Plane Conversations

This week Mark Stear, JetQuik’s Director of Executive Jets and I, had the pleasure of accepting two Embraer Phenom 300 jets on behalf of two corporate clients.  Both of these airplanes scored beyond our exceedingly high expectations for Embraer’s workmanship.

The end of the year saw clients push as much as Embraer to finalize aircraft for delivery.  Many of the year end completions were Phenom 300’s, although one customer (lets call them QD) took five Phenom 100’s in the last two weeks of the year.  Much of the credit for completions is attributed to the Embraer delivery staff who were forced to move from building 300 to building 50 in Sao Jose, just to have enough room to meet with customers.  Most of the staff worked tirelessly during Christmas week to ensure these deliveries were made before year end.

JetQuik’s last two acceptances of the year went to widely diverse geographical locales, emphasizing the global acceptance of the Phenom family. The first aircraft, (serial number 42) was delivered to a Boston based company with a very experienced flight department.  Currently flying a G-IVSP and three Challenger 300’s, this flight department was pleased to receive the Phenom 300 as a welcome addition to the fleet.  The 300 will fill the role of East Coast high density short hall.  But with a range of over 1900 NM, this airplane is capable of the occasional trip out west.  The Director of Aviation for this global company remarked how thoroughly pleased he was with the quality of the workmanship and the attention to detail placed on fit and finish. He kept remarking, “The paint, the paint.”  This is a fellow who has been around for a long time, accepting many aircraft over the years.

The second acceptance was for a company based in Saudi Arabia.  Like the first, it too is a global company with a substantial aviation department and a long history of using corporate aviation to build the company.  This company, like many Embraer customers sees intense value in the aircraft just completed.  The attractiveness of the Phenom for the Middle-East includes long legs and reliability. 

Although Embraer is building a service center in Dubai, the customer noted that reliability was the key in aircraft selection as supporting it from afar would require a “very high level of dispatch reliability”.

It has become apparent that flight departments looking to upgrade equipment and technology are increasingly looking at the Embraer family of Executive Jets.  All consider aircraft acquisition as a major investment.  The most common comment I hear from senior flight operations personnel is that they are mandated to reduce operational costs, and as one high ranking aviator remarked, “look at the fuel flows of this airplane. I know of  APUs that burn more….”   Of course he was joking, or was he.

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All American

Traveling in Brazil I hear clients refer to themselves as American and to the United States of America as “America”.  Many US residents disregard the concept that there is a North, South, Latin and Central America.  They think of themselves as uniquely “American.”  The idea is forgivable but there are other Americas and we are all Americans.

Pizza is Everywhere

In the United States, pizza varies widely across regions. Traditional Philadelphia pizza is a thin crust pie covered with tomato sauce and mozzarella topped by pepperoni. I prefer King of Pizza in South Jersey and Mac and Manco  on the boardwalk in Ocean City. In Chicago, it’s hard to ignore the ubiquitous UNO although I prefer Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria which also has a large following, but hasn’t been homogenized into hundreds of strip shopping centers. In Sao Jose, pizza has been elevated to a higher plateau and is quite recognizable to travelers seeking familiar comfort food.
Several local spots stand out, not only for their unique pizza offerings but also for their service and hospitality.  Among the best is Golden Grill and Pizza which offers a fixed price pizza menu which includes appetizer pizzas as well as dessert pies. I prefer the open air of the bar where locals keep bottles of their favorite refreshments in distinctive wall lockers. Another is Troina Pizza Gourmet where the waiters insist on serving you every slice including their signature pizza with mussels and white asparagus. 

Where’s the Beef?

Brazil is famous for it churrascarias. The all around best in Sao Jose is Villa d’Aldeia. A welcoming piano player greets you in this somewhat décor-lacking expanse of a restaurant. However, don’t judge the present by the box. Here, the salad bar alone is worth the price of admission, and principle offerings aren’t limited to beef, although they do the beef exceptionally well.  This must-try experience doesn’t disappoint. A word of caution, turn the service disc to não, obrigado and save some room for the scrumptious sobremesas and the papaya crème topped with blackberry brandy.

