Advice on private jet charter please...

That's a pretty good deal but are they renting a Turbo Cirrus?

I think the OP will need the plane away for more than a week or 2 if he only needs to fly a couple times a year.

 

I sent it to you via text. Let me know if you did not get it.

 

Mark, this is the same deal my local club expressed to me, although in fairness to Jason we were discussing the non-turbo Cirrus. I know that they have some turbo models and it might be the same but I don't know if that's for sure or not.

Regardless, we have two other clubs with similar deals although I am not sure what the equipment choices are.

 

No, but I can't think of a rental company that I researched when I was looking for a club to join that didn't have a similar rule. It's actually the reason I don't get up more with my club; the availability of the planes sucks. My schedule does not allow me to book several weeks in advance.



Mark

 

Great location! My house was 3 blocks up the hill @ Monte Verde.
And you're right too about temps in the valley.....easily 20º higher most days, and sunshine too when the "marine layer" is thick on Carmelo....;-)

 

Best advice in this thread!

Commercial or charter may be the OP's best solution, inconveniences considered....

 

you could just give me the car and I could drive you ,there and back every year ,im would charge you less

 

Cirrus??? for 2 adults, a kid and 2 dogs plus luggage for weeks?

Does that work?

 

The charter operators who own their own airplanes are often the worst. They are most likely to skimp on maintenance and everything else due to the low ROI if you have to pay for the airplane.

The best ones are management companies (like Solairus and EJM, as I mentioned before) who manage airplanes and do some charter with them for owners who would like to offset some of their expenses, get a tax deduction, etc. Those guys do it the right way.

You're right about the brokers-- years ago, I used to fly a Falcon 50, and we had a customer we flew a lot, who came through a broker. He switched brokers twice, and it was always us who came and picked him up! I think eventually he figured it out and started to call our company directly.

I should add that if you are worried about the cost and trying to justify it versus commercial, just forget it-- it's not for you. You simply can't justify it on practical grounds, any more than you can justify owning a Ferrari versus a Chevy Malibu from a cost and utility perspective.

 

interesting - never thought about it that way. will solarius and ejm talk directly to small potatoes like us?

 

I'm sure they would be happy to. Google is your friend...

 

I do accept that this is the case. I figure I would probably have to fly every week just to feel comfortable.

 

You need a more capable plane Rob. When weather becomes an issue, altitude is the secret. Buy airplanes with altitude capability and you will worry less.
They also are easier to fly but don't tell anyone

Mark

 

I always file at 380- 410 and always get those altitudes even on the shorter flights to New Orleans. Above all weather (well, most all of the weather - the other I can circumnavigate) and ease of use. Weather becomes quite manageable with a jet and its altitude capability.

 

No question that altitude capability is the biggest thing the Mustang has going for it.

 

I do at least one non stop coast to coast a month in the Pilatus at FL270 or FL280 and weather has not hindered me once. I've also flown from Canada to Argentina and few times and all points in between and weather has not hindered me once.

My usual routes of ATL to NYC, Chicago and South florida ATC keeps all GA aircraft low for most of the flight. You can file FL410 but you won't stay there long. I fly VFR ATL to Miami all the time because going above FL180 makes the flight a lot longer. I've flown VFR non stop ATL to Aspen. No big deal and it was faster.

Flying higher is great but you still need to climb and descend through lower altitudes to take off and land. So, you're not really "flying high".

 

Renting a Cirrus probably won't work. You will need a turbo to get to California, but while the people can put on the oxygen, the dogs can't. With pets you better keep the cabin under 12k and they better be young.

Art

 

time to altitude is a critical calculation, it is an element that early Citations got embarrassed with constantly, including their own 441 turbo prop was faster on the "shorter" legs where enough time could NOT be spent to overcome the loss of time and distance while climbing to altitude... I have personally contributed to their embarrassment... there are times when getting high has no payback

 

It's not just "time to climb" but also what ATC will allow you to do.

When I fly Atlanta to Teterboro NJ I only file to 21K' because they're going to have me a 13k' at Washington DC with an hour of flying still to go. That's all GA traffic going to TEB. Same goes for OPF in Miami and MDW in Chicago and back into Atlanta. It's just the nature of the beast.

This is why a lot of planes that were designed around "top speed" only have taken such a hit in the market. The skies are crowded. ATC doesn't give direct climbs and direct descents anymore. You don't get what you file.

 

"Flying ove the weather" is a very lose term in my book. There's plenty of weather out there that nobody can fly over. There's no plane that will "always be over the weather". I've been on top at 10K or 20K or 45K. You never know. Plus, you still have to climb and descend through weather.

I agree mid to high teens are a great place to be in a turbo piston. I always cruised 14k to 17k in my Bonanza. I still use those altitudes a lot in the Pilatus.

 

I wouldn't fly with a dog, fyi.

Art, next time I'm in Norcal, I am going to call you and maybe we can go up so I can see what it's like there.

 

The Atlanta TCA at one time had turbine arrival and departure procedure. approach kept the plane at altitude approx 12-15000, then 5000 at airport environment to traverse TCA before turning over to tower for max performance decent, and in reverse for departures... the one on the east side was "Romeo 1" if memory is correct... it avoided all the vectoring... I liked it, many pilots didn't ... the controllers got to know me where they automatically set me up when conditions permitted