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Pilot/Check Airman

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Explore Being a Pilot/Check Airman with Captain Bob Howie

Bob Howiecz: Briefly describe your job.

I am an Airplane Captain and Assistant Chief Pilot for Wing Aviation Charter Services, LLC , headquartered in Houston, Texas. In addition to flying I am a Check Airman for the company which means that I certify other captains to fly specific aircraft. I fly non-airline medium and large private jets for large companies and wealthy individuals who include business people, celebrities and sports stars. I fly all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and parts of the Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii. I hold certifications to fly a number of aircraft and am currently flying a Gulfstream G100 Astra (my picture was taken in the cockpit of the Astra). The Astra is a very fast jet (550 miles per hour) with a coast to coast range. It is a very slick aircraft and its fun to fly.

cz: How long have you been working in this field?

I have been flying professionally for about 30 years. However, I started flying when I was still in junior high school (at about the same age most young people are learning to drive cars.) In fact, I would ride about three miles to the local airport on my bicycle since, I was old enough to be licensed to fly airplanes, but I was still too young to hold a driver’s license. My mother loves telling that story.

cz: When and how did you decide to choose this career?

I think aviation chooses you more than you choosing it. I cannot remember when I did not want to fly airplanes. I have college degrees in something besides aviation and have worked at other jobs from time to time. But I’ve always returned to aviation when the opportunities presented themselves. Of all the things I do, I get the most satisfaction out of flying airplanes…and getting paid for it.

cz: What education and training did you receive before entering your field?

I learned to fly at my home airport in Gulfport, Mississippi, starting at about age 14. As I got older, I continued to find flight instructors at the local airport to teach me about flying on instruments and in airplanes with more than one engine. I pretty much paid for all my own flight training by working at other jobs until I had enough experience and the proper ratings to get a flying job. As I progressed in my career, employers paid for my schools; all pilots have to be certified in specific airplanes and there are schools specializing in that kind of training. It’s very expensive (sometimes as much as $60,000) to go to these schools so, usually either companies or the airplane’s owner(s) pay for the certification training and testing.

cz: How did you begin OR what was your first job in the field?

My first paid job in aviation was moving airplanes around to different locations for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Mosquito Commission. These airplanes were cropduster-type airplanes rigged with spray systems. I got paid $20 per flight, whether it was a few miles or a few hundred miles. In the early 1970s, $20 was a lot of money! Later on, I got other jobs ferrying airplanes from place to place.

Today, I am flying large -- up-to-19-passenger -- jets built by Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, Georgia, as well as midsize jets -- known as Astras - - capable of carrying up to eight passengers and also built by Gulfstream. These are very high-end machines capable of flying global missions crossing domestic and international boundaries in all-weather, day-or-night. These planes are equipped with the kinds of electronics that are, in some very real ways, easily recognizable by today’s younger generation of top gamers. In fact, the equipment aboard my aircraft utilizes state-of-the art GPS and other space-based navigation and communications gear that resembles today’s video games.

However, my flying career has not always involved modern jet aircraft. Since getting my pilot’s license, I’ve flown more than 80 different types of airplanes; from Piper Cubs to Cessna turboprop to small, medium and large piston-powered single- and twin-engine airplanes. I’ve flown them for fun, for travel, for business and for pay. I still love the Piper Cub, a low-tech, two- seat, single-engine airplane, the best.

The really cool thing about all this is it’s just as much fun for me to go out and do this today – to fly an airplane; any airplane going somewhere whether it’s around the patch on a Sunday afternoon or down to some place in South America – as it was that very first day of my very first flying lesson ‘way back in 1969…39 years ago!

cz: Describe a typical day on the job?

The night before a flight, I do all my flight planning for the route: the altitude, fuel loads, passenger loads; arrange for hotels and rent cars for the crews if we are staying overnight someplace.

On flight day, my copilot and I go to the airport about 2 hours before departure. I make sure the plane is fueled properly. I check the weather, make sure the cabin is cleaned, all our charts are up-to-date, get weather reports, and make sure all our catering and our regular drinks and snacks are onboard. I get several different newspapers for our clients and make sure special requests by our passengers are met. I talk with the maintenance department to make sure the airplane is fit for flight; that there are no maintenance problems and that everything is working as it should.

I then do what we call a pre-flight which requires me to walk around the airplane and make a physical inspection of the plane to make sure everything is good to go. I check the tires, hydraulic systems, wings, fuselage, tail, engines, oil levels; that all fluid levels are where they need to be and that nothing is leaking where it shouldn’t be leaking.

After passengers arrive, we load them and their baggage aboard, and give them safety briefings on what they can expect during the flight. Then I contact the tower, taxi to the runway and takeoff and fly to our destinations.

