{"id":9406,"date":"2019-12-05T11:30:05","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T17:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=9406"},"modified":"2019-12-05T11:23:46","modified_gmt":"2019-12-05T17:23:46","slug":"sky-high","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2019\/12\/05\/sky-high\/","title":{"rendered":"Sky High"},"content":{"rendered":"

AREA BUSINESSMEN FIND STRESS RELIEF & BUSINESS\u00a0<\/span>OPPORTUNITIES IN PILOTING<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

By Brad Goins<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Joe Whitbeck, Tim Castle and Justin Holt
Photo By Chris Brennan \u2022 chrisbrennanphoto.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Aviation is an ideal topic for a section on business and industry. Central to the field are such key business concepts as the need for capital, hard work and job opportunities.<\/p>\n

Whether one is learning to pilot for fun or profit, you can\u2019t become a pilot without having some capital. Nor can you do it without mastering the skills of working hard and putting in long hours.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, piloting is a huge overarching industry that\u2019s an umbrella for a host of aviation industries, many of which the public is entirely unaware of. The compensation for working in these industries is lucrative. And quite a few of them are short of employees at present.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the ways in which piloting has affected the professional and personal lives of several area businessmen.<\/p>\n

Nick Landry<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lake Charles native Nick Landry is an airline pilot. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty much all business,\u201d says Landry, \u201cbut it\u2019s still fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like others in this story, he\u2019s drawn to the challenge of flying. And, he says, \u201cit\u2019s somewhat of an escape. You\u2019re so focused on flying; you\u2019re enjoying the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Joe Whitbeck\u2019s 1977 CESSNA 177RG
Photo By Chris Brennan \u2022 ChrisBrennanPhoto.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Landry has a \u201cvivid memory\u201d of going to the Lake Charles Regional Airport when he was a young child to greet his father when he returned from trips. He saw the planes and decided early on what he wanted to do with his future. He started taking flying lessons once or twice a month at the age of 14.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At a later age, he would train for his various flight certificates at Louisiana Tech. \u201cEverything I had went into that. It took a while. It was a money pit for five years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Landry grew up in Lake Charles. But he\u2019s now based in Houston. He doesn\u2019t see much point in buying a permanent house as he\u2019s continually flying all over the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As for the job, \u201ceverything\u2019s very standardized. Everyone\u2019s trained to do the job the same way.\u201d And even though every airline pilot knows the job, they still use a checklist.<\/p>\n

Landry experienced a bit of a \u201cshock\u201d when he became aware of \u201call the different personalities you come in contact with\u201d as an airline pilot. \u201cI\u2019m sitting in a tiny box with some guy. We\u2019ve got to get along for two days.\u201d Most of his co-pilots are amenable. But once in a while, he must tolerate one who is not.<\/p>\n

Even with all the flying he does for his job, Landry will take the occasional flight on his own and \u201cgo where he likes.\u201d In his spare time, he stays immersed in the field of flight, watching aviation-related movies and reading books about World War II \u201cwar birds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe Whitbeck<\/strong><\/p>\n

When he was four years old, Joe Whitbeck developed a solid understanding of what his father did as an Air Force mechanic in Korea. In later years, Whitbeck\u2019s dad used his skills to combine two Aircoupes to make one plane. Father and son flew around the country in the plane \u2014 going to airshows, looking at planes and talking to pilots. Whitbeck recalls the \u201cjoy\u201d of watching his father fly.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

View of San Francisco from the cockpit
of Lake Charles native and commercial
airline pilot Nick Landry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

As a youth, Whitbeck also flew as a passenger on commercial flights to visit relatives in Albany, N.Y. He realized he \u201cloved commercial planes.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he moved into his professional life, his hobby of choice was golf. But recently, Whitbeck, who is now 56, decided his body was no longer able to give him the quality of game that he wanted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And so he decided to learn to fly. At the age of 55.<\/p>\n

