388JR Is Sold
As with all good things the fun must come to an end. The past year of my life has been a blast flying for Dale Jr's company JRMotorsports on the pit crew aircraft 388JR. After all i have been through the initial 3.5 week school on the E120 Brasilia and a whole season that was tough but i made it work. I can never have any regrets for working there but it is tough to anounce that JRM Air is selling the aircraft. Coincidently that puts me on the street looking for another flying job. A few leads in the right direction have landed me another job possibility in NASCAR and it is going to be on a jet but that it all i can say at this point. Atlanta is going to be my first trip with them which serves as a trial run. In the mean time The artist formerly known as Fatman (Ed) has kindly given up some instructing business in Lexington for me . EXX is a great place to train pilots and i enjoy the company over there. As for the rest of my free time it is either spent working on this lake house of flying contract for some other corporations. My only hope is that i can hang in there flying contract long enough to get a full time gig. The search continues for stability in aviation and right now it would appear that there is not much present. Simple fact of the matter is that airplanes are a comodity and they are always going to be the first thing to go when times get tough on a company. Furthermore until they begin to sell personal earth orbit space craft then airplanes are still going to be the most expensive pieces of equipment on the planet to operate and pilot's jobs will be volatile. I suppose for now i will press on,keep networking this place, and bust my hump to make ends meet. That is the key to the kingdom. To everybody interested in hearing me vent then thanks for reading. I sure do feel better. Blue skies.
Thats tight right there.
Back at it, Busch Series 07
January 18 marked the end of the Nascar downtime for Birch and i so we kicked it off with a bang in Daytona Florida. You know Daytona has a mystique to it that is undeniable and when you walk into this track the history is reflected in a way that no other track can project. Pettys, Yarboroughs, Parsons, Earnhardts,Andrettis have all raced and won here . It is this reputation that makes it one of the most desired tracks on the circuit. We were down for a test the 18-21 and we would walk out of there feeling good about the 88 Navy car and the remainder of the season. Wes, Shane, Phil, Steve,Tyler,Katie,Tony,Topher,Curtis,Jimmy,and the flight crew all watched the times get better and better saturday both in and out of the draft so it is business as usual . These guys are so good at what they do and it is evident, it is for this reason that i know it will be a productive season. On the other hand we haved a new addition to the flight crew and her name is Jackie. She boasts a 15 yr history with US Airways and i believe she will be an excellent add on to the team. We took her out to Boondocks, Razzles,Spruce Creek,the Track,and the Pirates Cove for some good ol fashioned hoop la. 2 weeks and the Daytona 500 will be underway, also we have a test in Vegas coming up so i get to hang with my buds out there for a couple days. Soooo excited. Kick the tires and light the fires.
Diesel
Meet the new addititon to the family Dirty D, Mr Diesel in this shot is about 7 weeks old and weighs in at a whopping 4.7 lbs. He is gonna be my new copilot and lake dog. This dude is a hit with the chincas ! ! ! !
DFW Bound
It is with reluctancy that i announce the Stripper is gone. Stripling ,one of the summer click members here in Lake Norman NC has left DEI Champion Air and taken a job in Dallas Fort Worth flying the Lear for FlexJet. His departure did not go uncelebrated and we tore the town up one more time. The great thing about flying airplanes is that it makes the world a smaller place. We will meet up in one of these cities one of these days for sure. Strip also has a baby boy named Jett in TX so that will work out fine for him. Also this weekend i had the priveledge of hanging out with the lil Bro and Jen. He was kind enough to drive an old washer and dryer up here for the lakehouse and came all the way from Hilton Head Island 4 hr. Thanks dillweed ! We got to do a lil flying with the Doc who is one of my instrument students and drink a couple beers .The overhead shot of the water is Lake Norman which boasts right at 500 miles of shoreline, it is my new home. I already have the craving to fish off the dock .
Waterside Ballin
Yep , finally made it to the waterside. Brandon and i will be roomates while he attends UNCC. The house is an old farm home built in the late 30's so a lil work is gonna be required to update it. The shelter and dock are what i am excitied about the most i think. 3 boat ties, and 2 places to put my Seadoo. This summer is gonna be chaos. As a new and not so talented wakeboarder i see it as a chance to getter better. I figure next summer will also hold some emergency room visits , no pain no gain i guess. I move in tomorrow and start what seems like a new life. LAKE is a 4 letter word to some because a mere mention of it is too much pressure to turn down. I love the water and i somtimes feel like it revives my spirit and cleanses my soul. As soon as the water makes it to about 60 degrees it is bearable to a point with a wetsuit. Maybe about April we can splashdown. Can't wait !!!! Dec/6/06
Gators Do Eat Marshmellows
It seems like i have been in florida for a whole 2 weeks now. With the end of the season race in Homestead FL i would trek back there 3 more times over the next two weeks. Once was to St Petersberg for a sponsor party, one to Lakeland for the Hooters Pro Cup Championship at which our own Johnny Rumbley finished 3rd and once to Naples with the Waltrip Gang to test the new Toyota. While Brian and i were there we agreed that a trip to Everglade City for an airboat ride thru the Mangroves would kick a$$. I learned something on that trip that i was unaware of. Alligators love marshmellows and this 8 footer ate 6 of em. Captain Picco ripped us thru the mangroves at about 60 mph and showed us his playground. Pretty awesome experience! Island Airboat Tours will hook it up if you are down in the SW Florida . Nice gator holding skills nerd.
