flying Posts

43 States in My Cirrus… Only 5 More to Go!

22 Jul , 2011 No Comments

Brad Pierce Cirrus Flight Map 43 States

Update:  I’ve completed my coast-to-coast adventure!  There’s an new blog post available by clicking here which will take you to a flight map I created using pictures from each of the lower 48 states.  It also includes my commentary on Brad’s Flying Adventure Across America.

Here’s my original posting of this blog entry:

Anyone who knows me knows that I love my Cirrus!  It’s been an incredible business tool which has taken my company to new heights, but it’s also provided an amazing view of our country along the way.  I recently realized that an upcoming business trip out to the far Northwest United States in just a few very short weeks will conclude my journey to all 48 continental states.  I’ve certainly met some great people along the way and have had some incredible adventures.  My Cirrus has not only made these trips possible, but has also made them extremely comfortable and enjoyable beyond what words alone can describe.  I could go into more details, but I’ll save those for my next posting when all 48 are inked in my logbook.  My goal is in sight, my Cirrus is fueled and ready to go.  Soon it will be time to lift off for a slew of successful business meetings and completion of my flight map, reminding me of how fortunate I’ve been to have such an amazing experience.

Feel free to click on the map above to make it larger.

A Perfect Day of Flying

12 Apr , 2011 No Comments

I truly believe that every day I fly my Cirrus Aircraft is a perfect day.  Before I go into the details of my most recent adventure, I’ll start out by sharing the flights that got me to one of the most perfect days of flying ever.

I started in Orlando on Sunday afternoon and headed towards Mississippi.  It was a nice sunny day in Orlando when I left, but quickly turned gray as I approached the Florida border.  A line of storms was pushing through the area which later in the week would become the chaotic storm to hit the Sun ‘n Fun event in Lakeland.  Using the onboard XM weather radar and data feeds on the Garmin Perspective unit, I was able to get a clear view of the challenge ahead.  I considered numerous alternatives to my destination and was able to plot a course that would keep me out of harms way.  Just prior to returning to Orlando on my previous trip, I had been flying extensively throughout Texas so my bird was quite dirty.  I hoped that perhaps I’d get a quick bath along the way to clean it up with some light rain… that didn’t happen though which was actually a very good thing.  I managed to use the vast number of onboard resources on the Garmin system to successfully navigate around the inclement weather and arrive at my destination in Mississippi without so much as a drop of rain hitting the windscreen.  The next leg of my flight took me to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area for a smooth night landing and a safe taxi to the FBO with the assistance of the SafeTaxi system as well as the onboard Enhanced Vision System (EVS) that literally allows you to see in the dark.  The following day took me to Albuquerque, New Mexico.  It was a thrill to be given a landing clearance at 10,000 feet as I passed over the mountain ridge just prior to a steep approach into the airport.  I continued towards Phoenix, Arizona for a conference I was chairing which went off without a hitch.  Upon leaving Phoenix several days later, my final leg westbound was to San Diego, California.  I recently saw a special on TV noting that San Diego is one of the most difficult airports to land at in the United States so I was certainly prepared for an A-game approach.  This time I was given a landing clearance at 12,000 feet… the interesting part is the airport elevation is only 17 feet!  It was a busy, fast decent integrating with the airline traffic, but I was happy to be flying an aircraft that could handle this sort of challenge without a moment of hesitation.  I even received instructions to slow down by final approach as I was gaining on a 737 approaching the field, always a fun radio call for a small aircraft.  As a side note, the control tower allowed me to sidestep the approach for wake turbulence which I appreciated since it kept me in my safety comfort zone.  It continually amazes me how this aircraft is capable of landing at very small backwoods fields, yet can equally hold its own with the “big boys” and not slow down traffic at major international airports.  I was on the ball, ready for a challenging approach… which I kept waiting for… and waiting for… then my wheels made the soft screech onto the runway.  The challenge simply never came to fruition.  The airport approach was quite honestly a piece of cake.  I realize it was much more than pilot skill (although for my own ego purposes, I’d like to think that wasn’t the case).  The reality however is that the Cirrus is just so intuitive to fly and the information presented on the Garmin Perspective system is so solid, that flying an approach which is described as a challenging one is actually quite simple and straightforward.  I arrived safely after flying completely across the country and was looking forward to enjoying the warm Southern California weather.