Whitbeck says that golfing and flying have one thing in common: they\u2019re \u201cnot for the person on a budget.\u201d One has to rent planes and pay flight instructors. And many, many hours of instruction will have to be paid for. Whitbeck says it took him a \u201csolid year\u201d to get his Private Pilot\u2019s License.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not always easy to secure the services of a Certified Flight Instructor, or CFI. There\u2019s a great demand for them, and there aren\u2019t always enough to go around. Many CFIs only work part-time and have other jobs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lake Charles native Nick Landry is a commercial\u00a0airline pilot based out of Houston.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Whitbeck says that to get his Private Pilot\u2019s License he had to go to three CFIs at two airports.<\/p>\n

Whitbeck took a long road to get his \u201cticket,\u201d or Private Pilot\u2019s License. After flying many required hours with a CFI, he had to spend a set number of hours flying solo and then another set number flying maneuvers. After that, he had to take a \u201ccheck ride\u201d with a CFII (Certified Flight Instructor\u2014Instrument). Then, after passing an oral test, he was given a flight test. As long as he flies, he must get a CFI check and a health exam every two years.<\/p>\n

Whitbeck estimates he spent $13,000 getting his pilot\u2019s license. But he wasn\u2019t finished. He bought partnerships in two planes: a Cessna 182 and a Cessna Cardinal 177. Since the price tag for an airplane is so high, groups of pilots often contribute to the overall price and become part-owners. \u201cYou pretty much need to own a business to own a plane,\u201d says Whitbeck.<\/p>\n

With his Private Pilot\u2019s License, Whitbeck can have no more than three passengers in a plane he\u2019s piloting. And he can\u2019t pilot for hire. But he seems happy enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fly for enjoyment,\u201d he says. \u201cI do joy rides. I practice my maneuvers.\u201d Flying gives him a sense of freedom. While he finds take-off and landing \u201cstressful,\u201d he also finds them exhilarating. And he enjoys bringing family members or \u201cpeople who don\u2019t know about flight\u201d into his plane.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

View of Sierra Nevada Mountain Range from the cockpit of\u00a0Lake Charles native and commercial airline pilot Nick Landry<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Whitbeck is also highly appreciative of what he sees as a tremendous practical benefit of flying. \u201cIt\u2019s not fun to drive eight hours somewhere,\u201d he says. In the past, Whitbeck sometimes made an 11-hour drive to a location in Oklahoma. Now he flies the distance in three hours. He recently flew to New Orleans in an hour; ate a po-boy; then flew back to Lake Charles in an hour. Flying, says Whitbeck, is \u201coften a timesaver.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are ways to shave dollars off the costs of piloting. Whitbeck notes that the GI Bill will pay for the costs of training with CFIs. \u201cWe hope some young kids get involved with training,\u201d he says. The need is pressing. \u201cThere\u2019s a huge shortage of community pilots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whitbeck asserts that \u201cthere are a lot of businessmen in town who fly.\u201d Indeed, during the course of our interview, he told me that one local businessman, Tim Castle, had gotten his Private Pilot\u2019s License just half an hour earlier.<\/p>\n

Tim Castle<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tim Castle deliberated for a long time before he decided to try to get his license. He felt that the process of getting a license was so demanding that a license would be \u201cunobtainable.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Joe Whitbeck after completing his first solo flight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But he eventually took the plunge and began his training at Plane Simple at the Lake Charles Regional Airport.<\/p>\n

At first, he did find it a real challenge to grasp the material he was studying. When he prepared for the FAA written test he would eventually have to take, he found that mastering all the FAA terminology was \u201clike learning a foreign language.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At a certain point, his flight instructor suggested it was time to stop studying and start flying. \u201cHow will it make sense if you don\u2019t fly?\u201d he asked Castle.<\/p>\n

The student learned his teacher was correct. \u201cI started flying. I put all the pieces of the puzzle together.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Castle met the traditional requirement of 40 hours of flight, he still was not comfortable with all the maneuvers he was expected to do. He wanted to keep doing them until he reached a level of comfort. By the time he got his license, he had flown 50 hours with his instructor (what\u2019s known as \u201cdual control\u201d) and 25 hours on his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou learn the best when you fly by yourself,\u201d says Castle. He feels that flying solo is less stressful because the pilot isn\u2019t required to deal with the frequent suggestions of an instructor. When he makes a misstep on his own, he finds himself thinking, \u201cI won\u2019t make that mistake again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Joe Whitbeck after flying a C172 trainer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Castle was finally finished with all his instruction when an FAA instructor gave him an oral exam and went with him on a check ride. Castle was officially a private pilot.<\/p>\n

