PA46-350P – Summer 2007
‘JR’ Runs a large construction company and plant hire business based in central London. Whilst he looked for a ‘full time’ pilot I stepped into the role. GJCAR was a well equipped and very attractive PA46 with relatively low hours and excellent maintenance history.
I had been recommended for the job by MCA Ltd at Shoreham (The UK Piper Dealer). Most of the flying was to be based into/out of Elstree but I was able to position the aircraft back to Fowlmere to enable me to be ‘home’ based.
I started at the end of June with an Elstree to Lyon trip and then onto Cannes for a couple of days aboard ‘JR’s motor yacht! Seemed a good start and a chance to ensure the aircraft was working properly; which it was.
Thereafter the workload increased with flights to Galway, Connaught and Weston in Ireland with JR and sometimes clients. Connaught became a frequent destination on a Friday evening as JR had a house there. I had an ‘arrangement’ whereby I could land, disembark pax and depart back to Fowlmere without having to ‘shut down’. The trip averaged 2hrs 30 ‘westbound’ and generally 2hrs ‘eastbound’ assuming ‘normal’ weather patterns. I was accumulating hours fast. On ‘race day’ at Galway I actually went there and back and then there and back the same day; 7hrs flying! Flights followed to Lorient, Paderborn (Germany) and Kassel. This being for a ‘new’ pilot to complete training on the aircraft.
It was actually a relief to hand over the job to the new pilot as the schedule could be quite demanding and I was also running ‘Modern Air’ and filling in as required although I must stress I was very well looked after and if it were not for my other responsibilities this could have been a ‘dream job’!
The episode reinforced my belief that the Malibu was excellent ‘personal’ transport with great cruise speed (generally 200KTAS) at altitudes above most of the weather in pressurised comfort. Something which greatly reduces fatigue on longer sectors. It had good range and was easy to handle, especially with the speed brake option that GJCAR had. This enabled descents with less risk of shock cooling the engine and especially useful when ‘late’ descent clearances were given. The sectors to and from Ireland would have been difficult to achieve by scheduled transport within the time frame and flexibility constraints of a very busy businessman. Often arriving 1600hrs by car at Elstree, airborne 15mins later and a couple of hours later arriving in Connaught.
