Soprano Land

Back in the cockpit, oops, I mean flight deck. Yes, I've had my PC training. First stop is Las Vegas, then on to Newark. I am assigned a new female co-pilot who is doing very well for her experience level. The flight attendants are female and friendly. I am the token male on this trip.
A few hours later...the weather is good at altitude; a bit of light turbulence and a few moderate bumps. We are indeed lucky! North of our flight path the thunderstorms are giving us a fantastic light show. All things being equal, we will arrive Newark ten minutes ahead of schedule. These red-eye flights are tough. They are against the circadian rhythm of the human body.
Somewhere over Illinois...yikes, the sun is rising. We've got more than an hour until landing at Newark.
Gate 23;as forecast, ten minutes ahead of schedule into Newark. It's Saturday; the drive to Manhattan was a breeze. We are staying in a hotel at Times Square, in fact, one of my favorites. I love to visit New York City but would not want to live her. I am really tired! Zzzzzzzzz...
Two hours later...out of bed and hit the deck or I'll never be able to sleep tonight for an early morning departure. Get dressed and out to the streets of Manhattan for a day of drifting aimlessly. I eat too much here! The pizza is outstanding!

Home

My lovely wife is on a trip to Spain with her sisters. The house is like a tomb without her. I am used to sleeping alone at work because it is part of my job, but at home...no way. Tomorrow, Friday, I go back to the airways. She gets back Sunday night. I miss her really bad; the way she smells, her glassy smooth skin, the way her body feels. Damn!

Humidity

Great overnight in Seattle at a very nice downtown hotel. I went to a sushi place at midnight; it was packed! Today we left Seattle at 8:00P.M. for Las Vegas; then on to Tampa. We missed all the bad weather enroute to Florida. We saw the sun set and rise crossing our vast country. Enroute we flew underneath the constellation Cygnus and the Great Rift of interstellar dust. We arrived ten minutes early! The humidity is incredible this morning. I am really tired. Must sleep...

The Tripod

At 35,000 feet looking through two inch thick plexiglass at the setting sun I am thinking about many things. I have 150 happy campers behind me on their way to sin city (they will be less so on the way home minus their cash...). My co-pilot is a young kid (Herc pilot) right out of the Air Force. He is sharp and trying hard. Was I ever that young? The flight attendants are happy to be here; the male has his girlfriend along, so he is very happy. Uh oh, my mind is taking a different route. Happiness; a concept that is nefarious. Hence my tripod theory(I think I heard this from a preacher, but I like to give myself credit...)The tripod of life goes like this: Three legs of equal length and they are physical health, mental health, and spiritual health. Self explanatory.... Whoa! Back to the cockpit. Fuel flow is right on target at 5300 pounds per hour. Las Vegas is 1000 miles ahead and the sun has just slipped out of view. Life is good at this moment in time and space.

Back in the saddle

OK, enough days off. The airline demands the pound of flesh. I left Phoenix for Las Vegas, then on to Chicago. The weather in Chicago has been terrible for three days; many cancelled flights. The weather broke for a few hours today and we were able to slip into O'Hare between storms. One hundred-fifty happy campers. The overnight is at the Doubletree North Shore. Very nice! Good night...

Home Alone

My wife is on a trip to Spain with her two sisters and mother. I have two days off before my next trip. I have resorted back to hunter-gather status. The floor around my recliner is home to pizza crust and beer cans. I am watching all my violent movies, such as Predator, Gladiator, and others in that genre. Life is good; until tomorrow...I will have to clean the house before my wife's friend, Liz, sees the new heights of pigdom.

Day after

The last day of a four day trip. Hooray! Home to my lovely wife. We blasted off from Tampa on schedule for Las Vegas. Using airborne weather radar, we dodged thunderstorms all across the southern U.S. At Las Vegas we changed airplanes, then flew the last leg to Phoenix, arriving after midnight. I was beat!! Nothing like getting in your own bed. I have a few days off before I saddle up again. Later...

Life on the airways

I had just fallen asleep when the fire alarm tripped. The front desk girl made an announcement stating that it was a malfunction.It lasted about fifteen minutes. Nothing like being blasted out of REM sleep by a blaring horn. OK, after my heart rate returned to normal and the alarm reset I went back to sleep. The fire alarm went off a second time. This time I got pissed and called the front desk. They were being overwhelmed with complaints from sleeping airline crews. I think she was on the verge of crying. The alarm lasted about twenty minutes. I dressed in my gym clothes and left the room. I stood in the hallway looking out the window. Across the freeway lived a poor family. They were outside looking for something in piles of accumulated refuse surrounding their hovel. At least they could not hear the fire alarm blaring. Only a constant roar of the freeway; except, maybe not Christmas morning? The fire alarm ceased and I went to bed again. This time I was able to sleep three hours uninterrupted before awakening naturally.

All nighter

Whew! I flew all night from Seattle to Las Vegas to Tampa. We arrived on schedule and about ten minutes prior to sunrise. The Doubletree Hotel in Tampa welcomed us with their wonderful cookies and soft beds.
Must sleep...more later.

Future of airline business

Wow! Who knows? The Shadow knows! Most U.S. airlines are on the brink. Another terrorist incident in this country and three airlines will immediately collapse. That will get rid of the available seat glut. Will the U.S. government revive these three carriers into one huge government run airline? As Joe C. used to say, "maybe so, maybe no." The ramifications of a federal airline are interesting, to say the least. No labor unions, fixed salaries, good ole' boy pilot skills, etc.

Seattle arrival

We landed in Seattle on schedule. The weather is absolutely perfect tonight. I love this town! It has been a long day and I am ready for sleep...good night.

Chicago-post #1

This is post number one from the windy city. The weather is beautiful today in Chicago. At the moment I am getting ready for day two of a four day trip. Today's travels will take me to Las Vegas and on to Seattle. More later...