Professional Pilot, May 2018

job in aviation was flying skydivers He also worked as a flight instructor before hiring on with Cutter Aviation flying sales aircraft throughout the southwest With only 540 flight hours in his logbook Klein got his big break While working at Cutter 2 pilots delivered a Hawker 800 for maintenance and requested he fly them to Scottsdale a quick flight to the north Two weeks later their chief pilot called Klein with a job offer He needed a new copilot for his boss Ken Kendrick the owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks Klein gladly accepted and flew Kendricks Hawker 700 and Challenger 600 for the next 3 years He then moved on to fly a Sabreliner 65 for a private banker a job that lasted 5 years until the owner sold the plane After that Klein tapped into his corporate contacts and began contract flying In late 2010 one of those contacts put him in touch with Wible at Robson and hes never looked back When asked why after all the jumping around he stayed with Robson Klein is quick to respond The success of Ed Robson without question Even when times got tough in housing downturns he never put the plane for sale or sought out a partner or considered putting it on charter He kept it and he kept us And I fly with my closest friend Chris Wible In the often tumultuous world of corporate pilot work Klein makes it clear that he has found where he wants to be and whom he wants to work for I feel like I bring a positive impact to this company Ive loved my entire time here and I feel at home This is a fantasy job 58 PROFESSIONAL PILOT May 2018 Director of Mx Jim Burkett is the other member of the Robson flight department His aviation career started early when he joined the Navy at 18 years old and became a mechanic working on A 7 Corsair IIs After 4 years of the military he left and hired on with Duncan Aviation in Lincoln NE Burkett moved around to a few different companies including another stint with Duncan where he is still an on call guy to this day due to his expertise and the quality of work he provides There were numerous location changes including Saudi Arabia working on Learjet 35s for their government He eventually made his way to Phoenix and was hired by Del Webb When Robson purchased Del Webb Burkett was also part of the package and has continued working on the various aircraft they have flown over the years While he has maintained more types of aircraft than he can remember The 2000 is the best Falcon to work on he states Most work is completed at the companys Scottsdale base with major maintenance being sent to Duncan in Nebraska While Burkett keeps quite busy he feels that 1 mechanic is enough most of the time Occasionally I have to take it out of service longer than Id like but Mr Robson is very understanding Burkett says He echoes the sentiments of his pilots when he adds This is a great company to work for Mr Robson is a great guy He once asked me What is your job I told him Im here to protect your interest in your plane He must have liked my answer because Im still here Future Ed Robson has made it clear that he has every intention of continuing with a flight department even as others have closed theirs in recent years His appreciation for Dassault products is also not a secret When pushed on the matter both Robson and Wible show a preference for something a bit larger than their 2000LX which is now a decade old and due for replacement Robson likes the 7X but feels that it is too much aircraft for their needs Wible feels that a Falcon 900LX may fit the bill and they are keeping their options open Conclusion Throughout his life Ed Robson has faced trials and triumphs both personal and professional He battled polio only to become an Olympic hockey player His first planned community faced bankruptcy on more than one occasion only to turn around and become the catalyst for a real estate empire that more than 50000 people call home The one constant has been Ed Robson and his unwavering drive to overcome and achieve Outrageous Good Fortune is the title of his autobiography and in it he states Knowledge is power During his tenure as one of Arizonas great land developers he has recognized the value that business aviation offers to his many ventures and that knowledge has proved to be truly powerful With his wife former employee of the Reagan White House and current AZ Board of Regents Member Karrin Taylor by his side a state of the art aircraft in his hangar and a top notch flight crew in the cockpit Ed Robson has assured the tremendous success of Robson Communities will continue Brent Bundy has been a police officer with the Phoenix Police Dept for 26 years He has served in the PHX Air Support Unit for 16 years and is a helicopter rescue pilot with nearly 4000 hours of flight time Bundy currently flies Airbus AS350B3s for the helicopter side of Phoenix PDs air unit and Cessna 172 182s and 210s for the fixed wing side The Robson Communities Dassault Falcon 2000EX was purchased new in 2008 and upgraded to a 2000LX in 2008 with manufacturer installed blended winglets They are currently evaluating options for a newer larger aircraft