freightdoggie
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2003
- Posts
- 127
Welcome to Flightinfo.com
- Register now and join the discussion
- Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
- Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
- Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
- Share the passion for aviation
- Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun
Nascar Pilots Life
- Thread starter freightdoggie
- Start date
- Watchers 3
Welcome to Flightinfo.com
- Register now and join the discussion
- Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
- Invite your friends
- Share the passion of aviation
- Friendliest aviation community on the web
KingAirGuy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2001
- Posts
- 52
NASCAR Air
Having flown for a Race team since 1998, I think I have a pretty good handel on it. All depends on who you work for. SOme guys who fly for drivers have it great. Some don't. Pay is all over the place, again depending on who you work for. Schedule can be brutal! Your a part 91 guy living on a cell phone and a beeper. Everything is subject to change. (and does)
Ok I mostly fly the road crew in a KingAir 200 (although sometimes in the jet and some times the driver and family and some times both) A typical week will start on Thursday. Aircraft needs to be standing by ready to depart at JQF (Concord Regional) no later than 1500. We plan on departing around 1600 but maybe early maybe late. We may get caught in a ground hold due to sector saturation from Charlotte. Ok crew shows up, we blast off on what ever crap route the FAA has made the Perfered route (normally about 175 to 200 miles longer than direct) A lot of guys just cruise at 17500 and say screw IFR. You get to the destination, crew jumps into rental cars and is off to the hotel.
Now is where it depends. You may a) get a car and go to the hotel, b) preposition the aircraft someplace else and do a trip on Friday c) stand by and fly someone back to JQF
Normally (not always) you get to the track location late Friday evening. Now it again depends here. If the folks you work for get you a Hard Card or a Liscence you can go to the track and hang out. (I normally do as I like the sport and get fed very well at the track) Race day the hotel room expires at Noon the race normally starts around 12300 to 1330. Our SOP is you have to have the aircraft ready to go and filed by race start time. Now depending on proximity of the track to the airfield sometimes I will go watch the start of the race. The big worry is your car will crash and you need to be ready to take off as soon as the crew shows up at the aircraft. Take Daytona or Atlanta for instance, the airfield is across the street from the track. They crash and can be across the street in mins.
After the race (when ever it ends) the real race begins, there are about 150 aircraft all trying to take off at the same time all (well most) going back to the Charlotte area. So take Talledega for example, you can easily sit in line for 45 mins to an hour waiting to get to the runway. The trick is being ready to go and getting the aircraft moving as soon as the door closes.
Bam, your back at JQF and the crew unasses the aircraft as fast as they can. Now you may a) spend the night and depart from JQF in the morning b) preposition the aircraft for an early departure from somewhere else Monday morning c) fly the aircraft back to home base for someone else to fly it Monday.
I did one month where I was gone for 27 days. A lot of them are 18 hour or more duty time (remember its all part 91). The legs aren't that long other than Vegas, Pheonix, Cali and TX, nothing ever over 3hours flight time. You do get a LOT of sitting down someplace waiting to go time.
All of the guys flying for NASCAR are great folks. (you'll meet them every week) for more info go here Race Team Aviation Association Click on the Officers and ask anyone there anything you want to know. As I said, very good people.
Aircraft run all over the place. KingAir 200s are the most flown, however the big teams have 1900s, BE300, BE350, Brasillias, SABBs, all kinds of Citations. Rouch has 3 727s, You will also see G-I, II, III, IV, V (MNBA I think has either 2 or 3 G-Vs they may be G IVs not sure) Falcon 50s, 900s, Challengers, Hawkers. Even Barrons and singles. Anything that can fly does.
Oh, we're all underpaied and overworked. There is a reason we have apps in everywhere we can. If you can fly for a team, it will give you some challenging experiences. Its fun, but you'll never get rich.
I know some folks flying for mid 20s and some in the 80s and everything inbetween. Hope this helps. I only hope SWA hurrys up and gives me an interview. I would Kill for a schedule!
