Have you ever seen private jets in a movie or TV show and wondered what it would take to be able to travel that way? Me too. Let me begin today’s post by saying that I do not have that kind of money or connections, but I am slightly familiar with it.
My other half (yes, the one that hates the backpack) works for an aircraft charter and management company. He’s also a pilot- and while he doesn’t fly large cabin jets, he does fly his own smaller plane and he’s an FAA certified multi-engine commercial pilot which allows him to take per diem jobs flying charter planes such as the single-engine turboprop Pilatus. So living with him has afforded me some information on the subject, but I am in no way an expert.
Having a small plane at his disposal means that we can go places for the day that many people would need a weekend to visit and turns a 3-4 hour drive into as little as a 30 minute flight. This was our plan for Saturday- Get up early, hop in the plane, and shoot over to Lancaster, PA. We thought we would have a bite to eat and piddle around for a couple of hours so I could gather some material for this post. If you’re anywhere near the east coast, however, you’ve probably realized that we’re in the middle of a heat wave. Small planes are difficult to operate and can be uncomfortable in extreme temperatures for many different reasons, unlike commercial and luxury planes, so postponement was necessary. Our plans were thwarted, but as luck would have it, he needed to meet one of his company’s flights at the last minute which means I got a sneak peek into what luxury travel looks like.
First of all, although private jets fly into any commercial airport (they board in a different area from commercial flights most of the time), they also have the ability to fly into small airports that you’ve probably driven by without even noticing. We headed to one of these smaller private airports yesterday afternoon. In the scorching heat, we took refuge in the FBO (Fixed Base Operator) while we waited for the plane to land. This is the area where the passengers and crew come to when they land and before they depart. Unlike a commercial airport, there is no TSA at most of these locations, but for those that accept flights from other countries, customs and border patrol is on the field. I must say, it’s much more welcoming and comfortable than commercial airports and if yesterday was any evidence, a lot less crowded.
Once the plane landed on the runway, we made our way into the heat to watch it pull up. I have to admit, it was impressive and once the passengers exited and were well on their way, we approached the plane. Him for work purposes and me for some research.
The crew was super friendly and I got the sense that they all really enjoyed their jobs- unfortunately for research purposes, my other half finished his work quickly and it was time to be on our way, but not before I was able to get a couple of goofy pictures of me (mostly to remember what will probably be a one time event and a little bit to prove to myself that I wasn’t dreaming that beautiful plane). In the future, I’ll try to tag along again and gather more info, but in the meantime, I still have yesterday and the dream of taking my own flight on one of these luxury planes someday.
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