Turning the tables
We interview a reporter who wrote about QuickTurn

GRAPEVINE, Texas, May 25, 2001 –

John Lisberg is a Canadian-based pilot and writer. He trained in the four-day Citation II recurrent program at QuickTurn, and his article about the experience appeared in the April 2001 issue of Twin & Turbine magazine. We recently asked John to tell us more from his perspective about training at QuickTurn.

What was your experience level prior to coming to QuickTurn for Citation II training?

I was chief pilot for a small Part 135 operator. We flew Piper Navajos, C-130 and a Britten-Norman Islander. Our routes were in southwest British Columbia. I flew Twin Otters on floats for about six months in British Columbia. Before that I flew Twin Otters in T'Chad, Africa. Prior to that I flew B.N. Islanders and BAE Hawker Siddeley 748s in the Caribbean. When that airline folded I trained for a short while as a blimp pilot, which was a lot of fun.

What did you like best about QuickTurn?

The people are very friendly. They went out of their way to try to assist me. Not just the instructors, but everyone, from the receptionist on up to the manager, Tim Dewhirst. Overall, a very helpful and receptive crew.

Have you flown the Citation II aircraft since completing your training? Is there anything specific that happened during simulator training that came in handy when flying the real thing?

Yes, one flight from Sun Valley, Utah to Vancouver. The training gave me a much better idea of what to expect from the aircraft flight envelope, and incorporating the company SOPs with the QuickTurn SOPs we used in training. I flew the aircraft manually for the 1 hour, 50 minute flight at 32,000 feet and had no trouble handling it.

What did you think of the Dallas/Fort Worth area? Did you get a chance to do anything fun?

I was so caught up in the training and studying, that I didn't do anything extra. That's what's great about QuickTurn, it is geared to getting you in and out quickly. I wasn't here to sightsee. They did let me know about different outside events I could take advantage of, and I look forward to playing tourist in DFW another time.

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