Aviation Posts

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

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.

No Plane No Gain Audio Interview

An audio testimonial interview I did last week was sent out to thousands of people in a newsletter and posted to the No Plane No Gain website.  The “No Plane No Gain” campaign is a joint undertaking by the National Business Aviation Association and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.  They seek to educate the public about the importance and value of general aviation aircraft to our country and its communities, companies and citizens.  It was a real honor to take part in this project and a really enjoyable experience to work with their talented interviewer and writer, Kevin Murphy, to make this happen.  There’s more in the works with my involvement with this campaign… stay tuned for more details!

You can view the article and listen to my audio testimonial interview by going to:  https://noplanenogain.org/_Restaurant_Equipment_World.htm?m=58&s=457

General Aviation Serves America – Flying the Friendly Skies (AOPA)

I recently had the honor of being featured in the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Pilot Magazine.  The article was written by Ian Twombly, who did a magnificent job of illustrating how I use our company aircraft, a Cirrus SR22, to bring our business to new heights.  This is part of series of articles for a campaign called GA Serves America which highlights the many ways our country benefits from the use of general aviation aircraft.  It was a really enjoyable experience talking and flying with Ian.  Chris Rose also deserves a lot of credit for doing an amazing job with the photography / video for the project and was a pleasure to work with as well.  I’m also very thankful to Cirrus Aircraft and their incredible staff for their role in making this article a reality – our Cirrus SR22 is certainly the star in being a game-changer for our business!

You can read the complete article in the AOPA Pilot Magazine, or online at https://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2009/november/gaservesamerica0911.html

The article is also available in PDF format which can be downloaded by visiting:  https://www.bradleypierce.com/AOPA%20Magazine%20-%20Flying%20the%20Friendly%20Skies.pdf

Cirrus Aircraft Flying 2.0 Video

As many of your know, I currently own and fly a Cirrus SR22 airplane.  This is an amazing aircraft that’s been an invaluable asset to my business.  Several months ago, Cirrus Aircraft gave me the opportunity to take part in a video presentation they were developing to introduce a concept called Flying 2.0 which is about changing the way you travel.  It’s about flying on your schedule, not on some crazy airline’s schedule.  It’s about making more time to do the things that you enjoy in life.  It’s about freedom, flexibility, and getting more done in a day to help your business succeed.  It was truly an honor to be able to be a part of this video and to share with others how much this aircraft has changed my life.  I hope that you enjoy the video!

New TSA Uniforms Reduce Airport Security

Anyone who’s traveled commercially lately has likely noticed the new blue TSA uniforms worn by screeners. I have to admit, the new uniforms look good – but were they really worth the $12 million it cost for them? It looks like taxpayers have coughed up roughly $250 per screener in this classic example of government waste. Here’s the dirty little secret behind the new uniforms – instead of sewn on badges, they now have shiny new metal badges. I know what you’re thinking… So what? Well, the new metal badges set off the metal detectors at the screening checkpoints. After discovering this blunder, the TSA promptly updated their screening policy – TSA screeners no longer need to pass through the metal detector to be screened! Out of the 48,000 TSA screeners, common sense tells us that there are bound to be at least a few bad apples – even if the vast majority of the screeners are good, honest people. In essence, the TSA has now reduced security for the flying public and spent your tax dollars doing it! We live in the greatest country in the world – let’s start acting like it and focus our resources on implementing valid security measures to protect it.