Wanted to share an update. A CJ2 is still a little ways off, I'm not sure how long but I'm hiring more employees instead of upgrading so at some point I expect the revenue to follow the expenses....

Nothing at all wrong with the KA for now but I want to get some experience in citations so I just signed up for a 500 series type rating. 14 Days! I'm breaking it up into two pieces. I'll do ground school for a week then take the oral, then sim for another week and take the flight check. Simcom has a special right now for 9900!

I start on the 7th of Nov if anybody else is interested in joining.

Why you getting a 500 type when you want to buy a 525 type?

Im with Allen W. Just go buy a CJ type rating... Then youll just need a recurrent instead of initial... And you will be much more prepared

14 days seems like an awfully long time for a CE-500? Did mine in 7?

I agree John - get the 525 rating instead of the 500 series. The price should be similar on both. Regarding the time, all Sim schools will probably run about the same 14 days - unless you do it in an airplane, I know of no initial rating program that is less than this.

http://www.arizonatyperatings.com/ I hear they do in airplane 500, 510 or 525 type ratings in 5 days. You will learn enough to pass the PTS. It gets you PIC and then you can attend sim recurrent and fly with a safety pilot for a while to fill out your education.

I think it will cost more then $10K for the 5 days so you have a tradeoff of time vs. money.

http://www.loft.aero/courses/# offers sim or in-aircraft training or hybrid courses.

I'm at Loft as we speak. 525s in 10 days in the sim. Unless you're planning to get a 500/501 or a 550 variant, you want the 525 type for the CJ series.

For the uninitiated among us, could you give a few more sentences as to why?

That's the route I took. Mitch from Arizona Type Ratings did my type in 4 days but I had several prior weeks of study and had 3-4 hours of SIC time. It's no walk in the park just because of the shortened time frame but it worked better for my schedule. It's certinally not any cheaper than 10k though. I have been flying with an experienced SIC and have about 75 hours in the Ultra. I'll do my recurrent at FSI.

I don't know if it's like this for Jets but my FSI initial in the PC12 was painfully long.

I'm not sure about John's particular situation, but I would agree 525 is the way to go as it is good for all of the CJ's. The CJ's are the current production plane which span a huge range of performance and budgets. They are often the best plane at and given price point from under $1m and up. It's today and it's the future. Plus, if you will likely get current on Universal, Garmin, AND Collins avionics.

If you just want a type and haven't settled on a plane, I think getting the pro school in the CJ and then, if needed, a shorter in-plane type for the Citation II or what have you would be a better long term value. I'm not saying it's really great training, but you can definitely get a 500 type in a few days if you have a plane to fly and are current and ready to go. That said, I found the 16 days I spent at Flightsafety to be worthwhile. Additionally, the legacy Citation programs don't enjoy the resources that the late model programs receive at organizations like FSI.

You guys are awesome! I feel like I've hanging around with you'all my whole life.

Great question, not sure I have a great answer but here it is. I've been on the fence for awhile now and I'm struggling with the choices. CJ2 sounds great but I'm at least four months out from knowing if it could happen. Also to complicate things further, another BT friend of mine (he can come-out if he chooses) is trying to convince me that we should partner in a Phenom 300 and he has a great argument. Meanwhile Mark Hangen is right here in SDL inviting me to fly with him in the CII. First world problems....

I feel like I need to move the ball forward even if it turns out to be the wrong direction. I'm never sorry about hangin' with Mr Hangen so this felt like a good move for now.

One of my fall-back plans is two airplanes. Partner with Mark on a Citation V and keep it in SDL (this fulfills longer, less frequent missions) and then own something alone for short trips (MTJ-SDL for instance).

For the uninitiated among us, could you give a few more sentences as to why?

I have a citation related question.... looking at a 500SP in the UK..... wish I knew about the costs of the OP's course, often simcom does the buy one get one at 50% and we could have benefitted!

So I will get the 500 rating or still the 525 rating? And anyone know any good buyers agents in UK or pre buy guys who can help me?

RVSM.... would that be a deal breaker? Plane does not have it. Will I gain much by going between FL 290 and FL 410 vs cost to install?

I would go with the longer course. Those Wham-Bam courses sound awfully short on everything! Training in the sim gives you a bunch more stuff to work on. Of course you need a capable sim.

10k is a smoking bargain. But it's the 500 if you turn that into a 525 then it's a slam dunk.

How's your negotiating skills? I hear the Donald has a good book!

Depends on the range you want out of the plane. Being non-RVSM your range will be much less and your fuel burn will be greater. You need to figure out for the routes you fly what altitudes you can expect if you have RVSM.