Tag: Aviation

Markus Brucks; Director of Operations @ Landmark Aviation in Toronto, Canada

On By jet setting flight attendant~ Kimberlyn AllenIn AVIATION & ENTERTAINMENT, PEOPLE, PLACES & LUXURY THINGS, UncategorizedLeave a comment

EVERYONE in private aviation who’s ever been to Montreal or Toronto, Canada knows Markus Brucks. He is the definitive go-to guy in FBO services. His outgoing personality and knowledge of how to utilize every inch of cargo space has earned him an excellent reputation with professional sports teams and other operators carrying heavy cargo loads.

I met Markus 15 years ago when I starting flying with the NHL Carolina Hurricanes hockey team, back then he was working in Montreal, Canada at St. Hubert airport (CYHU). He was truly a one-man show at that tiny airport. He’s professional yet fun-loving and truly enjoys his job.  He has worked with every major NHL and MLB sports team over the years. He’s the best at it and his passion shines through in his work! Besides working with sports teams, he’s responsible for interacting with all foreign dignitaries, including the royal families of Saudi Arabia.

In 2003,  while being recruited by several companies,  Landmark Aviation (back then it was Piedmont Aviation) in Toronto offered him a management position as Director of Operations and he’s been there ever since. Markus is considered the “go-to guy” because he can assist you with anything in Toronto, not just aviation related.

As with all of us in private aviation, we have some stories we can tell so I asked Markus if he had a favorite client or story he could share. This was his reply.

“That’s a good one. I have so many but one that sticks out is when I was able to meet Tina Turner. A number of years back she was in Toronto to promote a new album and the night she was flying out I found out she and her passengers had to get screened before boarding the aircraft. She was the last to get screened and because the ramp was a bit slippery I asked if I could assist her. She said yes and I gave her my arm and she wrapped her arm around mine. I walked with her for about 300 feet to the aircraft and I felt…I can’t even describe it. Except. WOW. I had Tina Turner on my arm.” ~ Markus Brucks

I have to say that in all my years of being in aviation, Markus is hands-down one of the nicest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and working with.

In recent years Markus has finally met the woman of his dreams, gotten married and started working on growing his own family. He tells me he’s 2 kids short of a hockey team. How apropo.

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WARNING: Fake Aviation Pilot Licenses May Be Rampant In Russia

On By jet setting flight attendant~ Kimberlyn AllenIn AVIATION & ENTERTAINMENT, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Many of us may already know that Russia has the worst aviation safety history, but it’s now coming to light that airline pilots for small regional carriers may have obtained fake pilot licenses.

Why any sane person would think they could fly a plane without extensive instruction, skill and practice just boggles my mind! There are some professions that you CANNOT fake, being an aviation pilot is at the TOP of the list!!! (the other would be a fake sign language interpreter in South Africa, but I’ll save that story for another article) 🙂

It’s already incomprehensible to many including myself, how aircraft get off the ground and are able to fly in the first place.  Aircraft designers and engineers have my utmost respect! All hail the Wright Brothers and other aviation pioneers who’ve now made global travel an everyday experience.

This disturbing news about fake licenses is now being investigated after the recent commercial crash of  Tatarstan Airlines earlier last month that killed all 50 onboard. The captain is believed to have had a fake pilot’s license!!!!

Russia Plane Crash.JPEG-01a34

Here’s how the debacle breaks down. First, there’s been a shortage of new qualified and trained Russian pilots; that coupled with the demand for more travel within Russia and neighboring countries lead the government to outsource pilot training & certification to sometimes shady companies. These local flight centers may have cut corners for profit by essential giving unqualified people a pilots’ license, in essence you could buy your license without having the skill or training so inherently required.

In an earlier article I talked about the passing of my good friend Josef Vasicek, who was killed along with his hockey teammates in a plane crash in Russia in 2011.  The cause of his crash was deemed pilot error and it seems his pilots were also inadequately trained on the aircraft they were flying. They were pushing the brakes for take-off instead of giving it the speed needed to get off the ground!!! A stupid freaking mistake that killed many wonderful and deeply missed people. It breaks my heart.

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Current reports are saying the fake licenses may be limited to small regional russian carriers, but I believe with further investigations it may be found out to be more widespread and not limited to russian made aircraft. The Tatarstan Airlines aircraft was a Boeing 737, a reliable American made aircraft but in the hands of incompetent wanna-be pilots.

Has anyone ever seen President Putin getting off a commercial aircraft? I would almost wager a bet that Russian President Vladmir Putin travels exclusively on private jets….and that his pilots are either American or British.

Warning to all reading this article:  Don’t book the cheapest airline carrier when traveling in that region, find a reputable (non-russian) operator to fly with, your odds of getting to your destination may be greatly increased.

In Remembrance Of My Friend ~ “Little” Josef Vasicek

On By jet setting flight attendant~ Kimberlyn AllenIn AVIATION & ENTERTAINMENT, PEOPLE, PLACES & LUXURY THINGSLeave a comment

It’s always heartbreaking when someone you know dies so young and tragically, my sweet friend Josef is one of those people, he was only 3o years old.  I remember the first time I met him, he was a rookie with the NHL Carolina Hurricanes and he was boarding the team plane. He was only 19 years old and just came to the states from the Czech Republic. He had the “deer-in-the-headlights” look about a lot of things, since everything was so foreign to him. He was living with a host family in Raleigh, North Carolina to help him acclimate to his new environment. His first season with the team he barely spoke any English and I knew some of our conversations were getting lost in translation. I started referring to him as “little Josef” even though he was over 6ft /3in. He was just a sweet kid who was always smiling.  Every time I saw him he was smiling. He had a big beautiful smile and you could see the innocence in his face.   Josef tried to teach me how to golf, he would take me to the course and patiently cheer me on as I tried to hit that little freaking ball. Professional hockey players are also excellent golfers, almost all of them!