For many pilots, just simply the opportunity to fly across the country in a small aircraft would be an amazing experience (and it was!).  In reality, this was only part of the adventure and I hadn’t even begun to experience the magic of my “perfect day of flying” quite yet.  After visiting the city, I took the quick car ride from downtown back over to San Diego International Airport.  After completing my preflight, I embarked upon the next leg of my journey which would ultimately lead to this post.  There was a slight delay departing due to the airplane congestion leaving San Diego with only one runway, but I was quite happy as I rolled past the over packed airliners lined up on the alternate taxiway to begin my trip.  I spent my time waiting in line for a departure just like those airliners, but I knew that was the only line I’d be standing in that day since I had the freedom of owning a Cirrus under my wing.  My departure was smooth and took me up the coast of Southern California which was a beautiful sight.  Soon, I was passing over the first mountain range and into Arizona which was amazing to see depicted perfectly on my synthetic vision display.  I donned my oxygen and soon continued my climb to 17,000 feet to take advantage of strong tailwinds.  Like most pilots flying out west, the usual concern is rising terrain.  In this case however, already being high above it all, my eyes were focused on the descending terrain ahead as I flew directly towards the Grand Canyon.  I finally approached the rim of what is truly one of the most magnificent sights to view from the sky.  I coasted smoothly along as I mentally absorbed the work of art known as the Grand Canyon below (I was on an IFR flight plan to ensure I wouldn’t break any overflight restrictions).  It was truly an amazing sight that I encourage all pilots of see at least once during their flying career.  While the sight of the Grand Canyon was incredible, my eyes were now once again focused on the in-flight resources to get a better picture of the weather that I’d encounter further along on my journey.  I realized there was a slight layer of clouds at 17,000 feet so opted to climb up to 19,000 feet.  My Turbo Cirrus climbed effortlessly to gain an additional 2,000 feet.  Just when I thought this day of flying couldn’t get any better, I approached the Rocky Mountains.  Wow, this sight was the equivalent of viewing the most picturesque postcard I’ve ever seen and multiplying it by a thousand.   I looked through relevant weather information I had been taught during my mountain flying instruction to ensure that I’d be well clear of wind currents which could cause an uneasy ride.  As another side note, I highly recommend taking a mountain flying class from a qualified instructor prior to flying in this sort of environment which will make you a much better and safer pilot.  Confident the journey could be completed safely, I continued soaring high above the majestic snow covered Rockies.  My face was beginning to practically hurt, not from the oxygen mask, but rather from the huge smile stretching from cheek to cheek which nothing in the world could have wiped away at that moment.  Soon, my journey would conclude with a smooth landing at Centennial Airport in Denver, Colorado.  This truly was an absolutely a perfect day of flying!

I spoke with my father later that day and he remarked how difficult it is to be out on the road traveling for business.  I agreed that I’ve visited way too many hotels in the recent days and weeks, but that the actual traveling part was even more pleasurable than ever.  After all, my day was hard to beat at any price.  In a single day, I had soared above the coastline of Southern California, flown over multiple states with varying terrain, had the privilege of seeing the incredible sight of the Grand Canyon from the air, and soared over snow covered mountain tops in Utah and Colorado.  The entire trip took only roughly three hours.  This was accomplished due to the phenomenal performance of my Cirrus Aircraft which safely and quickly allowed me to climb into the flight levels to take advantage of a 62 knot tailwind.

My Cirrus Aircraft has truly has changed every aspect of what I do and who I am as a person.  It’s a phenomenal aircraft that has changed my life in more ways than I could ever express in a lifetime of blog postings.  On this particular day, it led to an amazing adventure filled with memories of an absolute perfect day of flying!

Business Jet Traveler Magazine – A Down-to-Earth Look at Flight Departments

19 Feb , 2011 No Comments

I recently had the honor of being featured in an issue of Business Jet Traveler Magazine.  The article focuses on three companies who use general aviation to successfully grow their businesses.  I currently fly a Cirrus SR22 Turbo which has allowed me to have countless numbers of face-to-face meetings with customers and suppliers that couldn’t be accomplished in a timely manner using commercial airline service.  I also have a first year delivery order position secured for a Cirrus Vision SF50 Jet which will allow for more speed and more business opportunities.

You can read the complete article in Business Jet Traveler Magazine.

The article is also available:

Online: https://www.bjtonline.com/print-article/article/a-down-to-earth-look-at-flight-departments-2565.html

In PDF Form:  Business-Jet-Traveler-100110-Down-To-Earth-Look-At-Flight-Dept.pdf

I hope that you enjoy reading the article!

NBAA Business Aviation Insider – Light Airplane Part of Company’s Recipe for Success

28 Sep , 2010 1 Comment

I recently had the honor of being featured in the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Business Aviation Insider Magazine.  This story illustrates my use of our company’s Cirrus SR22 Turbo aircraft to reach out to our customers and provide world class service at a moments notice.  At a time when many businesses are sitting on the porch waiting  for business to improve, we’re actually making it happen by visiting and connecting with our customers.  Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love technology – yet, I’m also a very firm believer that there’s no amount of technology that can replace the value of a face-to-face meeting.  Personal relationships are paramount to our success and our business aircraft enables allows us to take those relationships to new heights time and time again.

