required as a pilot. And.. when making corrections, do so in a way that doesn't alarm the passengers.

It's always great fun. Be sure to have your performance standards clearly spelled out and remind him of them when you get debriefing or pre-briefing time. Thus, when the 300 hours hits and you don't do the signoff, you can clearly point out the where the performance is lacking, but NOT in front of the passengers!

Don't be afraid to charge for your services as a VLJ flight instructor, not a dime-a-dozen corporate pilot.

HSLD

This was posted in another thread but is a graphic example of why a flight instructor / mentor pilot is so important to those with the flying bug and a thick wallet. This guy was just lucky:

YouTube - Close call with terrain

Teaching guys how to avoid flying their family and friends into the side of a hill has significant value. I hope no mentor pilot would ever agree to do it on the cheap.

X121FO

Thankfully I am in the position to charge a fee that hansomely rewards my efforts not to mention the emotional gradification of passing on knowledge. For the time being, I am tickled pink so to speak.