Another must try is Villa Velha.  Family operated on the same corner for forty years, this local favorite has an updated menu, which should be ignored, in favor of their traditional dish, Pintado, the Brazilian fresh water Tiger Fish. Pintado is a truly Brazilian fish served churrascaria-style by an attentive staff that all seem to have been with the restaurant since inception. The US Navy, recognizing the unique pintado, has named two submarines after the fish, the latest being the USS Pintado (SSN-672) which saw extensive operations during three decades of the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

There are many more varieties of food in Sao Jose dos Campos and just as many restaurants serving them. I encourage you all to “branch out” and send me your favorites.  Look for updates on www.jetquik.com

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As I said yesterday, both the Phenom 100 and the 300 are single pilot certified and are designed to be flown by professional pilots, as well as owner pilots. The latter present a challenge as they are generally a group with little or no pure turbojet time.  Many have flown complex turbo prop aircraft but most owner pilots have spent little time in “fast movers” and lack a complete understanding of their roles and responsibilities in the ATC system. The solution lies in training and competent mentoring.  Embraer includes two “entitlement” training slots for pilots with the purchase of an Executive Jet. The training at ECTS is a thorough introduction into the Phenom and an accurate assessment of acquired skills and knowledge.   The problem is that training ends with the check-ride and subsequent type rating.   And, in any sphere, knowledge without wisdom is incomplete.

A typical type-rating oral exam consists of knowing aircraft systems and limitations along with the immediate action items associated with specific emergency procedures.  A more thorough oral drills deeper with questions involving the working relationships of systems and an understanding of why things work the way they do. The rating-ride is a carefully choreographed series of events that test specific learned procedures such as the loss of an engine on takeoff, the“V-1 Cut”, as well as single-engine approaches and landings.  The entire check ride is given within the confines of a single airport and is an accurate assessment of skills and accomplishment. The FAA oral and rating-ride are excellent tests of pilot preparedness for the unexpected problems that seldom (thankfully) occur in real life.  What a rating-ride can’t do is impart experience and judgment to a first-time jet pilot.  With experience comes wisdom and the safest way for the first-time jet pilot to get that wisdom is with the assistance of a mentor.

Slow down, you move too fast.
You got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobble stones.
Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy.

 (59th St. Bridge Song by Simon and Garfunkel)

Up until recently, Air Traffic Controllers could logically assume that everyone in a jet “kicking down the cobble stones” was a pro-pilot or at least performed like one.  The advent of the personal jet has changed that.  Now anyone with a million dollars, or even less with financing, can buy a jet to look for fun and feel groovy hanging out with the big boys.  Herein lies the problem. The old instructor adage of “slow down and make yourself time for the approach” only works at the cabbage patch, but these personal jet aircraft aren’t staying in the cabbage patch.

A gap has developed between those who understand ATC and fly accordingly and those who feel as if ATC will accommodate their lack of skills and judgment. The saner parties have been the insurance companies who have insisted upon some level of supervision for low time aviators. Insurance companies, at a loss for how gauge skills and judgment, have resorted to insisting on a certain number of hours (usually 25) of supervised flying.  Typically those hours are flown in the course of business for the newly minted personal jet aviator.

Perhaps a better way to ensure the safety and success of the owner-flown community would be to adopt the commercial aviation technique of mentor flying for newly type-rated jet pilots by creating a private IOE (initial operating experience) process. Airlines have long recognized that meaningful mentor programs consist of more than the supervised “drilling of holes” in the sky.  A truly effective mentor program imparts a higher level understanding and competence to the new pilot.

With training fresh in the mind of the newly typed pilot, the mentor reinforces good technique and emphasizes the “real world” application the newly learned skills.  And it takes both training and experience to protect your Phenom investment.

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After 23,000 flight hours, I’ve just added my 7th type rating. 300 of those hours are in the Phenom 100.

The math reflects my propensity to stick  to an airplane when I find a good one and the Phenom 100 is a great airplane that does everything asked of it. My affinity hasn’t waned; so, what, then, would lure me away?  The siren song of the Phenom 300; Embraer’s latest Executive Jet offering.

I mentally questioned the ability of Embraer to improve upon the value proposition of the 100, and I was somewhat skeptical that the engineers from Brazil could score two home runs in a row. Duh!  Now I wonder what the gang in Wichita must be thinking. (Option 1: Look for a new job, or Option 2: add more sand to bury their heads deeper?)  I intend to keep flying the 100: but, to anyone out there with a 300 – you go guys!

Flight training is evolutionary. 

You go the first time to initial training and then you go back every year for recurrent training.  You don’t expect to add much because they are just getting you through the paces; but, maybe you learn something new in year two because there is something going on with the development of the aircraft. 