Having flown for a Race team since 1998, I think I have a pretty good handel on it. All depends on who you work for. SOme guys who fly for drivers have it great. Some don't. Pay is all over the place, again depending on who you work for. Schedule can be brutal! Your a part 91 guy living on a cell phone and a beeper. Everything is subject to change. (and does)
Ok I mostly fly the road crew in a KingAir 200 (although sometimes in the jet and some times the driver and family and some times both) A typical week will start on Thursday. Aircraft needs to be standing by ready to depart at JQF (Concord Regional) no later than 1500. We plan on departing around 1600 but maybe early maybe late. We may get caught in a ground hold due to sector saturation from Charlotte. Ok crew shows up, we blast off on what ever crap route the FAA has made the Perfered route (normally about 175 to 200 miles longer than direct) A lot of guys just cruise at 17500 and say screw IFR. You get to the destination, crew jumps into rental cars and is off to the hotel.
Now is where it depends. You may a) get a car and go to the hotel, b) preposition the aircraft someplace else and do a trip on Friday c) stand by and fly someone back to JQF
Normally (not always) you get to the track location late Friday evening. Now it again depends here. If the folks you work for get you a Hard Card or a Liscence you can go to the track and hang out. (I normally do as I like the sport and get fed very well at the track) Race day the hotel room expires at Noon the race normally starts around 12300 to 1330. Our SOP is you have to have the aircraft ready to go and filed by race start time. Now depending on proximity of the track to the airfield sometimes I will go watch the start of the race. The big worry is your car will crash and you need to be ready to take off as soon as the crew shows up at the aircraft. Take Daytona or Atlanta for instance, the airfield is across the street from the track. They crash and can be across the street in mins.
After the race (when ever it ends) the real race begins, there are about 150 aircraft all trying to take off at the same time all (well most) going back to the Charlotte area. So take Talledega for example, you can easily sit in line for 45 mins to an hour waiting to get to the runway. The trick is being ready to go and getting the aircraft moving as soon as the door closes.
Bam, your back at JQF and the crew unasses the aircraft as fast as they can. Now you may a) spend the night and depart from JQF in the morning b) preposition the aircraft for an early departure from somewhere else Monday morning c) fly the aircraft back to home base for someone else to fly it Monday.
I did one month where I was gone for 27 days. A lot of them are 18 hour or more duty time (remember its all part 91). The legs aren't that long other than Vegas, Pheonix, Cali and TX, nothing ever over 3hours flight time. You do get a LOT of sitting down someplace waiting to go time.
All of the guys flying for NASCAR are great folks. (you'll meet them every week) for more info go here Race Team Aviation Association Click on the Officers and ask anyone there anything you want to know. As I said, very good people.
Aircraft run all over the place. KingAir 200s are the most flown, however the big teams have 1900s, BE300, BE350, Brasillias, SABBs, all kinds of Citations. Rouch has 3 727s, You will also see G-I, II, III, IV, V (MNBA I think has either 2 or 3 G-Vs they may be G IVs not sure) Falcon 50s, 900s, Challengers, Hawkers. Even Barrons and singles. Anything that can fly does.
Oh, we're all underpaied and overworked. There is a reason we have apps in everywhere we can. If you can fly for a team, it will give you some challenging experiences. Its fun, but you'll never get rich.
I know some folks flying for mid 20s and some in the 80s and everything inbetween. Hope this helps. I only hope SWA hurrys up and gives me an interview. I would Kill for a schedule!
freightdoggie
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2003
- Posts
- 127
Gulfstream 200
Database Expert
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2002
- Posts
- 4,574
KingAirGuy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2001
- Posts
- 52
User546
The Ultimate Show Stopper
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2004
- Posts
- 1,958
Incidentally, when I was in Tulsa a few days ago, I picked up a magazine entitled "Airliners 'The World's Airline Magazine" that had a great article entitled "NASCAR: Fast Cars, Fast Jets"
It didn't really give much better information then our friend KingAirGuy, but did have lots of photos of the various race teams aircraft, and what its like to have 140+ airplanes coming into town and leaving town at the same time!
For anyone interested, I'd recommend checking it out!
It didn't really give much better information then our friend KingAirGuy, but did have lots of photos of the various race teams aircraft, and what its like to have 140+ airplanes coming into town and leaving town at the same time!
For anyone interested, I'd recommend checking it out!
Share this page
Latest resources
-
-
-
-
-
AC 90-89C - Amateur-Built Aircraft and Ultralight Flight Testing HandbookAmateur-Built Aircraft and Ultralight Flight Testing Handbook
- Neal
- Updated:
