Leaving Charter

Ted

Ted

The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
30,019
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Display name:
iFlyNothing
After a bit over a year of being a pilot for hire, Commercial pilot, flight instructor, etc. as my full time job, I am leaving that world and returning to engineering. I start my new job on Monday in Cincinnati, OH. Laurie and I will be moving.

The past year has been quite a learning experience. Overall, the quality of life has been very high. My schedule has allowed me a lot of flexibility during a time when I needed it - flexibility for enjoying getting engaged and married, getting to do some tremendously fun Cloud Nine trips (like putting 30 hours on the Navajo in one week going from Williamsport to northern Ontario to Seattle and back), and getting to do a ton of great improvements on our house... which will be put on the market here shortly.

The flying has been great fun. We've gotten to go to a number of cool airports on charters. The 3 AM wakeups aren't as much fun, but getting home by 2 or 3 PM on those days typically is fun. I got my bit over 50 hours of turbine time in the Cheyenne and Commander (I like the Cheyenne better). One day I worked my way up the Piper food chain (Aztec, Navajo, and Cheyenne in the same day) and then worked my way back down the same food chain the following day. Flying 4 or 5 different types in a week wasn't uncommon. It's been about a 600-hour year.

In some ways, I lament the fact that I will be decreasing to probably a 100 or 200-hour per year pilot. However, it will be all in the same airplane - the 310. Although it's fun to get the exposure to different planes, I believe there is a lot of benefit in concentrating your flight time on one or two different types. Checklists help, of course, but there is a lot to be said for just knowing your plane. After flying the Navajo for a while and hopping in the 310 it'd feel odd to only have 30" on takeoff and be spinning at 2850 RPM, but then after flying the 310 and hopping back in the Navajo I'd miss my Aspen and not think about cowl flaps. We've done a great job of making the 310 a really excellent plane to fly that's exactly how we want it (still some to go, but getting close), and it will be nice to get to enjoy flying it.

Our new location of Cincinnati will also mean more personal flying, which I am looking forward to. This year I've done 1 personal trip, last year we did 4. It will be very nice.
 
Congrats, Ted, on the new job. Cincy's not a bad city - I've got some friends I still see from the 4 years I lived there. When I moved there I didn't really expect to like it, but it grew on me and I ended up making some great friends.

I'd be interested to hear where you end up (both for work and for living). With ISZ closing, there are a couple of nice airports to the north, west, and east of the city. I based at HAO after I bought the plane.

Good luck on the new adventure, and have fun!
 
Good luck Ted! Really enjoyed your Cloud nine stories.

Remember, being in Cincy, you're close to Bluegrass country so some nice day/weekend trips available all over KY and beyond if your into that type of thing.
 
Good luck with the new job!! Guess going back to a 9 to 5 job can be a bit of a bummer for flexibility - there are always trade-offs.

Wish you the best, Cincy isn't a bad city at all.

Gary
 
Great news. Part 135 can be interesting for a while, but unless you find a gig like Mari's it's not a great career when you have other options.
 
Congratulations and all the best, Ted.

Flying waxes and wanes throughout most pilot's lives but remains a constant, even during those times we can only look up and ID the bird overhead.
 
Ted,

Congrats and best of luck on the new challenge! I'm sure you will still pound out the hours for Cloud Nine.
 
Welcome to the Buckeye State! When should we expect your arrival?

I suspect you will truly enjoy Cincinnati, though it is a fairly Southern City in it's culture. Let me know any questions, as I lived there for several years. Lots of old houses and good neighborhoods. Perhaps we'll even meet some time at my home drone for some barbecue (and salad, for yours truly of course). And please don't hesitate to ask if you need any assistance moving, nor if you or your spouse would need some help in the decoration (Mrs. Steingar is quite the artist). We will be glad to lend a hand, it isn't that far off and we need to get down there soon anyway for other reasons.
 
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Congrats on the new job and digs.... You two need to be mobile while you are young cause when ya get old like some of us, pulling up stakes is hard to do........

Word on the street is your new "engineering job" is for a top 40 radio station.... Say hi to Bailey, Jennifer and the rest of the crew. :D:rofl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
 
Ron Levy said:
Who said he's living in Ohio? He might be living across the river in God's Country and only working in Ohio. Heck, they even put their big airport in Kentucky.
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Good point, I had colleagues who did that. I've always been a bit averse to sitting in traffic though, of which there is a lot on the bridges. Anyhow, I hope to help in any way I am able.
 
steingar said:
Good point, I had colleagues who did that. I've always been a bit averse to sitting in traffic though, of which there is a lot on the bridges. Anyhow, I hope to help in any way I am able.
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Well, he is married to a helo pilot. It's nothing that an R44 wouldn't solve. :D
 
Good for you! As Wayne said, charter can be interesting for a while and it's a huge learning experience. I'm sure that engineering is a much more reasonable long-term career, though. You have the best of both worlds now and you can always say BTDT.
 
Congrats and condolences both, you get to decide which goes with each piece of news. ;)
 
Ron Levy said:
...because, no doubt, so many people want to live in Kentucky, not Ohio. :wink2:
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Well, there are a couple of airparks & farms with airstrips down near Dry Ridge and Owenton (~30 miles from Cincy). Perhaps Ted can buy one of those, or a homesite at one of the airparks....

Like this one...

:stirpot: :stirpot: :devil:
 
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Ted, I too wish you the best. As we have discussed by email, sometimes it is just time. I know you will miss some of the flying. I am not sure just how much I will miss the Cheyenne III, I have been flying for 3 years but, I will manage.
I am anxious to hear how things go for you. Stay in touch by email.