Last summer, I attended Phenom 100 initial training at Embraer CAE Training Services (ECTS), a joint venture between Embraer, a world-class aircraft manufacturer and CAE, a world-leading provider of aviation training.  In spite of the impressive pedigree, the venture experienced quite a few teething problems with the rollout of the first Phenom and I experienced them first-hand.  When I returned to the facility, my expectation was that my second experience would be much the same as my first one.
I was totally surprised when I arrived at CAE Simuflite in Dallas for Phenom 300 transition training.  Arriving on a Monday morning, my colleagues and I were greeted in the front lobby by no fewer than nine bright-eyed and effusively cheery CAE employees. Just after checking in, one of the greeters asked me if I needed directions to my classroom.  Since the schedule handed to me had been printed on a handy, pocket-sized card that wouldn’t get lost in the paperwork shuffle, I replied that I couldn’t miss it. I introduced myself to one of the greeters, Walter Slazyk, and in the course of conversation found that Walter was the CAE Center Leader. 

Different?   I’ll Show You Different! 
Aircraft transition courses typically focus on differences between the “old” airplane and the “new” one. The object of the training program is to prepare you for your check ride, rather than to just impart knowledge to you.  After all, this is a business.  My course was scheduled for one day of ground school followed by three days of simulator instruction and a check ride. I expected a mundane recitation of facts and figures, which I would have to regurgitate during my Friday oral exam. Instead, I was met by Steve Ford and Steve Simpson who both plowed into the whys and wherefores of aircraft systems and flight characteristics – so much more useful than the dry facts and figures.
During my Phenom 100 training process, delays in the certification of the simulator necessitated that my training be accomplished in the airplane.  Times have changed, though.  The new Phenom 300 sim has excellent fidelity and clearly mimics the feel and performance of the airplane. (Turning on the radar and taxiing over runway centerline lights are two great examples.)  On the whole, my expectations were exceeded, by a long-shot.
Both the Phenom 100 and the 300 are single pilot certified and are designed to be flown by professional pilots, as well as owner pilots. The latter present a challenge as they are generally a group with little or no pure turbojet time.  All of these pilots go through ECTS and get the best training the company has to offer.  The training is great, but how do these pilots get the experience they need to form sound judgment?  Join us tomorrow as we discuss the importance of good mentoring programs.

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Embraer has just wrapped up the Phenom Owners/Operators Conference. The second annual Embraer sponsored event was well attended with many owners and twenty Phenom 100/300 aircraft in attendance.

Held at the Sonnenalp Resort in the fashionable resort of Vail, attendees were welcomed by Scott Kalister, Vice President, Customer Support and Services, USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean – Executive Jets. Backed by an impressive staff turnout the meeting was an informative compilation of areas of interest to both owners and perators.

Edson Carlos Mallaco, Embraer’s worldwide VP of Customer Support and Services, opened the meeting with updates on schedules and deliveries. Through the end of July, Embraer had delivered 76 Phenoms to the US, 49 to Latin and South America and 24 to Europe. The Phenom fleet has accumulated over 20,000 hours in service with the average aircraft logging 18 hours per month. Embraer has not delivered any Phenoms to Asia or China, but several are scheduled for delivery in the near term.

During the presentation, Edson showed a slide depicting the fleet and for the first time I saw an expansion slot marked, ‘ultra long-range aircraft’.  It was positioned below ultra-large cabin Lineage 1000 and just above the large cabin Legacy 650.   While Mallaco would not confirm the rollout date for this elusive addition to the fleet, I believe that Embraer intends to have a prototype flying by 2015, the date by which he exclaimed, “Embraer will be a major player”.

Currently Embraer has a backlog of $15.5 billion USD and with confirmed orders for 40 new large military transporters, that backlog will likely increase. The Phenom product line currently has over 550 firm orders from 44 countries. Mallaco also pledged to grow inventory at Embraer owned and authorized service centers. Spares and inventory currently valued at $39M will grow to $115M by 2015.

Reporting that eight Phenom 300 aircraft have been delivered, Mallaco stated a target of 35 deliveries for the calendar year 2010.  Enhancements for the 300 include cruise speed control, side facing divan and a newly designed in-flight entertainment package. Embraer is also continually enhancing the Phenom line adding synthetic vision, enhanced takeoff criteria, belted toilet and a fifth passenger seat to the 100.  The scheduled retrofit to new seats is just about complete with Embraer certifying a new tourmaline interior to the product line.