Upon landing, if we are only flying that one leg that day, we help the passengers deplane, unload their bags, make sure they have their ground transportation is arranged and that they have proper directions for where they are going. We then shut down the airplane, making sure the batteries are off, that the toilet system has been emptied, that the airplane is clean and ready to go for the next trip, either back home or to a different destination. If we are flying an international trip, we make sure all the paperwork is in place for customs, that fees are paid, that everyone’s passports are in order so that everyone can have a good time. On the day of the next flight, it’s pretty much the same routine as I just described above.

Now, what I do is a bit different from other flying jobs. In my position, I pretty much do it all; from flight plans to catering to, well, just about anything that affects our airplane in the field.

Airline pilots, by comparison, don’t get that involved. They have dispatchers who arrange flight planning, fueling, passenger loads, weights- and-balance, departures, arrivals, hotels for crews between flights and all the other things that affect airline flying. They also have cabin crew who take care of passengers. Whereas we do have cabin crew on some of the larger planes, I still meet and greet the passengers and am pretty much the entire customer relations department for the flight. Getting to know my passengers is one of the parts of the job that I particularly enjoy. And it is something I would miss if I went to work as a pilot on an airline.

Military pilots do most of their own mission planning which includes much of the same things all pilots do regarding flight planning, fuel loads and those sorts of things.

One of the things I like most about my job, though, in comparison to these other guys is that just about every flight I make is different; to different places with different people. I never know when that phone rings where I’m going to be heading and that’s the challenge and fun about what I do.

While I learned to fly purely as a civilian, there are many pilots who don’t ever touch an airplane until they join the military where they learn to fly and then fly everything from cargo planes to fighters. That’s a good way to learn to fly and military pilots are pretty good aviators. But, you don’t need to join the military to fly or to get a good flying job. It’s an advantage if you do, but it’s not necessary.

cz: What do you like most about what you do?

I have always loved to travel. That’s what I like most about my job. I’ve been all over the world and gotten paid to go there. I love seeing different places, meeting different people, eating different food and seeing all sorts of different things. And, I get to do all that while flying airplanes, which is why I got into this business to begin with. Flying the airplanes is what it’s all about, but it has some great benefits including the camaraderie of being with other pilots; not just the pilot you’re flying with, but also the other pilots you run into out there on the road. A lot of us all stay at the same places and we often see one another regularly while on the road. Being a working pilot is like being a member of a large informal club. Being home is a good thing, of course, but I do enjoy throwing the bag on board the plane, hopping in and taking off to some place; either a destination in the United States or perhaps a destination like Mexico, the Caribbean or South America. One of these days, when it comes time to hang up my wings, it’s going to be the freedom and excitement of heading out there to some distant place that I will miss the most.

cz: What do you like least about your job?

My job is all about giving up some portions of my life so that my customers can better enjoy theirs. While I think working a regular 9-to-5 job is just not for me – and I’ve worked that way before – the demands of my job sometimes require me to fly at all times of the day or night, and during holiday times like Thanksgiving and Christmas (when everyone else is at home with their families). There’s not been a major holiday – Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July – when, at one time or another, I’ve not been on the road; taking customers from here to there so they could enjoy those times with their families and causing me to be away from mine. I’ve been called in the middle of the night to go fly…and I did. And, it’s not just me that this kind of schedule affects. It affects my loved ones and it can, at times, affect my relationships with others because they would like for me to be at home at those special times. But, while this is the downside of what I do, the benefits of what I do make up for it.

cz: What has been the most rewarding experience so far in your career?

I have spent 13,000 hours in the air during my career. If that was a “normal,” ground-based job, it would be the equivalent of about six working years aloft! I have soared across the Earth at break-neck speeds; taking off one place and safely landing at another with never an incident, an accident or ever scaring anyone. I have flown on sunny days and days when the rain was pouring down. I have flown during the day, during the night, in good weather and bad; hot or cold. Seldom have I ever not completed a mission and, on those occasions when I haven’t been able to-- well, sometimes you just can’t argue with weather. So, I guess having done all this in 13,000 hours and having traveled more than 4 million miles in my lifetime while guiding 60,000 pounds or more of metal through the air without ever having hurt either machine or passenger is probably the most rewarding thing about what it is I do.

cz: What is the biggest challenge for you in this job?

To me, flying is as natural as someone else getting in their car and driving to the store. I love the feel of the machine and I love what we do with it. The very act of blasting off from the Earth, climbing to 8 miles above the ground, flying 6 or more hours and then safely landing at my destination-- and doing all this as if there’s nothing to it -- is the biggest challenge I face. But it’s one I look forward to each and every time I do it. It’s hard to explain exactly what that is like, but it’s the one thing that keeps me coming back to the job. Of all the things I can do, I find meeting this challenge the most satisfying of anything I’ve ever done.

cz: What would you like to say to someone considering this career?

