GE90-94B jet engine in flight

We flew from Lima to Amsterdam on Monday, in the back of a KLM airlines Boeing 777-200ER. The flight is 12.5 hours nonstop, with a good chunk of that over the Atlantic Ocean.

The airplane happens to have GE90-94B jet engines on it, which I worked on briefly when I was with GE in Durham, NC. Most of my work there was on the “small engines”, the CFM56 and CF34-10. At any rate, when I was with GE the GE90-94B was considered the “old” engine, because our shop was transitioning to the newer, more powerful GE90-115B engines for the 777-200LR and -300ER. In the airline world of course the -94B engine is still considered very “new”, when compared to engines like a CF6 or RB211 which are based on decades-old technology.

The fan on a GE90, which produces the thrust for the airplane, is made of plastic. GE calls it composite, to sound more fancy scientific and help the parts-guy at the airlines get over the pricetag when ordering new fanblades, but to a mundane person, it’s just plastic

GE90 jet engine

GE90-94B in flight

FAA CFI/IA in Europe

Just a quick note to readers in Europe… I’ll be in Belgium for most of December and through January, mostly to spend the holidays with family but I’ll have some time available for flying.

If anyone’s looking for an FAA licensed flight instructor (CFII/MEI) or ferry pilot in Europe, please contact me via email (ward DOT welvaert AT gmail DOT com). I’ll be available for flight reviews, instrument proficiency checks (IPC), ferry flights, training, etc.

220kts.com

I got around to updating my website at 220kts.com in the past few days, and I’m quite happy with the final product, if I may say so myself

220kts.com

So head over to 220kts.com and let me know what you think!

Aerial pictures of “The Swamp”

Caught a few shots of “The Swamp”, the football stadium at University of Florida, as we were flying into Gainesville (GNV) this morning.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field

The Swamp

Landing at GNV

Here’s a video of our touch and go Cessna 182 landing at Gainesville (GNV) this morning. The original is on Karl’s Youtube channel.

We were flying Karl’s Cessna C182 for a little joyride and he shot the video on his iPhone coming back for landing at Gainesville.

In Florida

Went flying with my friend Karl this morning. Made a few landings at Keystone (42J), Williston (X60), and a few on the grass strip at “Flying Ten” (0J8) before returning to Gainesville (GNV). Karl has a great Cessna C182 and wanted to get a little practice flying from the right seat, since he’s going to take his flight instructor rating sometime in the future.

Flying in a C182

My friend Karl in his C182

How to become an airline pilot

Here’s some advice if you’re interested in a career as an airline pilot…

I remember when I was 4 or 5, both my brother and I wanted to be farmers – like all little boys, we wanted to drive those big tractors. Then for reasons I don’t recall I changed my mind and wanted to be a train engineer. I was convinced I found my calling. But then the train engineers union held a protracted strike when I was maybe 6 or 7, so I started to think, what else could I do that involves operating a big machine and lots of switches? Hey… I could be a pilot !!!

For the rest of my childhood and adolescence, I was convinced, nothing could change my mind: I would be an airline pilot. Only, I’m not. So here is some essential advice on how to start a career as an airline pilot:

Do the exact opposite of everything I’ve done in the past 20 years or so

Here’s some highlights:

• Timing. I learned to fly in 1991, right after the demise of Eastern Air Lines and Pan Am.
• Skip college, my superior flying skill was all I needed.
• If there are no airline jobs, just start your own air cargo business.

I could go on…

Funny thing is, I’m happy doing what I do now, and I’ve had a lot of great experiences along the way. As the story of my life has gone, I may end up flying for an airline when I least expect it, and that would be okay too – but I don’t miss it now.

At the end of the day, it was silly of me to think about a career as an airline pilot without having a college degree or military pilot experience, although I did go back to college many years later and for entirely different reasons. But if you want to be an airline pilot, those 2 things completely take precedence over anything else: military flight experience and a college degree. And let things come to you, if you’re like me and picked the worst time in history to get into flying, just stick with it, fly as an instructor or contract pilot and eventually the industry will pick up. Waiting a few years seemed like eternity when I was younger, now my concept of time has changed entirely.

Finally, many airline pilots I’ve met over the years didn’t seem to enjoy their jobs all that well, so don’t forget to enjoy what you’re doing. Even though I thought I was just biding my time to an airline career, in my case the journey turned out to be better than the intended destination

Accelerated 10-day instrument rating training

I offer accelerated, 10-day instrument rating training, conducted on your location anywhere in the US or in beautiful Myrtle Beach, SC.

I cater to busy professionals and aircraft owners who wish to receive instrument training in their own aircraft. My goal is to train students to a high degree of instrument proficiency, expose them to real world flight experience and up-to-date technology.

Accelerated training:

Accelerated instrument training clearly is a superior alternative to the 9-12 month process of obtaining an instrument rating if you visit your local flight school once a week. With accelerated training you save both time and money, plus you learn from an experienced instructor with plenty of real-world instrument experience.

While not difficult when given the proper training, neither flying an airplane on instruments nor instrument procedures are intuitive. If you visit your local flight school two or three times per month you will soon find yourself re-learning the same things you practiced only a month or two earlier. Instrument rating training is much more effective when conducted in a dedicated course, so you can focus on continuously improving your skill level instead of re-learning the basics every other week.

Prerequisites:

While I can work with students of any background and experience level, to complete the instrument rating training in 10 days the following prerequisites are necessary:

• Hold at least a Private Pilot’s certificate and current medical.
• Have passed the FAA instrument knowledge test.
• Have logged at least 50 cross country flight time as PIC.

Cost:

10-day accelerated instrument rating training:

• $3,000 + your airplane
• or: $3,000 + airplane at cost from FBO
• See comparable program costs here

Cost does not include examiner fee (~$350) which is payable directly to the FAA designated examiner, or travel expenses if conducted on location.

Ward Welvaert
919 889 9208
ward DOT welvaert AT gmail DOT com

Airplane repossession

Whether you’re a bank or private individual, recovering an airplane from a default can be a challenge. I can assist with the entire process of airplane repossession and sale, in a safe and efficient manner, to protect the secured parties in the event of a default on an airplane loan.

Airplane repossession:

• Because time is of the essence I will dedicate myself to your mission from start to finish, on short notice as required.
• As a full-time contract pilot I do not have to work around a “day job”, so I won’t leave your airplane until the job is finished.
• A distressed airplane may require maintenance support before it can be safely and legally flown and sold. As a licensed A&P and IA mechanic, I can ensure a safe and legal flight to prevent any additional loss for the secured parties.

In today’s challenging economy, the ability to recover a defaulted airplane quickly, safely and legally can be of crucial importance for banks, lenders and insurance companies. If you need an aircraft repo pilot to assist with airplane repossession, please contact me to discuss your mission.

International ferry flight

I’ve been fortunate to get a lot of international experience. I’ve flown in Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America in addition to the US and Canada. I have also traveled extensively and I am very comfortable in different cultures.

In Trujillo, Peru

International ferry flights, airplane deliveries or repossession often require maintenance support, import/export certificates, etc. Having both a maintenance background as well as strong international experience can be critical advantages. In addition, since I do freelance work full-time, you do not need to worry about leaving the mission half-finished to return to a “day job”.

I’m not fluent in Spanish, but I speak enough to get by in Latin America. I am fluent in Dutch as well as English.

If you are looking for a contract pilot for international ferry flights in Latin America or Europe, please contact me to discuss your mission.