Touching briefly on the newest additions to the Legacy line, Mallaco stated that the Legacy 450 and 500 are the only fly-by-wire aircraft priced under $40M.  The Legacy 500 is scheduled for its first flight in the second half of 2011 with certification coming in 2012. So far Embraer has delivered 191 Legacy 600 aircraft in 29 countries. Six Legacy 650 deliveries are scheduled for this year.  The 3900 NM aircraft will be outfitted with Rolls Royce AE 3007 A2 engines.

The ultra large cabin Lineage 1000 will be on display during the upcoming NBAA regional event at the Waukegan Airport just outside of Chicago on August 18. Embraer expects to manufacture a total of seven units of the 4,500 nautical mile airplane this year with five already delivered.

Luis Antonio Colarino, Manager of Phenom Customer Support Worldwide gave an indepth Phenom program update and welcomed questions from attendees on the Phenom retrofit campaign, as well as parts availability. Also on hand to answer questions were representatives of Garmin, manufacturer of the Prodigy Flight Deck as well as Pratt & Whitney manufacturer of the engines used on the Phenom jets.

The meeting concluded with a memorable dinner at the SaddleRidge Restaurant at Beaver Creek. Embraer declares that it will be “a major player” in the business jet market by 2015.  The just concluded event in Vail has convinced me that it will be much sooner.

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We wing toward the Turks and Caicos for a brief respite from the flight to California. The Phenom 100 is such a great flying machine that my new owner/pilot wants to keep going, but he has promised his wife a little time-out on the way home. He mockingly suggests that he put her birthday on the tail number so that she would let him have the new Phenom.  He confesses that to keep his two other airplanes, a Beechcraft Premier I and a Cirrus, he incorporated his wife’s birthday into the N number.

Our flight level 400 optic of the multi-hued water of the Caribbean is soon replaced by a much closer connection to the sea.  Greater Ambergris Cay appears ahead through the lazy afternoon clouds which dot the horizon. The tiny islands of the Turks and Caicos fill the southeastern area of the Caicos Bank with Greater (or Big) Ambergris Cay (at four miles long) as one of the larger of the Ambergris Cays. The entire island is a neatly organized community being constructed by DPS Development, the same folks who built the hugely successful Greenbrier Sporting Club in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.  We are absolutely awed by the airport facility they have completed.  At 5,790 feet, MBAC is the longest private airport in the Caribbean.  This illuminated strip with firefighting and state of the art construction is long and smooth, welcoming us from lofty perch over the sparkling Caribbean.

We taxi up to the door of the reception building where we are welcomed with  tropical island drinks made with Bambarra Rum, The Spirit of Turks and Caicos.  Quickly we learn that our complete enjoyment is the staff’s unrelenting goal.  With no cars, and consequently no paved roads, on the island, we are each assigned our own golf cart to whiz around the community and we delight in the freedom of our new personal transportation.  We all agree to freshen up and meet at Calico Jack’s for dinner.

The thatched hut of Calico Jack’s tropical bar, on the leeward side Ambergris Cay, is the perfect spot to watch the Caribbean sunset.  Calico Jack’s has an open air, covered dining area adjoining the climate controlled dining room. Although with nearly always perfect weather, it’s hard to imagine wanting to eat inside. With only 22 guests in residence, we are guaranteed a table at any time during the evening, (twenty homes have been completed with more under construction).  Walking to our table I’m greeted by Peter Pollock, the “P” in DPS Development.  Peter is an affable New Yorker who once worked as the General Manager of the Boston Celtics.  With an eye for appreciation, Peter has always picked real estate winners. No where is this more evident than at The Turks and Caicos Sporting Club.  After dinner, it is off to bed with thoughts of tomorrow’s bone fishing on the flats.

The sun peeks brightly into the single-room cabana where I awaken to the sound of the surf which lulled me to sleep. I enjoy my morning coffee in solitude from a deck that is eight feet above the azure Caribbean below. Designed to impart relaxation, island style, my 400 square foot cabana, is unique, not so much for what it provides, but more for what is missing.  Here there is no telephone, no internet, no television and no roof over the bathroom; yet, I have travertine marble floors and Ferette sheets. The bamboo furnishings evoke strong memories of my time spent in the Philippines when I flew  A-7 Corsairs from the deck of the USS Midway. I’m sure they hold up in the tropical humidity, but I much prefer the teak furniture on the sun drenched deck.