Sometimes, young people follow their parents’ footsteps into the same jobs as adults. That’s quite alright and it’s a proud thing to do. But, flying airplanes is not something for everyone, even if one’s parents did it. Flying airplanes professionally is more of a “calling” than it is a career choice. If you ask most professional pilots, they will tell you they started flying as kids and continued with it because they cannot think of a time when they did not want to fly airplanes. I’ve talked to thousands of pilots over the years and they’ve all pretty much told me the same thing. It’s the same way for me. I can’t think of at time when I did not want to fly airplanes.

So, if you think being a pilot is something you want to do, look inside yourself. You will recognize that same burning desire to do nothing else. Pilots learned to fly for themselves, not because someone else wanted them to. Becoming a professional pilot takes time, dedication and hard work. There are times when you can’t wait to get to the airport and there will be times when you dread climbing in the machine as you continue preparing yourself for this career. But, that drive inside you will see you through to your goal as long as you stick with it. In fact, if you don’t go fly, the desire to do it won’t go away and it’s likely – if you’re truly meant to be a pilot – that sooner or later you’ll find yourself going back out to the field and going up again. For all true pilots, that’s just the way it is. While my job has made demands on my time and my lifestyle, I have never regretted making aviation my career.

cz: What are the most important personal and professional skills necessary to succeed in your field?

OK…first you must love to fly. It must be your passion. You must be willing to adjust your life to the schedule of a professional pilot. The profession requires honesty; not to others necessarily, although that’s extremely important, but equally important, you must be honest with yourself. I’ve known since I was a little boy that what I wanted to do most was fly airplanes -- not necessarily for a living, mind you, but just the act of flying airplanes.

You must also like, and excel, in continuing education and training. There are very few occupations that require as much continuing education and training as that of a professional pilot. Whether it’s maintaining certification in the planes you fly or obtaining certifications in other aircraft and new systems, you will always be in training. If you don’t want to always make yourself a better pilot and if you truly don’t like continuing (and by this I mean never- ending) training and education, a career as a professional pilot is not for you.

As a rule, pilots are also careful and methodical people; they are not careless. Whereas the occupation is not particularly hazardous, as a profession, it can be quite unforgiving. If something goes wrong in the air, you can’t just pull over to the side of the road and either fix it or wait for help. You must be able to keep your cool and rely instinctively on the knowledge and skills you gained through all of your years in the air and all of the hours you spent in training. You not only have your life in your hands, you also hold the lives of your passengers and crew in your hands as well. There is a saying in our occupation, ”there are bold pilots and there are old pilots, but there not too many old, bold pilots.” Pilots, at times, seem to be annoyingly particular, methodical and cautious to non-pilots. It is not unusual to see a captain with twenty years of flying experience walking around his plane on pre-flight check with a clip board in his hand, methodically checking off each item as he does his visual inspection…even though he has probably done this thousands of times before and knows the routine by heart. Pilots are rules people. They often fly by the book, but sometimes, in order to meet emergencies, you’ve got to know when to throw the book out the window! Even when instinct takes over in critical situations, that instinct is the result of years of training. They know what to do and when to do it. So, if you tend to live life by the seat of your pants and don’t value process, procedures and rules, this is not the occupation for you.

One other thing…General Jimmy Doolittle was a very famous pilot before World War II. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his leading the first aerial bombing raid on the island nation of Japan. In fact, his contributions to aviation were so important that even today we who fly benefit from his innovations. Gen. Doolittle was a hero of mine growing up as a child. One day, when I was in the 8th Grade ‘way back in 1968 – much longer ago than before most reading this were born - I wrote a letter to Gen. Doolittle about wanting to fly airplanes for a living. Much to my surprise and delight, Gen. Doolittle wrote back. I still have his letter today and it’s one of my most prized possessions. In that letter, Gen. Doolittle told me, “I hope you realize your dream to fly airplanes. I think you will find it challenging and enjoyable work. But first, get a good education. A good education is money in the bank.” That advice, from a real American hero, is as good today and as it was way back then.

Before I started flying planes for a living, I followed Gen. Doolittle’s advice and finished college. My college degrees not only provided me skills sets I use almost everyday both inside of flying as well as outside of flying, but it tells everyone who looks at my resume that I can take a challenge and see it through to completion. So, like Gen. Doolittle said to me at age 13, I tell each of you now; follow the General’s advice. Before you do anything else, get a good education. Find something that really interests you in school and graduate from college. If for some reason flying doesn’t work out for you – and that happens sometimes – you will then have a career to fall back on and the credentials you need to go out there and be successful. Never discount the value of a good education regardless of what you chose to do in life. And, don’t think you have to necessarily get degrees in aviation in order to fly airplanes, either. While you can do that, my degrees are in journalism and photography, yet, I’m a highly- qualified pilot. Gen. Doolittle gave me great advice in 1968. He’s giving you that same great advice right now.

cz: What would a person interested in entering this field have to do to get a good job in it?