His teammates on the plane used to harass him for fun because he ate a lot of czech food that sometimes gave him bad breath.  When we’d pass around the gum/mint basket the guys would tell me to give him the entire basket. They all loved “little” Josef too.

Over the 8 years that I worked with the Carolina Hurricanes, I really enjoyed watching Josef blossom into a fine, upstanding young man.  Imagine watching a flower bloom but in slow motion, its a beautiful site with many layers of time passing to create the end result, a beautiful one-of-a-kind flower, that was Josef Vasicek. I know he would probably laugh knowing I was comparing him to a flower but he was a sensitive soul and would understand my compliment.

It was wonderful to see his progress every year and how he became more westernized over time. We would talk about girls, sports, his homeland and life in general. I really bonded with this amazing young man. I felt like he was a little brother to me, someone you wanted to protect and shield from the trappings of being a pro athlete. The Carolina Hurricanes did that for him. They watched over him, nurtured him and guided him.

When Josef retired from the NHL he returned to europe and began playing for the russian team, Locomotiv Yaroslavl. They were considered the premiere professional ice hockey team, having many other former NHL players and coaching staff on the team. Tragically, Josef and his  teammates were killed in a plane crash in 2011.  There were many other wonderful men who died in that awful crash but I  personally only knew “little” Josef.

I hate to hear about any tragic loss of life but I’m extremely bothered when it involves a plane crash. It always gives me pause considering my profession but private jets are safe, as are commercial aircraft in America. The team was flying on an older model Russian made aircraft. I will leave my comments at that…for now.

The pictures I have are my personal ones. Josef laying on the couch inside the aircraft, one of his fans professing her love for #63 at a game and Josef with teammate Shane Willis at Sullivan’s restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina.

I’ve always said that death puts life into perspective.  Josef is definitely missed by many but I want to celebrate his life and the good memories I have of him.

IMG_0029IMG_0555little Josef and shane willis

Galley Girlz….

On By jet setting flight attendant~ Kimberlyn AllenIn GALLEY GIRLZ, UncategorizedLeave a comment

This section is dedicated to some amazing women in aviation, many of whom are corporate flight attendants. Each month we will feature another fabulous flight attendant.

This month we are featuring: Jenne Kang

jenne kang

Jenne has been a contract corporate flight attendant for the past couple of years. She lives in LA, is single and speaks several languages including Korean, English & Spanish.

Jenne grew up in Brooklyn, NY and graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Dentistry.

She lived in Seoul, South Korea for 5 years where she was a travel correspondent for CNN. She traveled Asia showcasing exotic foods and beautiful beaches. She relocated to Los Angeles 9 years ago to pursue her journalistic and acting pursuits. She’s been featured in many TV shows.

Paper or Plastic…..no real dishes? What?!

On By jet setting flight attendant~ Kimberlyn AllenIn AVIATION & ENTERTAINMENT, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Flying on a private jet should mean being pampered to the best abilities that money can buy, right? Not always so. On a recent trip I had the opportunity to fly with operator “X”. The aircraft was a 2012 but the couch and side wall  inside the cabin were already stained. As the flight attendant, I had requested pillows, blankets and comforters to make comfy beds for my clients and I was told the following by an “X” employee:

“X” provides (4) airline sized pillows and (4) blankets …even though there are 8 seats in aircraft.

If a client wants more pillows, blankets, comforters etc.. operator “X” charges the following:

Cabin Amenities – Bedding Sets

A complete bedding set can be ordered for $250 per set

Complete bedding sets include one (1) of the following*:

·         Inflatable mattress or mattress pas

·         Twin flat sheet

·         Twin fitted sheet

·         Twin comforter

·         Standard sized pillow

·         Standard sized pillow case

*Any items ordered individually will be charged back to the client at quoted amount. If more than one full set is requested, then each set is $250.

Let me prefix my next paragraph by saying that not all private jets are equipped with real dishes, especially the ones that do not typically have a flight attendant onboard. This was the case with the Challenger aircraft I was flying on. What I can’t understand and the point of the story is the complete lack of customer service by the operator.  At least pretend to give a crap about my clients’ requests.

I was  told there was no real dishes on-board, only plastic. If I wanted dishes, I had to bring them myself or order them for the caterer, which made absolutely no sense! Can you believe it?! Clients pay thousands of dollars to travel on a private jet and they don’t even give you real dishes if you’re requesting it????

Here is the reply I received regarding cabin stock and dishware.

Here is a list of standard on-board service ware on our fleet, and attached above is our standard stock list.

·         8 crystal tumblers

·         8 crystal wine glasses

·         1 wine opener

·         Clear plastic plates, the amount varies by aircraft

·         Set-ups (includes plastic spoon, fork, knife, and paper napkin) amount varies by aircraft

·         Standard silverware (forks, spoons, knives, steak knives) each to serve 8 PAX

*** NOTE: We do not stock champagne flutes, we must order these directly with the caterer whenever we are asked  to order champagne

I must admit I was really taken aback by operator “X”s lack of customer service or care regarding my clients. It almost felt like I was traveling on a cattle call carrier much like commercial travel is now, with “add-ons” costing extra money.

In all my years of being a flight attendant I’ve never had an experience like this. Most operators will go out of their way to provide clients whatever they need. Even if it’s not an item an operator usually stocks, they will generally purchase requested items to ensure the clients satisfaction.

The nice thing I can say about my experience was that the pilots were really friendly and helpful.