Pilots of N999LJ
Information regarding the crew;
This is written by a friend of Sarah's;
I personally know the pilot, Sarah, and I am proud to say I tried to mentor her. VERY SHARP lady. Stanford graduate, fluent Spanish. She temporarily gave up her budding multi-engine pilot (& aerobatics instructor) career to follow her now ex-husband to a TSA job in the Northeast. With an FAA dispatcher's license in her pocket, she took a job with Bombardier Canadair/Learjet Flight Operations Dispatch in BDL. That's where I met her and she was GOOD at the job. However, her heart was in the cockpit, and watching pilots come and go daily made the longing to get back to her own pilot career even stronger. Bombardier's politics and changes forced her to make a choice and she took the chance we all take as pilots. She was called for an interpreter job for a Citation operator to go to South America. It was her big break and her first job in a jet. She took out a loan and paid for the Citation type rating when she got back. I know she spent at least 2 years flying Citations, and was offered a chief pilot position, but turned it down. About the same time one of my customers offered her a LR60 type rating to take a contract in Moscow on a 30 day rotation. She accepted it, and went to LR60 initial. The rotation job fizzled before she got to Moscow--due to internal problems within the management company and the Russian company. She then picked up a Citation VII type with Global Executive, and I believe she was flying SIC on a GIV in addtion to her type ratings. I last spoke to her in the May 2008 time frame. She was excited, things were going well, and the world was hers for the taking. She clearly no longer needed mentoring. HOW FAST THINGS CAN CHANGE.
For friends and associates of Jim Bland Co-pilot,
Memorial Service for Jim Bland
Saturday September 27, 2008 - 2 PM
Palomar Airport
Magellan Aviation
Hangar H-9
2006 Palomar Airport Road
Carlsbad, Ca.
As a US Customs Special Agent/Pilot, Jim flew missions in defense of the United States of America for 20 years.
Last edited by robbreid; 09-22-2008 at 08:23 PM.
Reason: Spelling error.