Legacy500Driver

The higher you fly, the less fuel you burn so the goal is to get these as high as possible. Since we are significantly lighter than airliners, we have better thrust to weight ratios which allow us to get higher, then we need to carry less fuel for the same route amongst other benefits such as weather, turbulence, direct routing etc... Really it just comes down to the fact we are lighter such that engines can be sized enough to provide the proper thrust. On a 737 to get to 45,000 with a full load of fuel and passengers the engines would have to be the size of the fuselage.

A lot of people assume the back of a private jet is a place of debauchery, honestly 99.9% of the time it is boring. The occasional person will try to light a cig, and I have found a small vile of what I assume was cocaine, or an A-list athlete will party too hard in Vegas and throw up.

To me Private Jets are more like the Ferraris of the sky and commercial airliners are a bit more like a bus. That isn't meant to knock the airline guys, I was just attracted to the sleekness of these jets. I also liked the thought that I will get to explore new destinations based upon the whims of the owners as opposed to visiting the same large commercial airports on a weekly basis.

Charter pilots can usually expect some tips. One of my fave passengers when I flew charters was a well known football player for the Chicago Bears whom has since retired. I used to fly him to Vegas and he would tip $1k without fail. Other perks are things like collecting hotel rewards points. I stay at Marriott properties and built up enough status and points that all of my personal vacations are free. The same is true for rental cars. Not to mention when a passenger goes to a cool destination, I am there enjoying it as we typically stay nearby in case they want to go home early. So if they are in Iceland for a week, so am I, and they are paying for everything.

I should probably show some discretion here and not directly name names, but I have flown a former president, someone who played batman, an A list couple with many children that have since divorced, a well known country band that has recently split, and some various Oscar winners and nominees.