You must love to fly and truly want to be a pilot. This is true for all the professional and non-professional pilots I know. Look deep inside yourself and see if you feel that way. Be honest about it. Flying isn’t for everybody, but that’s true with every profession. To be really good at flying airplanes, it has to be a passion; something you want to do with every fiber of your being. Once you’ve answered these questions, then get the best education you can; pay attention in school and go to college. Next, get the very best flying training you can afford. Study hard and gain as much knowledge about the craft as you can; prepare yourself for the challenges of the job and build a resume that demonstrates you’ve met those challenges and that you are, indeed, the best candidate for the job you seek.

As to the flying credentials I hold, the Federal Aviation Administration offers a series of pilot certifications; from recreational/sport pilot all the way to the top rating of Airline Transport Pilot, commonly referred to as the “ATP.” Any pilot who is serious about a career flying commercially will eventually hold the ATP rating which includes an instrument rating – useful for flying in bad weather when you cannot see the ground – and which requires specific flying time in hours as well as specific flying experience.

I hold the ATP, instrument ratings, and jet ratings for the Cessna Citation 500 series (about eight different jet models), the Gulfstream G100, the Gulfstream G/II, the Gulfstream G/II-B, the Gulfstream G/III and the Israeli Aircraft Industries’ Astra series 1125

cz: What could someone do to learn more about this field right now?

Here’s the exciting part; your first flying lesson can be had for as little as $50! Aviation companies at most airports will provide an introductory flight for $50 as a primer for aspiring pilots. Typically, these kinds of flights last about 30 minutes, but during that time you get to take off, control the airplane during flight and then, with the help of an instructor, land the plane. These kinds of flights are good ways to find out if you have the kind of interest in flying that leads to a career in the industry. And, a lot of the computer-based flight simulator programs – one of the best has always been Microsoft Flight Simulator – let you fly airplanes in real time with controls that although computer-based are very similar to the real thing. The Internet, too, is a good place to research careers in aviation. Just Google “Aviation” and you’ll get thousands of potential hits for everything from flight training to flying jobs. Don’t discount, too, the opportunities of just going out to the airport and talking to pilots. Generally, pilots are a talkative and approachable bunch especially if the topic is about flying and their airplanes. Go to air shows. They are a great place to see planes and pilots up close. In fact, one of the country’s largest aviation gatherings take place every year in Lakeland, Florida; the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual Sun N’Fun Fly-in. Thousands attend and there’s all kinds of planes, pilots, flight demonstrations, manufacturers and exhibitors on display. There’s no age limit to joining either the EAA or the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA) and both organizations emphasis pilot training and both publish great magazines chock full of useful information for both the seasoned pro and those just starting out.

But perhaps the most import think you can do if you think you want a career as a professional pilot is to get in the air. Find a way to fly. Even if it means riding your bicycle to the airport and hanging around pilots and pestering pilots to get into the air like I did when I was a kid. Find a way to fly. You will know very quickly if it’s in your blood. But beware, if it is, it will be there forever.

cz: Is there any general advice you would like to offer to students on making a career choice or on work life itself?

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to fly airplanes. As soon as I could talk I was asking directions to the airport! Oh, I like to do other things; don’t get me wrong. Before I was old enough to fly, it was sailing and I did – and still do – a bunch of it. I love the ocean and I love being out there on it. Many pilots are also avid sailors. There are a lot of similarities between what keeps a plane in the air and what makes a sailboat go. Of course, one goes 5 miles per hour and the other goes 550 miles per hour. But, if you’re at an age where you are asking yourself what you want to do for a living, like I said before, be honest. Whatever you do, it’s got to be a passion; something that burns like a bright light in your heart. It’s said that if you truly love what you do, then you’ll never work a day in your life. That’s how it is for me; I truly, deep down, absolutely love what I do. I love the machines. I love aviation people. I love the travel. I love the challenges and overcoming them. I love the passengers who come from all walks of life. I love those sun-washed, golden summer afternoons descending into Houston on my way back home when everything is splashed with liquid light. I love cold, dark winter nights when the air is clear and you can literally see a hundred miles. I love flying into a snow-covered Aspen, Colorado, both for the beauty of it as well as the challenge of a landing in the high mountains. To truly be successful in whatever your calling you choose, you have to have that same passion.

Being a professional pilot is just a whole lot of fun. If you think being a pilot is the thing for you, then find a way to get in the air and go fly somewhere. Be careful, though; you might spend a long time up there!

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