Corporate pilot’s high-flying life

Email of the writer: 1434163309@qq.com

It was not mere chance that led Canadian Peter Jorgenson to become a pilot. His father was an engineering architect who designed airports and airport terminals all over the world. Young Jorgenson spent a lot of his childhood going to airports and air shows, helping his father, who was also an aviation photographer, take pictures.

“I was meant to be a pilot,” Jorgenson said, adding that he likes flying just for the joy of it. “It’s a desk job with the best view in the world.”

Having been involved in the aviation industry for two decades, mostly as a corporate pilot, Jorgenson feels content in being able to do the job he loves.

Unlike airline pilots who might fly the same route their whole life, over and over again, Jorgenson’s job as a corporate pilot has taken him to many different, amazing places. “I was kind of paid for travel,” he said while breaking into a broad smile.

The Canadian came to Shenzhen a year ago to work for a local company that manages aircraft and helicopters for wealthy individuals and businesses. As one of a few companies in China that operate business aircraft, the company is growing fast, providing Jorgenson and his fellow pilots opportunities that are usually not available in established companies.

“In some established companies, they’ll say you’re just a pilot, be quiet, but here in this company, pilots are part of the management team,” Jorgenson said. “I like being involved with a lot of the different aspects of aviation, not just flying.”

Private aviation is taking off in China, thanks to the increasing number of business leaders realizing the benefits of traveling in their own jets. Whether to attend conferences, meet up with business partners or go on vacations, having an aircraft of their own has made their work more efficient and their family lives more comfortable.

While some of their clients regard their corporate jet simply as a “tool,” Jorgenson revealed, others look at their jet like their flying home and refuse to rent it to others. “It has their own clothes on it, the food that they like and it’s decorated the way they decided,” he said.

Flying an aircraft requires a lot of training. When he is not flying, Jorgenson said he is training. He is also required to undergo medical checkups every six months to make sure that he is physically fit to fly an aircraft, not to mention having to stay up to date on all the rules and regulations that are constantly being changed.

“Aviation is one of the most safety-intensive industries in the world. Everything is about safety,” he said. “Whenever an issue comes up, they will research, research and research until they think the issue has been resolved.

“This is normal and understandable. No one wants to have an accident.”