Flying high-profile people to destinations of their choice, transporting hospital patients across hundreds of miles and delivering body organs from crash sights to hospitals are all part of junior Joe Craven’s everyday job.

Craven works as a corporate pilot, flying small jets for Heartland Aviation, based at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport.

He started flying when he was 15 years old and when he started college Craven began working for Heartland Aviation as a flight instructor.

He said he has taught a wide variety of clients how to fly single crop planes, including a colonel in the Army and average citizens who wants to learn how to fly for fun.

For Craven, being in the plane with new flyers isn’t that frightening.

“It’s as scary as being a Drivers Ed instructor,” he said. “You see when things will happen and when they will be making a mistake ahead of time.”

After two years of flight instruction, Craven took on his new position at Heartland Aviation, flying charter flights for anyone who orders one. He said the most high-profile client they have had is former Secretary of State Colin Powell, although Craven was not on that flight.

“The most fun trips are when we fly corporate business people to California or somewhere and get a free three-day vacation,” he said.

Pilots have everything taken care of, from hotel rooms to rental cars.

Another important part of his job is flying organ-delivery or ambulance flights. He said they do many long-distance flights that helicopters are too slow for.

“We bring patients from remote cities or smaller towns without the capabilities of doing operations to bigger hospitals, like the Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee,” he said.

Craven wants to fly larger aircrafts when he graduates. He said in order to do that, he needs a four-year degree in any field; he is studying finance. After graduation, he said he will need about two weeks of additional training for each different aircraft he learns to fly.

For Craven, flying planes is just an everyday thing.

“It’s not really scary,” he said. “It’s like driving a car; you don’t even think about it.”