Castle confirmed that he paid a high price to get the pilot\u2019s license. \u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous what we pay for it. But at the end of the day, it\u2019s our rest, our relaxation, our sanity. You can\u2019t put a price on that …\u201d Flying can substitute for hobbies that no longer exist or no longer satisfy. \u201cThe population has changed. Hunting leases aren\u2019t available. You can only go to the gym so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Castle enjoys the camaraderie shared by private pilots in the area. These pilots tend to congregate around the FBO \u2014 fixed base operations \u2014 at the Lake Charles Regional Airport. They get to the FBO without having to go through the terminal. At the FBO they can hang out, chat, fuel up. Of the FBO pilots, Castle says, \u201cwe\u2019re all businesspeople.\u201d<\/p>\n

Castle feels that the biggest problem with the local aviation industry is lack of hangar space. He says that most local pilots go to the FBO at the Regional Airport simply because they live close to it. But he thinks that if Chennault built \u201cT-hangars\u201d designed for private pilots, pilots would go to Chennault.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love Chennault,\u201d he says. Pilots are quite pleased with the experience of landing on Chennault\u2019s super-wide runway. Castle feels Chennault would derive financial benefit from having many pilots fuel up on its premises. More to the point, it would be \u201cgetting the right people [affluent businessmen pilots] out there …\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tim Castle (right) with his flight instructor Frank Lopez.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

And, he says, if Chennault held \u201cfly-ins,\u201d it would be \u201cgetting business people from around the state.\u201d A fly-in is an event at which many pilots fly in and congregate with each other. Often, food is served.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beaumont has a fly-in once every quarter. Castle tells of gathering with other pilots at the FBO and watching as one local pilot after another takes off for the Beaumont fly-in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Castle sees fly-ins as an ideal way of getting young people interested in a career in aviation. \u201cYou\u2019re cultivating a group of future pilots,\u201d he says, with the ultimate objective of establishing \u201ca sustainable group of pilots.\u201d<\/p>\n

All the pilots I spoke with for the story find great personal satisfaction in flying. Castle says that when you fly, \u201cyou get to leave the stress of life on the ground.\u201d You get the satisfaction that comes from being able to navigate \u201cfrom point A to B.\u201d People fly because they like to; \u201cwhen you\u2019re flying, you enjoy aviation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says pilots get to see the earth from a \u201cnew perspective.\u201d The earth loses the dominance, size and imposing presence it has for drivers. \u201cWhen you take off [from the Lake Charles Regional Airport],\u201d says Castle, \u201cyou see Carlyss immediately.\u201d You notice just how much water there is in Southwest Louisiana.<\/p>\n

And Castle appreciates the fact that flying is an activity he can share with family and friends. \u201cWe fly and just enjoy the beautiful day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson Brown<\/strong><\/p>\n

When DeRidder\u2019s Wilson Brown went to Louisiana Tech, he started off studying forestry. A student in one of Brown\u2019s general classes told him about her experiences in the school\u2019s aviation program. Brown was so intrigued that he didn\u2019t just enroll in an aviation class. He changed his major to aviation.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tim Castle\u2019s view from a recent flight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

After 11 months of work, he obtained his Private Pilot\u2019s License.<\/p>\n

He was devoted to his new field of study. \u201cOnce you get behind the \u2018yoke\u2019 [also known as the control wheel] it gets in your blood. There\u2019s a whole culture behind it.\u201d The community of local pilots, he says, is \u201ctight-knit.\u201d And the field of aviation offers \u201cwonderful career opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never looked back,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Brown estimates he spent $20,000 before he could obtain his basic Private Pilot\u2019s License. Piloting, he says, \u201cis expensive. It\u2019s a big dedication. It\u2019s a huge time commitment. There\u2019s a lot of learning. You can\u2019t [practice flying] once a month.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown established the Propell Air flight school in DeRidder in July, 2018. The school operates out of Beauregard Regional Airport in an office that became available at the time when Brown wanted to start the school. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t a whole lot of headache in starting\u201d the business.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wilson Brown behind the \u201cyoke.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Brown points out that many CFIs are working their way up the long ladder that will eventually make them pilots for an airline. He feels a great deal of trepidation about taking that approach. Just for starters, he doesn\u2019t want to let down his students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe students are at the mercy of us. I want to make sure that I finish all the students who started with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he finds substantial perks in being a flight instructor. \u201cI am my own boss. I really enjoy teaching. I create the learning environments.\u201d<\/p>\n

