Len Lanetti
Cleared for Takeoff
Birmingham Business Journal
From the September 26, 2005 print edition
Their commute is a breeze
Tiffany Ray
Staff
Several years ago John Vigee, an engineer and manager with Ervin Cable Construction LLC, took to the skies, following a lifelong desire to fly his own plane.
Today, Vigee is among a growing number of business people putting their skills as pilots to use in business. He travels frequently in his private plane to job sites across the Southeast.
"It's my way of getting around," he says, "It's my way of commuting."
Vigee, a Steele resident with offices in Riverchase, keeps his Cessna 210 six-seater at Gadsden Municipal Airport. He flies several times each month on business trips and says it's quicker and more convenient than other modes of transport.
"Sometimes I've got to be in two or three different cities in one day, or in a couple of days, and if they are four or five hundred miles apart, that's pretty tough."
With a private plane, "I can get into these small towns in their small airports, and I can't do that with a major airline," he adds.
Vigee says he's not a rarity. Several of his friends and colleagues fly their own planes, including his boss. "It enables us to manage a larger area and just handle more jobs by being able to be mobile," Vigee says.
Worth the extra dollars
Mark Beasley, president of Mark Inc., a Trussville-based company that buys and sells heavy equipment, owns a Saratoga six-seater and says he typically flies for business about once a week. He says it costs a little more than the alternatives, but it's a big time saver.
"We can take clients on trips, or potential customers, bring them over to look at machines," he says.
A Trussville resident, Beasley keeps his plane at the Bessemer Airport and says it only takes about 15 minutes after he arrives to do his pre-flight check and get moving. "You can pretty much fly into anywhere that's convenient to where you need to be."
Though most of his flying is for business purposes, Beasley says he also uses the plane to take his family on trips to the Gulf.
"It's really just a lot of fun," he says. "It's really very safe if it's done right."
Skip rush hour
Drew Steketee, another private pilot who also serves as president and CEO of Be a Pilot, an industry-funded nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., says there are more than 600,000 pilots in the country, many of whom fly for business relatively frequently, and he has seen increased interest in recent years among business travelers searching for alternatives to commercial flights, particularly in the wake of service changes and security checks instituted after 9/11.
"There are a lot of places in the country now that have lost their mainline airline service," he says.
Steketee says there are roughly 6,000 U.S. airports available for public use. By contrast, there are about 400 airports used by major commercial carriers. "If you fly yourself, that means you're going to get a lot closer to your business appointment," he says, not to mention time saved on parking, baggage claim and car rental.
Depending on the trip and the number of passengers, flying privately can be cost-effective. "It's a calculation of the value of your time," Steketee says.
Business travelers who take to the skies don't have to worry about getting caught in commuter traffic, he adds. "It's wonderful to be able to ignore the rush-hour clogging," he says. And trips by air are, on average, 10-20 percent shorter than road trips, because you're flying in a straight line, he says.
Becoming licensed
Earning a license can take anywhere from three months to a year, depending on a learner's level of commitment. The cost can range from $3,000 to $7,000.
"It's an investment for a lifetime," Steketee says. "For me it's been 41 years so far, and I think I've gotten my investment back."
Steketee says the majority of pilots rent their planes. Rates vary, but average costs run about $100 per flight hour. If more than one person is traveling, costs can be shared.
Vigee likes flying so much he is now training to become certified as a flight instructor, just as a hobby.
Learning "was wonderful," he says. "I lived for every minute of it, and I still do."
tray@bizjournals.com - (205) 443-5630
From the September 26, 2005 print edition
Their commute is a breeze
Tiffany Ray
Staff
Several years ago John Vigee, an engineer and manager with Ervin Cable Construction LLC, took to the skies, following a lifelong desire to fly his own plane.
Today, Vigee is among a growing number of business people putting their skills as pilots to use in business. He travels frequently in his private plane to job sites across the Southeast.
"It's my way of getting around," he says, "It's my way of commuting."
Vigee, a Steele resident with offices in Riverchase, keeps his Cessna 210 six-seater at Gadsden Municipal Airport. He flies several times each month on business trips and says it's quicker and more convenient than other modes of transport.
"Sometimes I've got to be in two or three different cities in one day, or in a couple of days, and if they are four or five hundred miles apart, that's pretty tough."
With a private plane, "I can get into these small towns in their small airports, and I can't do that with a major airline," he adds.
Vigee says he's not a rarity. Several of his friends and colleagues fly their own planes, including his boss. "It enables us to manage a larger area and just handle more jobs by being able to be mobile," Vigee says.
Worth the extra dollars
Mark Beasley, president of Mark Inc., a Trussville-based company that buys and sells heavy equipment, owns a Saratoga six-seater and says he typically flies for business about once a week. He says it costs a little more than the alternatives, but it's a big time saver.
"We can take clients on trips, or potential customers, bring them over to look at machines," he says.
A Trussville resident, Beasley keeps his plane at the Bessemer Airport and says it only takes about 15 minutes after he arrives to do his pre-flight check and get moving. "You can pretty much fly into anywhere that's convenient to where you need to be."
Though most of his flying is for business purposes, Beasley says he also uses the plane to take his family on trips to the Gulf.
"It's really just a lot of fun," he says. "It's really very safe if it's done right."
Skip rush hour
Drew Steketee, another private pilot who also serves as president and CEO of Be a Pilot, an industry-funded nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., says there are more than 600,000 pilots in the country, many of whom fly for business relatively frequently, and he has seen increased interest in recent years among business travelers searching for alternatives to commercial flights, particularly in the wake of service changes and security checks instituted after 9/11.
"There are a lot of places in the country now that have lost their mainline airline service," he says.
Steketee says there are roughly 6,000 U.S. airports available for public use. By contrast, there are about 400 airports used by major commercial carriers. "If you fly yourself, that means you're going to get a lot closer to your business appointment," he says, not to mention time saved on parking, baggage claim and car rental.
Depending on the trip and the number of passengers, flying privately can be cost-effective. "It's a calculation of the value of your time," Steketee says.
Business travelers who take to the skies don't have to worry about getting caught in commuter traffic, he adds. "It's wonderful to be able to ignore the rush-hour clogging," he says. And trips by air are, on average, 10-20 percent shorter than road trips, because you're flying in a straight line, he says.
Becoming licensed
Earning a license can take anywhere from three months to a year, depending on a learner's level of commitment. The cost can range from $3,000 to $7,000.
"It's an investment for a lifetime," Steketee says. "For me it's been 41 years so far, and I think I've gotten my investment back."
Steketee says the majority of pilots rent their planes. Rates vary, but average costs run about $100 per flight hour. If more than one person is traveling, costs can be shared.
Vigee likes flying so much he is now training to become certified as a flight instructor, just as a hobby.
Learning "was wonderful," he says. "I lived for every minute of it, and I still do."
tray@bizjournals.com - (205) 443-5630