Keys To The Kingdom
This weekend was the mark of a milestone for myself along with entire
JrMotorsports team. Since early Apr 06 i have been working for them watching , learning, progessing towards a goal heartfelt by not only me but all the people that surround me . When did that happen? It is an honor to be around the whole Nascar persona but most people don't see the comradery and dedication that it takes to succeed here. Another thing is that as a flight crew we are dedicated to staying closer to the aircraft than the track so we dont spend alot of time there. An occasional qualifying or practice is about it. As we treked to FL for the
Homestead season wrap up we were unbenounced to the fate that lie ahead.
Shane Huffman and the 88 Navy Team put up a good fight qualifying 4th but the stars just weren't aligned . a 37th place finish was what happened after getting caught up in freak brush with the wall and a Busch brother .Never the less Shane is signed up for a full race load next season. As for us we decided to make an exception this time and celebrate a wonderful year together and go to the
Florida Keys. 3 days in
Marathon at a resort calle Hawk's Cay was just what the doctor ordered. The view from my corner balcone was fab and we had a chance to sit down and discuss future plans. Birch, Michele and i mostly sat under a palm tree by the dolphin pin or snorkling coffin reef. Mission accomplished is in order this year and i am excited about working another Nascar Busch season with these people. Thanks for the memories guys.
Another Shiny Ticket
Early in my posts even before the Las Vegas stent you may remember a guy named
Grier Wimmer. We started his training in early 05 towards a Private Pilot rating and since become really good friends.
I am pleased to announce that as of OCT 25 2006 Grier is a licensed airplane single engine land rated private pilot. He took his ride in Boyette Aviation's ch2t Alarus out of Mt Airy NC. I cannot say enough about the dedication and persistence this guy has put forward to make this happen , and it could possibly be a record. Grier started his training when he was a teenager and for reasons that plague alot of pilots he was unable to succeed until this week. There is no doubt in my mind that it was worth the wait. Flying is not only a carreer or hobby for most, in fact it is better explained as a way of life. Aviation will get in your blood and it is something that you can never get rid of, we call it the flying bug and many are infected with it. It is the freedom and purity of defying gravity that keeps us coming back for more. In my case i have a chance to share that love with someone else and the feeling is unmatched. Thanks for all your hard work Grier, i dont know another that deserves it more. I will see you in the clouds my friend. If you feel the need to soar Boyette Aviation can be reached at 336 789 5153, tell em you are looking for Mikey.
RAT RACE
Does your life ever feel like this? Today i sit back and take a deep breath to unwind from the days events. My residence for the next three weeks is a Suite at the Embassy in Atlanta GA where i will recieve an Initial Course on the Embraer 120 Brasilia. JrMotorsports has decided i am worthy of the training at Flight Safety. That requires 2 weeks of classroom work and 2 weeks of flying the simulator in every emergency condition available. If that isnt enough , i still have to get a 135 charter checkflight too as i will hopefully be flying the Nascar off season for an ATL based charter company called Players Air. I love my life and i am positive that i found my calling but it seems increasingly stressful to juggle working for 4 different operations. 2 days a week i am still instructing in small airplanes to build the time for the ATP airline transport rating. Hopefully the beginning of the year will be a break from the madness but until then i plug along , seeking , searching for the end of the path. Maybe just maybe i can be satisfied one day soon. I could go on for days about what i need to do but that wastes the time I could be accomplishing it. I will end this lil venting session with a thank you for listening and good day. Lets all just take a break from the rat race every now and again. Blue Skies !
Jopus on the Sweet Road to Recovery
Meet a few friends of mine that have recently fallen victim to a horrible situation.
Joseph is an old friend of mine from the stomping grounds that had a horendous car wreck a few months ago. The result put him in a coma for a couple months and has bedriden him in more than one hospital for even longer.
Rusty , Bubby, and Melissa are all doing a great job of motivating him to overcome the obstacles in the future. After multiple operations, phisical therapy, and treatments he is starting to walk again. As they travel the long road to recovery he will be constantly in my mind. Guys you know if there is anything i can do then i will and i look forward to the next visit hopefully at home. God speed bro, nice hat man the #8 looks good on you and i am sure that when Dale Jr sees it he will agree.
As with all good things the fun must come to an end. The past year of my life has been a blast flying for Dale Jr's company JRMotorsports on the pit crew aircraft 388JR. After all i have been through the initial 3.5 week school on the E120 Brasilia and a whole season that was tough but i made it work. I can never have any regrets for working there but it is tough to anounce that JRM Air is selling the aircraft. Coincidently that puts me on the street looking for another flying job. A few leads in the right direction have landed me another job possibility in NASCAR and it is going to be on a jet but that it all i can say at this point. Atlanta is going to be my first trip with them which serves as a trial run. In the mean time The artist formerly known as Fatman (Ed) has kindly given up some instructing business in Lexington for me . EXX is a great place to train pilots and i enjoy the company over there. As for the rest of my free time it is either spent working on this lake house of flying contract for some other corporations. My only hope is that i can hang in there flying contract long enough to get a full time gig. The search continues for stability in aviation and right now it would appear that there is not much present. Simple fact of the matter is that airplanes are a comodity and they are always going to be the first thing to go when times get tough on a company. Furthermore until they begin to sell personal earth orbit space craft then airplanes are still going to be the most expensive pieces of equipment on the planet to operate and pilot's jobs will be volatile. I suppose for now i will press on,keep networking this place, and bust my hump to make ends meet. That is the key to the kingdom. To everybody interested in hearing me vent then thanks for reading. I sure do feel better. Blue skies. 