We are off to Calico Jack’s again in our golf carts.  I doubt any of our carts can exceed the posted 14 mph speed limit, but after some horse trading among the available carts, my pilot friend has found one that will out-run mine and he seems completely delighted. Again I think of my time living in Japan where the Western Pacific WESTPAC junior officers all had motorcycles, and horsepower couldn’t replace skillful driving on the narrow roads. I am treated to island pancakes with coconut syrup while my friends began their morning with a variety of equally appetizing breakfasts.

Famous for the waxy secretion, ambergris, from the North Atlantic Humpback whales that migrate through the islands in the winter, the island is also home to a wide variety of marine life.  Among the land dwelling creatures of Greater Ambergris are the rock iguana. The island teems with these foot-long reptiles who scurry between the areas of vegetation and who sun themselves on nearly every road and outcropping. My owner/pilot friend and I opted out of the manicure/pedicure event that his wife and mother enjoyed, instead we explored the island with Ceci Richard who showed us the original estate of Horatio Stubbs, who acquired the island from John Lightbourne, who purchased the island from the government of the Bahamas in 1811.  Horatio Stubbs planted sisal and reportedly organized a waypoint for livestock destined for the islands. The remnants of limestone and coral rock paddocks can still be found on the southern end of the island. The last private owner of the island, Henry Mensen has teamed with DPS Development to create a private sanctuary which will ultimately be comprised of 425 homes and a members only club.

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Recently I read an article about a Phenom 100 delivery from Brazil to Orleans, France.  Unfortunately for the new owner the delivery flight took over two weeks to complete.  It seems that he tried a “do-it-yourself” delivery and suffered the consequence of lack of experience. This and other missteps during deliveries may be avoided with prior planning.

One of more common mistakes I see during deliveries is the failure of  Non-US citizens to obtain a visa prior to entry into the US.  The United States requires visitors from certain countries to obtain a visa for entry.  Usually most arrivals by air enter into the US through the Visa Waiver Program, but such is not the case with private air.  Be sure and check the State Department website for requirements that may affect your entry status.

When JetQuik brings a new Embraer Executive Jet into the US, we plan with a bonded customs broker to ensure a smooth importation process.  For foreign aircraft entering the US for the first time, importation is not necessary and the arrival is treated just like any other customs border crossing.  Usually JetQuik imports aircraft through Ft. Lauderdale.   We use SheltAir as our FBO of preference because it is co-located with US Customs on the field.

Phenom deliveries to the US don’t have to be a daunting process.  The Embraer Executive Jets office can help guide you through the process or recommend a competent delivery organization to relieve the stress of accepting your new Phenom aircraft.

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Reporting from Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, Embraer Factory

I am visiting Embraer in Brazil for the acceptance and delivery of a Phenom 100, Embraer Executive Jet. 

Serial Number 146 is poised on the floor of Hangar 300 ready for delivery to an owner in the United Kingdom.  This EMB-500 will be managed by London Executive Aviation and will initially be based at Stansted Airport about 25 miles northeast of London City.  

Although JetQuik accepts and delivers aircraft for customers around the world, the acceptance of this Phenom was accomplished by Dan Pope, an engineer from LEA.

Joining me in the delivery process is Neil Onions, a thirty-year aviation veteran and Head of Training for LEA.  Neil cut his teeth as an air traffic control engineer initially working in the Shetland Islands, and subsequently all over the UK.  He now lives in the Essex countryside among the ancient oaks, but near enough to The Butcher’s Arms to enjoy an occasional pint of bitters.

Patrick Margetson-Rushmore and George Galanopoulos, principals of LEA operate over 20 aircraft in charter and the Phenom 100 will be the 8th type joining their fleet.   As President of JetQuik I have had the pleasure of joining Patrick for several meetings both in England and Spain, where we have advocated for Executive Jet travel and for improvements in the world-wide air charter community.   Although this is the first Phenom 100 to join the LEA fleet, I am confident that more will be forthcoming.

Also growing their fleet is Corporate Flight Management in Smyrna and Nashville, Tennessee, now managing two Embraer Phenom 100s with plans to continually expand the fleet of Embraer Executive Jets.  Allen Howell, Chairman of CFM notes that they are “marvelously efficient aircraft that fulfill the need for light jets in our (CFM’s) fleet”.   Allen Howell also noted that, “Corporate Flight Management  has completed factory approved training for Phenom mechanics who help to ensure the high dispatch reliability of the Phenom 100.”

