Small gifts

My last trip had a bit of a stressful beginning if I'm honest. My commute in wasn't much fun. I also had to head in to base a day early due to the early start time. Once I got to my hotel that first night, it was time to have some of the food that I packed along for the trip. It was at that time I found that the ice pack I used to keep some of my food cool decided to leak. So, some unnamed chemical goo was all over my food and other things in my flight case as well. The air conditioning unit in my room was quite noisy to say the least. The mattress was about as soft as the floor as well. *sigh* Nothing was catastrophic, but a lot of little annoying things seemed to be popping up.

In the morning, I was up early since I didn't sleep all that well, so I cut short the uncomfortableness, and went down for breakfast. I had a little bit to eat and some coffee. I noticed a family in the lobby waiting to go to the airport, perhaps on vacation. The youngest of their children was a very cute little girl, around 5 or 6, I would guess. When the van pulled up in front of the hotel and we all started making our way to the front, this cute little girl walked right up to me and handed me this little item pictured above. I don't know what its made of, but it appears to be little plastic fit-together pieces of some kind, in the shape of a Space Shuttle Orbiter. Needless to say, I really didn't expect it at all. I was fairly speechless to say the least. However, I had to say something. So, I managed to utter, "Is this for me?" She simply nodded yes and then walked away back to her family. I said a thank you and looked up at the family, with somewhat of a, "Is this for real? Is this something she isn't supposed to give away?" I was really taken by surprise. Her Mom said with a smile on her face, "She's been looking for a pilot to give it to." I replied, "I guess I was in the right place!"

Looking back, there was a lot more I could have done or at least said. "So, whats your name?" "When did you make this?" "Do you like the Space Shuttle?" I should have offered up a little more conversation with the little girl, but to be honest, I was just very much in shock. To me, it was a rough start to a trip. Just another night in a so-so hotel before heading in to work. I'm used to dealing with poor treatment, crappy opinions of me and my work by stuck up mainline pilots, crap pay, crap hours, upset pax, leaking ice packs. Then all of a sudden, it just didn't seem so bad. Here was a little someone that seemed to look up to me. It was a very small little thing, but it really meant an awful lot to me.

I think the plan will be to put a string through this little Orbiter, and make it an Xmas tree ornament from here forward. So, little girl, I didn't catch your name, but I will certainly remember you. Thank you!

Busy BOS

Pretty cool little video showing about an hour of traffic at Boston Logan, compressed into under 3 mins.

Airport Exercise

Do you loathe those long hours spent waiting in airports? Here's something for you to try!

Wow, that was fast (part 2)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/opinion/l28pilots.html

I guess the new ALPA President was also a little irked by the FAA response to take care of the controllers on this "new" rest issue.

Wow, that was fast

http://nycaviation.com/2011/04/faa-to-impose-new-air-traffic-controller-scheduling-rules/

Just how many people have had to die over the years? Just how many NTSB reports have we read which cite, "crew fatigue" as a contributing factor? How long has it taken for the FAA to get their asses in gear about updating scheduling rules for flight crews? Oh yeah, and we're STILL not working under those new rules either.

Now, a few douche controllers take a nap, no accidents happen, no one is hurt or killed. But HOLY SHIT! We better change these work rules right away so this doesn't happen again!

Are you f*cking kidding me? I guess we know who are the favorite children in the eyes of the FAA...

-PS

Middle Seat Danger

Now, I'll be the first to say, I hate the middle seat. I just do. Especially if I have two larger people on either side of me. I really just feel trapped. Can't lean left. Can't lean right. Can't reach for anything without bumping into one or two people. Can't take a whiz without bothering the person in the aisle seat to get up. Can't really even move or shift much at all.

With that in mind, I was on a commute flight home earlier today. I was happy to make the flight, don't get me wrong. Just barely ran over to the gate in time. I'm pretty sure I was the last one on. So, there I sat. Slightly sweaty and stuck shoulder to shoulder between two older ladies. Why is that part important? Because old ladies are always cold. So, they wear big jackets and sweaters. These two were no exception. Now, I'm not blaming them for being cold. That's just the way old ladies are. But it was at odds with me. I was stuck between two well insulated people, in uniform, with tie, and my air vent was less than effective. Let's just say it was like having a mouse fart on you through a straw. Needless to say, this wasn't going to be a comfortable flight for me.

There wasn't anything I could do about it. And, since I realistically shouldn't have made that flight, it was nice to be heading home a couple hours earlier. So, I was willing to put up with a crappy seat for a little while. Lo and behold, we had a bit of tailwind and even got in about 10 mins early. Not too bad!

However, I thought that once I was off that plane, the curse of the middle seat was behind me. Well, it was, in a matter of speaking. You see, I got home, had dinner, and went right to bed. I was pretty tired. I was nearly asleep when I caught a whiff of something nasty. I hadn't been farting, so it was a bit curious of a smell. A damp funky stank. Something musty, but with a little more kick than usual. I tried to roll around and ignore it. I think the motion of the covers just made it worse. I kept trying to just not pay it any attention, but the smell wouldn't have it. It persisted. It taunted. It was indeed, a brutal case of Middle Seat Crotch.

You see, when I was running to make that flight, I was pretty warm. The plane was warm when I got on, and the air vent wasn't helping either. I was in uniform, which isn't the most comfortable, and I was stuck in a seat between two others where I couldn't really move. My crotch was in lockdown. All it could do was be warm and start to fester. I didn't even know it was happening since I was just happy to be on the flight. However, the level of stank that was achieved actually prevented me from getting sleep. I finally caved in, got out of bed, and took a shower. There was no other way.

Beware the dangers of Middle Seat Crotch. And don't think it can't happen to you!

It's the little things

A nice tasty Reese's peanut butter cup awaited me in the flightdeck as I climbed in this morning. It was as if someone was thinking of me. I don't know how you are, but I certainly appreciated it. Someone, in this job, was doing something nice for someone else. A tried and true rarity in this industry. All I can say is, "Thank you!" Then again, you may also be pissed because you were just in a hurry to get to your overnight and left your Reese's there by accident. Either way, I'm still grateful.

Shortly after landing at our first destination, I noticed a flight of four F-16s passing by, low level. The formation was obvious. Especially when one of them pulled hard up away from the rest. The unmistakable, Missing Man Formation. To me, as I sat there in the flight deck looking through the windscreen while passengers were getting on, that formation meant only one thing. A military burial. Seeing things like that make to take a step back and just re-evaluate your day.

Ironically, not long at all after that flyby, an MD-88 pulled up and parked next to us. Two soldiers, in full dress, were off the plane first, escorted down the ramp. Again, there's only one thing that would mean. A deceased US soldier was aboard. I watched silently as the casket was brought out of the aft cargo compartment, and loaded into the waiting hearse. Again, seeing things like that really make you take a step back.

Now, while I don't believe the flyby was for the same individual whom I witnessed taking their last flight, (could have been) both events still really got my attention. As much as I complain about my job, workload, lack of sleep, lack of pay, lack of any respect from the company, etc, I am still alive and healthy as my job search continues in an effort to put the regionals in my rear view mirror. I have one good prospect right now. I'm just waiting to hear back. All I can do now, is just sit here, remember and appreciate the sacrifices of others, and enjoy my Reese's.