Ronnie
 
Exciting times, indeed!

Congratulations on what I am sure is an outstanding new opportunity. Can't wait to see you and Laurie, together with a player to be named later, at Gaston's.
 
Well, good for you two! Congrats on this new life you will be entering
 
We're going to be basing the plane at I67. We liked the atmosphere there, they will be able to put the plane in a hangar pretty much immediately, low prices, etc. It will also be relatively convenient for where we plan to live, which is north of Cincinnati a bit.

I will be continuing to do Cloud Nine missions. We have decided that we will be reducing the number we do, but now that I'm looking at it, it will probably still be at least 100-200 hours a year just for Cloud Nine.

Thanks for all the well wishes and offers of help! We may be taking folks up on the help offers.

wabower said:
Great news. Part 135 can be interesting for a while, but unless you find a gig like Mari's it's not a great career when you have other options.
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I'd agree with this statement. When I first started doing the professional pilot gig, it did work out well given the family situation. As you know from when we last spoke, I was looking at some various other career options. Engineering makes the most sense, and I'm glad that this position came up. It will be a good fit for me.

Ron Levy said:
GEAE?
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I've never published on this forum who I work for at any point in time, and don't intend to start now. :)

jason said:
Well, he is married to a helo pilot. It's nothing that an R44 wouldn't solve. :D
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My wife hates Robinsons. I'm thinking a 412 (twin and all), but that gets a bit pricey. ;)

Everskyward said:
Good for you! As Wayne said, charter can be interesting for a while and it's a huge learning experience. I'm sure that engineering is a much more reasonable long-term career, though. You have the best of both worlds now and you can always say BTDT.
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That's how I look at it. I feel very fortunate to have been able to do this. My co-pilot and I were chatting last night (this means he's leaving charter, too), and we were saying it was a positive change for both of us. I'm happy to be returning to Engineering, but this has been an excellent experience.

MBDiagMan said:
Congratulations Ted, but I hope you still find yourself in Dallas again for Steaks.
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No worries on that! We'll still be coming down. One of the nice aspects of our new location will be we may even do so just because we want to see y'all.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
We're going to be basing the plane at I67. We liked the atmosphere there, they will be able to put the plane in a hangar pretty much immediately, low prices, etc. It will also be relatively convenient for where we plan to live, which is north of Cincinnati a bit.
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Good choice:wink2:
 
Ted DuPuis said:
We're going to be basing the plane at I67. We liked the atmosphere there, they will be able to put the plane in a hangar pretty much immediately, low prices, etc. It will also be relatively convenient for where we plan to live, which is north of Cincinnati a bit.
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Nice airport.

Wasn't really a choice for me at the time I lived there due to distance (I lived in Gaslight Clifton). Secondary factors were that there was a hangar available at HAO which had a LOC (now ILS) approach & the more general concerns about dealing with Cincy Approach being right under the approaches. The latter has been mitigated with Delta's virtual dehubbing of CVG.

But I67 is a nice airport and you should enjoy it there.

Hope to catch up with you when I visit sometime.
 
Today marks one year since I returned to engineering and left charter. It's been a very busy and eventful year with many changes for us. New house, new state, new baby, and a major change in flying for both of us.

Overall it's been a good move. PA was much more scenic than Cincinnati, but there's a lot more going on here. Our new airport is much smaller, but is also much more friendly and we're making friends there. The new job is definitely a big positive. I'm learning a lot, doing well in the position, and it's nice to have a steady paycheck.

The flying is the biggest change. From the 500ish hours per year I was flying, filling out my insurance form a couple weeks ago had me at 94 hours in the past 12 months. That's the first time in my flying career that's happened. On the other hand, a much larger percentage of those hours were for trips we wanted to do than for trips for others. Compare that to the previous 12 months where I think it was one personal trip, maybe zero. That part has been a nice change.

I do miss the flying, though...
 
flyingmoose said:
Don't worry, you might get a window cube in a few years... :)
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Actually I have a corner window cube with two exposures - had it since I moved in. ;)
 
I wish every CFI had the chance to fly a year as Ted did before teaching. The extra depth and breadth they would bring to instruction, not to mention the mistakes they would NOT make would do wonders for the improvement of primary flight training.
But, I sure don't miss sleeping in old recliners in a pilot's lounge waiting for the extraction team to come back with a liver or lungs or heart.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Today marks one year since I returned to engineering and left charter. It's been a very busy and eventful year with many changes for us. New house, new state, new baby, and a major change in flying for both of us.

Overall it's been a good move. PA was much more scenic than Cincinnati, but there's a lot more going on here. Our new airport is much smaller, but is also much more friendly and we're making friends there. The new job is definitely a big positive. I'm learning a lot, doing well in the position, and it's nice to have a steady paycheck.

The flying is the biggest change. From the 500ish hours per year I was flying, filling out my insurance form a couple weeks ago had me at 94 hours in the past 12 months. That's the first time in my flying career that's happened. On the other hand, a much larger percentage of those hours were for trips we wanted to do than for trips for others. Compare that to the previous 12 months where I think it was one personal trip, maybe zero. That part has been a nice change.

I do miss the flying, though...
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Glad it worked out well Ted, and you got to meet a pretty cool guy, if i do say so myself! :rofl:

Ted DuPuis said:
Actually I have a corner window cube with two exposures - had it since I moved in. ;)
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heck, you're a made man now!
 
The famous quotes from ex-135 pilots aren't all that different than the famous quotes from those of a certain Reverend King from Atlanta.
 
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