I'M BAAACCCCCKKKKK

Hello All! It’s been more than a few months since my last post, and I’m sorry for unannounced delay. Numerous circumstances are to blame, and it would take hours to cover them all in detail, so I’ll skip the drama. No need to worry, I’m in good health and have never been happier with my life.

MAJOR UPATE:

Yesterday, a life-long dream came true. After a rigorous interview process, I was offered my first REAL pilot job. I have been hired at Scenic Airlines (www.scenic.com), and will begin training in two weeks. If you’re not familiar with Scenic, they are the airline that takes people to/from the Grand Canyon. I will fly the DHC-6 Twin Otter, a twin-engine aircraft that hold 15 people, not including the two crew (see below).

People may ask why I went with Scenic vs. another more “recognizable” regional airline, but the reasons are actually quite simple.

1. They actually offered me an interview. I submitted my resume to various other regional airlines, and nobody called me back. I don’t look at this lack of interest on their part as a slap in the face, I just don’t think I had the total flight time to be serious candidate. My good friend Rob just got on at American Eagle Airlines, one of the nations top regional airlines, and he has close to 400 hours (150 more than me).

2. I don’t have to commute to another city. Most airline jobs require that pilots commute to their “base,” which is commonly located in a city other then the one they live in. Since no regional airlines are based in Las Vegas, I’d have to commute to another city. In some cases, a commute could force me as far east as Boston, and thus would waste an entire day off. Because Scenic is based in Boulder City, NV (35 miles from home), I will be back in my own bed every night and will be able to maximize my time on my days off.

3. I will fly a ton. I’m not going to bore you with aviation laws and regulations, but the rules that govern Scenic Airlines allow me to fly a lot more hours compared to other regional airlines. My goal is to build my hours up to over 1500 in a few years, and Scenic is the perfect place to do that.

MINOR UPDATE:

Now that the good news is out of the way, let me share a few other aviation related updates.

Late last year, I finished the ATP Career Pilot Program in Riverside, CA. The program took me about 65 days, and I received my multi-engine, instrument, and commercial pilot ratings. In all, I flew about 150 hours during the program. Toward the end of the program, I and another student, flew our plane across the entire country. In two short weeks, we flew our plane from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. We stopped every few hours for gas, food, and at night, lodging. During the course of the two week trip, our twin engine plane landed at the following locations:

Palm Springs, CA
Sacramento, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Phoenix, AZ
El Paso, TX
San Angelo, TX
Houston, TX
Dallas, TX
Pensacola, FL
Monroe, LA
Jacksonville, FL

Atlanta, GA
Wilmington, NC

In all, it was a phenomenal experience. We got to fly in some of the worst weather you could imagine and in some of the nation’s busiest airspaces. I’ve driven across the country a few times, but to be honest, seeing our nation from 12,000 feet while flying my plane was a lot nicer.

After I completed the Career Pilot Program, I continued to fly while working on my certified flight instructor (CFI) ratings here in Las Vegas. During these few months, one of the highlights was the ATP Riverside Fly-In (see picture below). The fly-in was back in Riverside, and was extra special because Lisa got to fly with me and meet some of the guys I went to ATP with.

Well, that’s about it. I will continue to make updates to the blog as I start training at Scenic. Thank you all for your continued support, and please feel free to share this blog with anyone you wish.

Nick