He admits that he does \u201cwork very long hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown says the country is presently experiencing \u201cone of the greatest aviation booms since World War II.\u201d The reason is simple \u2014 the \u201cairlines suck up pilots.\u201d But Wilson wants people to know that the overall aviation industry is eager to fill a wide variety of posts that provide a very good paycheck. There are, he says, \u201cso many opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is this great, high-paying industry out there. There are so many [piloting] opportunities outside the military and airlines that people don\u2019t know about.\u201d There\u2019s a need for those who can do high (forest fire patrol) flying or crop dusting. Louisiana alone has 13 planes it uses for fire fighting. There\u2019s a lack of aviation maintenance workers; Sowela offers coursework in the trade.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And of course, we\u2019ve seen over and over in this story that there\u2019s a need for Certified Flight Instructors. Brown feels there are three different types of instructors. First, there are those who are \u201cbuilding time\u201d and \u201cworking hard\u201d with the objective of ultimately becoming an airline pilot. Second, there are professional CFIs, such as Brown. Third, there are CFIs who are retired, working part-time or instructing as a hobby. \u201cThey\u2019re great instructors,\u201d says Brown. They\u2019re doing the job because they want to; not because they feel they have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been one of the greatest industries.\u201d In its 106-year history, \u201cit\u2019s made leaps and bounds greater than any other industry.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re one of the lucky people who can pilot solely as a hobby, Brown is behind you. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the most fun hobbies,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s extremely rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alex Kerbow<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alex Kerbow became interested in flying at the young age of 14 when he chatted with a pilot he sat next to on a mission trip from DeRidder to Honduras. \u201cEver since then I\u2019ve been hooked on it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Alex Kerbow and Steve Thompson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

At the age of 15 he started taking flying lessons; at 16 he was soloing and at 17 he got his private pilot\u2019s license. Some might think this was rapid progress. But Kerbow says, \u201cI kind of took my time. I had time to kill.\u201d<\/p>\n

After he got his license, Kerbow met Steve Thompson, a professor at McNeese State University. Thompson was a skydiver at the time, and was a member of the Parapokes team that parachutes into Cowboy Stadium for each McNeese football home game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thompson told Kerbow the Parapokes needed a pilot to fly them into the stadium, and Kerbow gladly agreed to do the job.<\/p>\n

As time went by, Thompson got Kerbow into skydiving and Kerbow got Thompson into piloting. Eventually, they both got their certified flying instructor licenses. Thompson proposed the two start a flight school.<\/p>\n

At the time, there was a flight instruction school at the Lake Charles Regional Airport, but it was running out of steam. Kerbow and Thompson acquired the building and two airplanes. The Plane Simple flight school opened in April, 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been extremely busy with the pilot shortage,\u201d says Kerbow. He describes the shortage as \u201cmassive.\u201d Airlines are paying his flight school from $50,000 to $70,000 to take a prospective pilot through the training process. \u201cThey\u2019re desperate\u201d to get pilots, he says.<\/p>\n

Soon, Kerbow will receive his bachelor\u2019s in mechanical engineering. But he will continue with his work in the flight school. \u201cWe have no intentions of stopping anytime soon,\u201d he says. The only thing keeping the school from buying more planes is its own lack of flight instructors.<\/p>\n

Busy as he is, Kerbow says that \u201cevery couple of weeks, I\u2019ll fly for pure enjoyment and to keep myself grounded.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says the same thing about flying that all the others say: \u201cIt\u2019s stress relief. You have to focus on what you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerbow wants the public to know that people who want to learn to fly can do so. \u201cPeople think it\u2019s unachievable. Average, everyday people can learn to fly. It\u2019s more affordable than they think.\u201d He suggests that those who are considering learning but have doubts call a flight instructor. Kerbow says instructors are more than happy to answer any questions put to them.<\/p>\n