Here in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, the hangar 300 delivery facility is buzzing with activity. As I look out into the hangar from my delivery office, I see EMB 190s destined for Tianjin Airlines, TACA and jetBlue.  Out on Runway 15, an Air France by Regional EMB 170 just departed for Paris. 

The airliners in Hangar 300  are joined by six Phenom 100s and two Phenom 300s slated for delivery this week.  Much of the credit for the popularity of the Embraer Executive Jet family is due to the airline heritage that they share.  Built to airliner standards, the Phenom jets are rugged and dependable, fun to fly, and great to look at.   The latest Phenom 300 here in the hangar is a stellar example of clean sheet design and a perfect mix of beauty and practicality.

Tomorrow we begin our trip to London.  I hope that you will follow our progress as we “adventure our way” up through the Americas and over to Europe.

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Of the many fun reasons to pilot new Embraer Executive Jets, one of the best is St. Martin.  Located in the Lesser Antilles island chain, the French/Dutch Island of St. Martin (or St. Maarten) is a convenient stop when ferrying aircraft out of South America.  The clear, blue Caribbean Sea is the perfect backdrop for this European tropical oasis. 

Located on the more raucous, Dutch side of the island; Princess Juliana International Airport is famous for its runway which begins just a few steps from the Caribbean.   Tourists like to hold onto the airport fence when jumbo jets depart, letting go at full throttle up for a brief flight of their own backwards into the surf.  And the Dutch brew Heineken…here it is half the price of your neighborhood package store.  On the opposite, French side of the island, are restaurants and hideaways well known for French cuisine and quiet honeymoons.   But here on the Dutch side, casinos and lively night life are the norm.

After a long day including three technical stops; the ground crew of Arrindell Aviation Services, www.arrindellaviation.net  is a welcome sight.  Henke is there to meet us with a very short ride in a gleaming white van over to the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort.

At the Sonesta, we all enjoy a quick clean-up prior to falling into a chair at Cheri’s Café just across the road.  Cheri’s is “island chintzy” but is just what we’re looking for with smooth tropical drinks in a very casual island setting.  The local band preys upon the tourists who take a willing part in the evenings shenanigans.

If you are lucky enough to arrive before sunset, I recommend you watch the water, airplanes and the sunset from the Sunset Beach Bar.  Just a short walk from the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, the Sunset Beach Bar offers just the right elixir to rub off a full day of flying.  www.sunsetbeachbar.com

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I like to fly. My pulse quickens when I push the throttles up for takeoff in any airplane, but especially in a jet. With over 100 takeoffs in the Phenom 100 during the past ten months, my heart has sped a bunch. Fortunately, I subscribe to the theory that a muscle exercised will grow stronger.  For me, the loudest thumps begin in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Particularly pulse raising were my first flights in a new Phenom 100 at the Embraer factory.  There are few things as exciting as lifting off of runway 15 for an acceptance flight of a brand new Phenom.

Most mornings, the ramp at Sao Jose dos Campos is alive with technicians hovering in and around various Embraer Jets ready for delivery. The morning sun bathes the ramp in splashes of color as jets bound for the Middle East, Far East, the Americas and Europe are prepared for flight. Particularly colorful is the livery of Azure, the Brazilian answer to Jet Blue which today has a couple of EMB 195s ready for test.  Inside Hangar 300, flight crews and test pilots meet to discuss and plan the day’s activities. Last minute details involve weather checks of the coastal operations areas, and a thorough briefing of the details in the acceptance flight checklist.  Over the past year, Mark Stear and I have refined Embraer’s checklist, adding items important enough to include in what has become our own proprietary checklist.

Two days before arriving on the flight line, Mark begins pouring over the aircraft logs, comparing the owner’s list of installed equipment with the actual installations in the airplane. Other tasks include documenting engine installations and flight test parameters. Paint and finishes inside and out are also checked for compliance with Embraer’s own specifications. Mark and I also add some “touches” that generally aren’t specified with the airplane but enhance its cosmetic appearance and durability.  Embraer diligently assigns a QA crew to work on any flaws we discover.  As if by magic the “gripes” disappear overnight and the next morning the airplane is so much the better for the work. Much the same happens airborne where compasses are checked for agreement along with altimeters and dozens of flight parameters.  Not every flaw shows itself on these flight tests, but it’s a good feeling to fly an airplane with a perfectly clean log book.  (It’s the way it should be.)

Of the many fun reasons to pilot new Embraer Executive Jets, one of the best is St. Martin.  That’s my next stop.  Read Part 2 of my journey next Saturday!   

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