Best of success to you with your plan Trimup. I'll just offer these few pieces of unsolicited advice:
Hire a full-time captain with extensive Westwind experience to keep track of the flight operations end. This person must be strong enough professionally to stand up to you for your own good, yet be regarded as a loyal team player. This is who will be the main point of contact between you, the airplane and the mx folks. They don't come cheap so don't expect them to be a house boy or gofer. There may be lots of pilots wanting a job right how many can really handle the responsibilities other than the flying? Are you a stepping stone to a better job? Someone worthy of the job won't be easy to find so you'd be well advised to start looking soonest. It's you, your team and your family who must rely upon this individual to look after their best interests even when business/cost considerations conflict. It's a fine line sometimes, but one you don't want to get on the wrong side of. Resume, experience, interview, references and so forth are good screening methods but the bottom line is who can you rely on to make the right choices when they aren't easy to make. Just something to consider.
The Westwind is a solid old bit of flying iron, but requires care and knowledge to operate effectively and safely. Performance is a critical issue with the mountain airports and sometimes you'll have to plan fuel stops when it doesn't seem necessary but is. At 30 degrees C ( not that uncommon in August and July) in EGE, you're not going 750 NM with 8 pax. But there's several good fuel stops within range. As with the midwest, the "confederacy" has some interesting seasonal weather which may affect planned flights too, but in my experience the WW is a good compromise of cost and capability. With the right people, you'll do well.
Best wishes in your aviation (ad)venture!
westhawk
Last edited by westhawk; 7th May 2013 at 04:16.