Justin Holt<\/strong><\/p>\n

Justin Holt is an executive vice president with Lakeside Bank. He\u2019s spent the last seven to eight months working on getting his pilot\u2019s license.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Justin Holt and wife Kallie during a recent flight with friends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

He\u2019s \u201calways had an interest in aviation.\u201d As a young boy, he liked to watch airplanes as they flew through the sky.<\/p>\n

He discussed this lingering interest with his wife, and last year, she encouraged him to start working towards his license. She told him it was a good idea to do something he was passionate about.<\/p>\n

Holt stayed in his flight training because it was a challenge. \u201cI love a challenge,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He says he\u2019s in the \u201cfinal stage\u201d of getting his license. But time, he says, is his enemy. He thinks that if he could devote two or three solid days to flying, he\u2019d be in a position to take his check flight and officially become a pilot. But with four children, a block of two or three days is hard to find. There\u2019s football every Friday night; school activities on the other nights.<\/p>\n

Hours of solo flight have led him to experience extremely positive elements of the pursuit. \u201cIt\u2019s a stress release for me,\u201d he says. He notes that as an outdoorsman, he has long experienced the serenity of being in woods. Flying, he says, \u201cis a multiple of that.\u201d It gives him a sense of \u201ccalmness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Technological Innovation<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2019, all industry is affected, to a greater or lesser degree, by cyber technology. GPS technology is rapidly changing the nature of piloting.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s planes are exponentially safer than the planes of 15 to 20 years ago,\u201d says Whitbeck.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

View of Houston from the plane flying the Holts and their friends to a recent Astros playoff game.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast equipment \u2014 or ADS-B \u2014 sends meticulously detailed information about a plane and its flight to air traffic controllers. The equipment exists in two forms: ADS-B Out and ADS-B In.<\/p>\n

ADS-B Out sends information about a plane\u2019s air speed, altitude and location. It shows other planes where the plane is located. This data is transmitted once a second, compared to up to once every 15 seconds for radar.<\/p>\n

ADS-B In is the receiver for all data that is transmitted. It posts the data on the screen of a device that\u2019s the size of a tablet. This receiver is called the EFB \u2014 for \u201celectronic flight bag.\u201d It got this name because it replaced the 37-pound bag of manuals and charts that pilots previously had to lug into their cockpits. Anyone who is willing to pay for ADS-B In technology can use it in his plane.<\/p>\n

As of Jan. 1, 2020, most airplanes in the U.S. will be required to fly with ADS-B technology.<\/p>\n

For eight years, the Garmin corporation worked on a device that would land an airplane if the pilot became incapacitated or if the weather was too severe to permit a pilot to land. Suppose the lone pilot of a small plane has a severe heart attack. The Garmin Autoland will fly the plane from a cruising altitude to a nearby runway. It will then land the plane, apply the brakes and turn off the engine. It can also operate anti-icing or de-icing systems if the pilot is unable to.<\/p>\n

Whitbeck says revolutionary innovations such as these are \u201cdriven by the economy.\u201d People place a premium on the dozens of valuable uses of planes and will pay the price to keep aviation in the forefront of American business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AREA BUSINESSMEN FIND STRESS RELIEF & BUSINESS\u00a0OPPORTUNITIES IN PILOTING\u00a0 By Brad Goins Aviation is an ideal topic for a section on business and industry. Central to the field are such key business concepts as the need for capital, hard work and job opportunities. Whether one is learning to pilot for fun or profit, you can\u2019t [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9407,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2147,38,1695,4,2142,2144,2145,2148,2143,2146],"yoast_head":"\nSky High - BestOfSwla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2019\/12\/05\/sky-high\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sky High - BestOfSwla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"AREA BUSINESSMEN FIND STRESS RELIEF & BUSINESS\u00a0OPPORTUNITIES IN PILOTING\u00a0 By Brad Goins Aviation is an ideal topic for a section on business and industry. Central to the field are such key business concepts as the need for capital, hard work and job opportunities. 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