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re: How many OT'ers have flown on a private jet, and what kind was it (if you know)?

Posted on 8/9/23 at 7:22 pm to
Posted by Chingon Ag
Member since Nov 2018
2889 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 7:22 pm to
Company I worked for had a King Air. Took many trips around the country over the three years I worked there. Owner’s FIL was a retired Delta pilot and flew the plane for us. On occasion, he’d call one of us there to sit with him and visit. Pretty cool experience flying just off of the coast from Portland to Monterey then San Diego. Very nice to avoid the large terminals and roll up to the hanger and board without security.
This post was edited on 8/9/23 at 7:23 pm
Posted by Hopeful Doc
Member since Sep 2010
15058 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 8:01 pm to
Couple of them. During the pandemic to escape to our happy place, it was the only way to get there. Usual trip is about 10h of travel time. This cut it to 3.5 and put us from town with no commercial airport to town with no commercial airport (with rental car waiting on the tarmac)
Mostly Cessna Citation XL. The interior has comfortable leather seats with more than enough legroom. The interior is dated. Feels somewhat like the beloved suburban circa 2002 interior, and the weather/padding on the seats was worn as such. We brought our own snacks and a little booze. The pilots were nice. We had a bathroom. It feels not indifferent than being in a somewhat big, decent-condition taxicab.
It’s not worth the price, generally. But in the certain circumstances we were under, it was a nice thing to do. I won’t do it outside of rare circumstances in the future.



One time, the chartering company had to sub-charter a plane. Wound up on a converted bombardier CRJ 100ER with a globetrotter interior like this: but it was white leather, nice wood grain. I felt fancy on that flight. They had a pilot, copilot, stewardess, and it was stocked. There were at least 3 orchids on board. The captain let my 7 month old take pictures sitting in his chair (and each of us in turn). They were a memorable crew, and the flight was an experience I won’t forget.


That said, my days of flying private are likely behind me. I wasn’t footing the bill, and knowing what it cost, I’m not interested enough in the time savings to spend that kind of money. The “luxury” of it isn’t so great that I would necessarily recommend it. But if you think of it as an “air taxi” or maybe an “air limo” (I’ve had two limo rides in my life and hold relatively similar opinions of them) to go point to point instead of commercial airports with security and willing to spend the money (which is between 1 and 2x 8-16 first class tickets on the flight we tend to do), then consider it.


But otherwise, don’t feel like you’re missing out on much.
Posted by Dr Lecter
Baltimore, MD
Member since Oct 2012
1264 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 8:03 pm to
Several times. Cessna citation
Posted by DCtiger1
Panama City Beach
Member since Jul 2009
8889 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 8:05 pm to
Boeing Business Jet and a G5
Posted by touchdownjeebus
Member since Sep 2010
24850 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 8:06 pm to
Used to fly on a Gulf Stream all the time but it was the intel bird and it wasn’t doing anything fun.
Posted by scrooster
Resident Ethicist
Member since Jul 2012
38019 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 8:08 pm to
If turbo jets counted, given I owned one, I'd chime-in but ... guess I'm too poor.

Never have flown in a Lear as a cabin passenger, per se, .... well, I've never landed in one. I've jumped out of one a few times.
Posted by highcotton2
Alabama
Member since Feb 2010
9498 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 8:20 pm to
Bombardier. Used to fly to cottonseed production facility in Seminole Texas.
Takes about 2 hours from Meridianville airport in Alabama about a 1000 mile trip. Beats the shite out of driving.




This post was edited on 8/9/23 at 8:28 pm
Posted by slacker130
Your mom
Member since Jul 2010
8090 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 8:20 pm to
quote:

It was hard to see two grown men (pilots) catering to you and being servile.


I've flown a king air a few times to help a buddy out, and I can't dig on kissing owners' asses and grabbing bags. He pays decent, but it's lame as hell.
Posted by MeridianDog
Home on the range
Member since Nov 2010
14275 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 8:52 pm to
Cessna Citation, from Mt Home AR. to Palwaukee Airport in North Chicago for business meeting when I worked for Baxter Healthcare. There were five of us and the jet was in the area and it was cheaper for us to fly the company's smaller jet than to fly commercial. Our rental car was delivered and at the bottom of the ramp as we got off the jet. The pilot got my bag and was carrying it to the trunk. I told him I would do that and he said, "No sir, this is my job." I thanked him and told myself he likely made three or four times my salary and still a part of his job description was to get my bag into my car and out of it if we were leaving.

Flew similar trips in this jet maybe ten times from various Baxter plant sites to other sites or Chicago.

I also flew in the company's Falcon Jet to Germany once. The trip was commercial to Ohara, Limo to Palwaukee with a two hour wait, while others on our team arrived, then company Falcon Jet to Hamburg. Return four days later was exact reverse.