Here’s a little “behind the scenes” look at what went into the making of this article:   I met with a very talented individual named Dan Hubbard who conducted the interview for this story.  Dan is NBAA’s Senior Vice President of Communications and does his job extremely well.  He’s got the ability to ask thought provoking questions to elicit meaningful responses which truly get to the heart of the story.  In a matter of minutes I felt like I was having a conversation about business aviation with an old friend instead of doing a magazine interview.  The result speaks for itself as you read through how well the article turned out.  Dan was accompanied by Morgan Anderson of Morgan Anderson Photography who took the phenomenal shots you’ll see in the article.  Morgan estimated that he took over 1,000 shots over the course of an all day photo shoot.  Morgan is one of the best in the business and clearly loves what he does.  From the moment I met him until the time when we parted ways he constantly had multiple cameras snapping away amazing pictures.  Just like Dan, I found Morgan to be very friendly and really enjoyed spending time with him.  After a tour of our corporate headquarters in the morning, we headed over to Showalter Flying Service at Orlando Executive Airport.  The great folks at Showalter were extremely gracious allowing us the use of a conference room facility as well as their front ramp for the photo shoot.  Soon, we loaded up our bags and took off in the Cirrus headed to Atlanta together for a business meeting I needed to attend.  This allowed me to demonstrate my real-world use of business aviation which allowed us to have a full productive day in Orlando and less than two hours later be all the way up in Atlanta headed to a business meeting.  This type of productivity simply wouldn’t have been possible at any price without the use of a business aircraft.  While this article is unique, the story of our use of business aviation aircraft isn’t.  Each and every week we use our aircraft to reach out and get more business done.  The destinations change, but the end result is the same – business aviation simply works for growing a successful business.

You can read the complete article in the NBAA Business Aviation Insider Magazine.

The article is also available:

Online:  https://www.nbaa.org/news/insider/2010/0710/restaurant-equipment-world.php

In PDF Form:  https://www.bradleypierce.com/NBAA%20-%20Insider%20-%20Brad%20Pierce%20-%20REW.pdf

I hope that you enjoy reading the article as much as I enjoyed participating in the creation of it.  Again, a special thanks to NBAA, Dan Hubbard, Morgan Anderson, and all of the great staff at Showalter Flying Service for making this article a reality.

Where in the World is Brad? Look Toward the Skies Above!

04 Apr , 2010 5 Comments

There’s rarely a day that goes by lately where someone doesn’t ask me where I’ve been since they haven’t heard from me lately.  People call, they write, they even stop into my office for a quick chat – yet, I seem to be missing.  Well, the picture above tells the story better than words alone could ever describe – I’ve been flying – EVERYWHERE!  This is the flight tracking map of my flights in my Cirrus SR22 Turbo aircraft over the past few weeks alone into and out of the Orlando area.   Each of the yellow lines is the actual flight path I flew my plane during an approach or departure from the area.  I’ve literally flown dozens of flights to dozens of cities in states throughout the country – from the northern states to the southern islands, from the east coast to the west coast and everywhere in-between.  At a time when many people are sitting on the porch hoping for “better days to come”, I’m out there making things happen trying to brighten the future for our business.  I’ve visited existing customers, prospective customers, trade shows and have attended multiple conferences.  I’ve flown through rain, snow, clouds, haze, icing conditions and fortunately have had plenty of sunshine along the way as well which always brightens my day – literally and figuratively.  I’ve taken off before the crack of dawn to see the sunrise from the air (incredible) and have flown all day long to see the sunset from the air as well (even more incredible).  I’ve flown along a whole lot of coastal areas, passing over oceans, lakes and rivers, glided along above the flatlands and more farmland than I could ever imagine, watched the dense brush of forests pass under the wings, looked out the window at the desolation of desert and ranch land below with no one in sight for hundreds of miles, flown over canyons and amazing rock formations, and have even seen the magnificent sight looking out the window as I flew past snow covered mountain tops and down into valleys.  I’ve had smooth landings that I greased with ease, not-so-smooth landings in much more challenging conditions with gusty winds and wind shear, landings in snow, landings in rain and landings with ice still firmly adhered to the wing tips and other unprotected surfaces from flights in the icy clouds above.  I’ve landed at airports with runway elevations as low as -1.7 feet (yes, that is a negative), and as high as 4,456 feet – the power of the humming engine in my Cirrus SR22 Turbo aircraft handled each of those scenarios flawlessly.  I’ve done more approaches to minimums in low clouds than in my previous 13+ years of flying – sometimes being the lone plane coming into a small field with no control tower, and other times flying a parallel approach into a busy airport with a 767 along side of me gliding through the thick clouds to a smooth and safe landing below.  I’ve flown into small back-woods fields, military bases, islands, small towns, large cities, and into some of the busiest international airports in the country.  Over the past few weeks, I’ve experienced it all – virtually every condition known to flying.  I know I’ve certainly become an even much better pilot because of these experiences.

There’s no doubt I’ve been busy beyond belief, but it’s also been a spectacular journey that’s enabled me to see some of the most beautiful landscape this country has to offer.  And the best part of it all, I’ve been working to generate sales and new opportunities for our business the entire time.  How cool is that?  Those who know me have often heard me refer how much my Cirrus Aircraft has changed my life – truly every aspect of who I am and what I do – this post is undeniable proof of that statement.  While I used to cringe at the through of extensive travel, I now actually look forward to it – after all, getting there and back again safely in the comfort of a world-class aircraft is often the most enjoyable part of the trip.

So, if you’re wondering where in the world I’m at, you now have the key – just look toward the skies above – you’re likely to see me passing overhead, smiling the entire time, as I soar above the incredible landscape below embarking on my next adventure.