The author's first day as a Learjet First Officer is a challenging yet exhilarating experience, marked by significant inexperience with the aircraft's advanced systems and rapid performance, despite his extensive prior flight hours.
Captain Mike Bronisz plays a crucial role, demonstrating immense patience and expertise in guiding the new FO through every step of the flight, from pre-flight setup to landing, effectively flying the Learjet as a single pilot for much of the journey.
The author quickly realizes the stark differences and steep learning curve involved in operating a Learjet compared to his previous aircraft, highlighting the demanding nature and precision required for the new role.
Despite the struggles, exhaustion, and feeling like an "intern," the author feels a profound sense of accomplishment and pride in his new "dream-come-true" career in private aviation.
(December 2011) It is ungodly hot. Sweat cascades off of me; rivulets of perspiration form at the temple, and when I look down, they coalesce into drops that drip into my glasses. I am raining myself into a pair of bifocals. As an unhappy result, I can’t see, much less organize, the flight management system on the Lear 31.
This is a shame, as it is my first day at work.
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Dick Karl is a cancer surgeon who appreciates the beauty and science involved in both surgery and flying. Dick’s monthly Gear Up celebrates the human side of flying. He writes about his enthusiasm for both the machines and the people who fly and maintain them.
