Embraer Pilot – South Dakota

Corporate aviation veterans like Zac Perrizo will tell you it’s not just what you know, but who you know that helps keep you aloft. And Zac has gotten to know JetPro Pilots pretty well.

Zac flies primarily Embraer Legacy/Praetor 450/500 and 500/600 these days for a corporate client, and provides tailwheel, spin training and even some intro to aerobatics instruction when he has some spare time. He, his wife Leah, and their four young children call Sioux Falls, South Dakota, home and he is enjoying a career that personal connections have helped him sustain.

“Some consider it a flyover state,” Zac says of his Upper Plains locale. “I went to school at South Dakota State for aviation education, became a CFI for the college before getting the opportunity to fly UPS freight in a Navajo.”  After freight, he landed a single-pilot King Air position which led to a management role and left seat in a Citation Ultra. Adding to his resume, Zac also worked for a while as a hospital’s medevac pilot. He stays in touch with his alma mater, South Dakota State, with students who join him in his ACA Super Decathlon.

Zac eventually landed a full-time job in the Legacy 500 with a corporate client, flying with senior pilots who recognized his potential and worked with him to chart a new course. Two key mentors at the time, Doug Owenby and Russ Bird, provided him with an important referral.

“I got into contract flying through the mentors I was flying with,” he explains.  “Working with mentors and having the opportunity to showcase your abilities opened up doors for me. I was referred to other clients, brokers, and the Embraer factory sales team while also forming a relationship with JetPro.”

Zac has been augmenting his regular hours since 2018 with assignments through the JetPro Trip program. While he has been working for JetPro, he and some of his circle of flight deck colleagues have also been working with JetPro, connecting corporate clients to the Fort Wayne, Indiana-based service, primarily for the simplicity and ease it offers both corporate flight departments and the aircraft crews. 

“Working with JetPro has provided new endeavors in my career. JetPro has a streamlined process from getting onboard, excellent customer support all the way to expense and payroll.” he says of the JetPro process. “Working with one of the best crew-placement services makes a quick turnaround while keeping you informed throughout the process from start to finish.”

These days, most of Zac’s JetPro jaunts have been on behalf of clients in the Midwest doing business throughout North and Central America. Because his mentors were a big part of Zac’s development, he has taken on that role himself and, from time to time, his mentees will include pilots also on assignment from JetPro.

“Developing a working relationship with JetPro has worked out well for me,” Zac reflects.

And, we might add, he’s returning the favor.