Netjets US Summer 2023

NOTES FROM NETJETS
JULIAN RENTZSCH
INSIDE TRACK
CLAUDE LETOURNEAU JR.
Training Captain
MY FIRST EXPOSURE TO FLYING WAS …
when I was 19 years old playing hockey in
an adult league, and one of my teammates
was earning his private pilot license. His
dad owned a Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, and
they took me up for a flight. I was hooked
immediately. At the time, I worked full-time
doing maintenance on large printing presses
while attending college, so I decided to switch
paths to aviation maintenance. I signed
up for the mechanics course with Florida
Institute of Technology, but after a month, I
realized I was more passionate about flying
than turning wrenches—and here I am now.
THE BEST PART OF FLYING IS … the views
from my “office window,” and the friendships
I have made sharing the flight deck.
BEFORE JOINING THE NETJETS TEAM,
I WAS … a flight instructor for a little over
a year. Then, I flew part-time for a student’s
family for three years, following their sailboat
from South Florida to the Caribbean. I was a
training captain for a charter outfit in Fort
Lauderdale, and eventually ended up flying
for U-Haul. This was a great job that took
me throughout the continental U.S. and
Canada, flying two weeks on and three weeks
off. During my time off, I managed and flew
a Piper Cheyenne and worked as a contract
pilot for a charter company. I knew I needed
to find a forever home. Many of my friends
were already NetJets pilots, so my decision to
come here was easy.
THE ONE DAY AT NETJETS I WON’T
FORGET WAS … when my Fleet Director Neil
Peterson and Fleet Training Manager Tony
Reedy called to congratulate me on being
awarded a Training Captain position on the
Phenom 300.
ONE THING OWNERS PROBABLY
WOULDN’T GUESS ABOUT ME IS … I’m
100% French Canadian from Québec City. My
accent is very unusual, and most people think
I’m Irish.
ON MY DAYS OFF … I enjoy spending time
with my wife, Cindy, and being a chauffeur
to our three kids. I’m an assistant coach for
my sons’ Little League baseball team, the
Coconut Creek Expos. I have a passion for
motorsports and vintage cars: I used to have
a 1978 Toyota Land Cruiser, but now I cruise
around in a 1973 Jeep CJ-5 and Toyota Supra.
WITHIN THE NEXT 10 YEARS, I WOULD
LIKE TO … travel more with my wife since all
our kids will be out of the nest. Also, earlier
this year, I was introduced to jiu-jitsu and
American Kenpo Karate and hope to earn a
black belt in both disciplines.
MY BEST ADVICE FOR STAYING SANE
ACROSS TIME ZONES IS … keep your body
on your home time zone, even if it means
you go to bed at 6 p.m. and wake up at 2
a.m. Exercising and being in good health is
definitely a plus.
32 NetJets