Both Jets were strikingly fast and very comfortable. Snacks under each seat. One of the two pilots got up to serve drinks once we were in the air.

Baxter kept both of the jets (Citation and Falcon) hangered in the hanger with the Teamster Union's three jets. They had a really nice lounge that we never spent much time in, because usually, as soon as we arrived, they escorted us to the jet, which was ready, and we quickly took off. They returned our rental car after we left or had it (sometimes lemo if we were up only for the day) waiting for us when we arrived. Since Palwaukee was a business airport with no commercial flights, there was never any line of aircraft waiting to take off. Every time I passed through that facility, I was impressed with the Teamster's security team. All of them were well armed and respectfully nice.

I have flown military many times, both fixed and rotor wing. I guess those were not private, but they certainly weren't commercial flights.
Posted by DAWG0829
Dallas,Ga
Member since Oct 2012
1219 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 8:54 pm to
Private numerous 757 , Lear , king air
Posted by LCA131
Home of the Fake Sig lines
Member since Feb 2008
72686 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 9:12 pm to
quote:

have from Baton Rouge to Chicago for


Did you see Abe Froman the sausage king of Chicago?
Posted by Coach72
Lafayette
Member since Dec 2009
1433 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 10:17 pm to
Dassault Falcon 10
Dassault Falcon 20
Gulfstream III

Mitsubishi MU-2
This post was edited on 8/9/23 at 10:27 pm
Posted by Rambler
NWA
Member since Jan 2011
1209 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 10:22 pm to
A Lear 45 that was truly privately owned. Corporate 727 and 737 that landed at private airfields at both ends of the trip. I rode up front on the 727 and 737 since I didn't have any business that I needed to do on the way.

A lightly loaded 737 flown by ex-USAF fighter jocks can make a pretty impressive takeoff.
Posted by crawfishcharlie
Crawfishtown, USA
Member since Dec 2003
4867 posts
Posted on 8/9/23 at 11:11 pm to
Not a jet, but a really nice Beechcraft king air 350. Guy I worked for would take customers on hunting trips to the Rockies. I went along as a guide/gofer. Nice while it lasted
Posted by JW
Los Angeles
Member since Jul 2004
4796 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 12:21 am to
Only once … while scouting a film in Thailand with Pete Farrelly. Domestic travel was suspended for covid , so we all flew from Bangkok to Chiang Rai to look at some mountains for a big war sequence. Was a cool day at work.
Posted by TheDeathValley
New Orleans, LA
Member since Sep 2010
17254 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 12:30 am to
GE eventually sold their entire corporate fleet after the Jeff Immelt fiasco, but occasionally we got a chance to ride in the Challenger 605 and Global Express XRS.

We could do New Orleans - Grenville - Crotonville/Schenectady - New Orleans and would be home for dinner.

I have a cousin in Oklahoma that is a mechanic who works on private jets. He gave the kiddos a tour of a few, but no flights. One of my college roommates works for Gulfstream in Savannah and routinely flies them during their testing. Another LSU grad I know works for Textron and sells Bell helicopters and he is constantly posting pictures in their corporate jet.
Posted by Penrod
Member since Jan 2011
40253 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 1:54 am to
My wife and I were in Santa Fe once, and facing a southwest flight home to NOLA with a three hour Dallas layover. The night before leaving we ran into a couple we barely knew, and they offered us a ride home on their private Citation. Wow!

Their co-pilot picked us up at the hotel in a SUV and drove us to 30 feet from the plane stairs. We walked in, sat down in better than first class seats, got drinks and snacks, then the pilot asked us if we were ready to taxi. Sure! Straight to NOLA at 450 knots. No layover, no security, no crowds. It was awesome.

I had another trip with some Anadarko executives from Houston to the King Ranch. It was only about a 35 minute trip in a French jet that could have handled 60 had it been configured that way. But it was full of couches and TVs and stuff.

Also had one trip on an Eclipse. Piece of shite, those.

I’m analyzing fractional ownership of a Longtitude through Netjets. I think I’m going to buy a 75 hour annual deal.
Posted by Penrod
Member since Jan 2011
40253 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 2:05 am to
quote:

When it arrived the pilots came and got us, I could’ve brought literally anything on the the plane…no one even pretended to check.

No one checks what I bring in my car either. If folks want to blow up themselves and their buddies so be it. And the planes are too small to use as missiles.
Posted by HerkFlyer
Auburn, AL
Member since Jan 2018
3012 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 2:47 am to
Me and some friends treated the C-130 like a private turboprop for 8 years. Fun fact a pallet of Italian wine weighs about 2500lbs.
Posted by rhar61
Member since Nov 2022
5109 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 3:25 am to
Lear 31A & Challenger

worked for company that sold them (and the other divisions made them)
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