Big Fuel Flows

(1:50 A.M.) We're halfway between Sin City and Los Angeles with 150 tired passengers, three dogs, four lap children, three flight attendants and thousands of pounds of mail, cargo and luggage. The co-pilot and I are running out of steam, too. We have been flying since yesterday evening; hair on fire. The atmosphere above us is grumpy, so we are cruising in Cessna country at 16,000 feet. The ride is glassy smooth down here. I was amazed that the company filed our flight plan at this altitude, but after checking with my dispatcher, I can see why. It is a very different ball game at this altitude. The fuel flow to each engine is huge; sucking kerosene at a prodigious rate. The airflow over the airframe is loud and thick. The lights on the ground are a lot closer. I am the flying pilot because I am primarily a night pilot and am used to the vampire schedule. I am less tired than the co-pilot who usually flies daylight trips.

(2:00 A.M.)We are banking over Civet intersection, turning westerly toward the LAX airport. The night is clear and the lights of southern California are stretched before us. It looks like the cradle of humanity.

(2:10 A.M.) Noise abatement procedures are in effect, so we have to fly over the water paralleling Malibu for the approach to runway 6 Right. Flying over the water in the darkness of night is really weird. There is no horizon; only black space. I have the spoilers fully extended trying to lose all the noise abatement required altitude; the wings are shaking in protest. They are engineered to create lift in the rarefied reaches of the sky; they are very efficient, even at low airspeeds. While banking left onto base leg, I stow the spoilers and start calling for flaps, which are selected and confirmed by the non-flying pilot. The wings begin to change their shape with leading edge and trailing edge flaps being hydraulically shoved into the 200 m.p.h. slip stream. The nose pitches up as it should... life is good!

(2:15 A.M.) I have turned onto the final approach segment for runway 6 Right. The runway is in sight ahead of us. I am centered on the runway localizer and glideslope beams. The radar altimeter has just come to life confirming our barometric altimeter reading. At about five miles from the end of the runway I call for landing gear down. (I always keep my fingers crossed when the landing gear handle is moved to the down position.) The hydraulic system opens massive gear doors into the slip stream; you can really feel it and hear it. Then, the landing gear is unlocked and lowered into the wind. Immediately after the landing gear locks in the down position with an audible thunk, I see three green lights on the instrument panel. Our bodies are pushing against the five point harness as the aircraft rapidly decelerates.

(2:17 A.M.)We are over the beach with full flaps and gear down and locked. The engines are spooled up, ready to quickly produce maximum power if we need to escape an unknown disaster lurking on the runway. The threshold passes beneath us; the TDZ (touchdown zone) is illuminated by the landing lights. The radar altimeter starts calling (in a synthetic male voice; is this sexist? I need to check into this later...) altitudes as we get closer to the asphalt. Fifty-forty-thirty-(raise the nose a bit)-twenty-(thrust levers back to idle position)-ten-five-(nose up a bit more..hold it...hold it)-main gear tires barely touch the asphalt and start spinning up to 140 m.p.h., while leaving a cloud of rubber smoke behind. I gently lower the nose gear to the asphalt, then open the cascade vanes on both engines to enable reverse thrust. I use gentle reverse thrust and light braking. The tower controller gave us permission to use the whole runway, no need to hurry.

(2:22 A.M.)The ramper has crossed his batons in front of me. I gently come to a stop and set the brakes. I kill the fuel to both engines and confirm they are spooling down. The co-pilot and I run some shutdown checklists as the tired passengers de-plane. After he completes the logbook and is outside post flighting the airplane, I check his math. As I suspected, he has made mistakes ( he is tired ), so I redo the logbook for him. I will not say anything about it, because I remember being in his position.

(2:35 A.M.) All of us are in the hotel van with our heads back against the headrests. The co-pilot has fallen asleep. It is a fact: airline flying is tiring because of time zone hopping and around the clock flying.

The glamour is temporarily on hold.

Travel chaos

This holiday season has been tough for thousands of airline passengers, especially on the east coast. Apparently, certain work groups at an already struggling airline staged a wildcat sick out on the 24th and 25th. I knew something was going on because of my airline's big load factor on the 25th. The flight line rumors I have heard, which, historically, are less than accurate, paint a bleak picture. Those work groups believe that the end is near, so it was decided to make a final statement of defiance, or something like that.

This will probably close their doors earlier than later. I imagine thousands of passengers will never fly on them again. Even the internet ticket buyers will stay away. I do not understand. In the airline business, you are one event away from the unemployment line. I would think every employee of a struggling carrier would want to nurse their jobs for as long as possible, even at reduced wages. The old axiom goes like this: It's easier to get a job when you have a job. I speak from experience. I have been furloughed twice in my career along with wildly fluctuating wage scales, mostly downward. Following the initial furlough, during the first Gulf war, I stood in line at the unemployment agency. It was a learning experience, to say the least. What did I learn? Here's a few things:

1. Get rid of debtload. A small mortgage payment is OK. Drive cheap, paid for cars. Harden your financial position.
2. You can make more money plugging the holes in your checkbook than working a second job trying to pay for new cars and big homes.
3. Save, save, save,save-invest,invest,invest,invest.
4. Get ready for unemployment; have a financial lifeboat ready to go.
5. Be wary of union leadership's promise of solidarity. Imagine being in mortal combat, then seeing your officers run for their lives, past your positions, and you'll get the picture.
6. Get another job! Do not whine or listen to whiners and nay sayers. Get another job! During one of my furloughs, I had to get a job flying a business jet for one third of my reduced airline pay scale. It was hard work and long hours. I was amazed at how many of my airline co-workers told me that they would never stoop to that level. What?!
7. Do not, I repeat, do not cross picket lines to work. That action has serious long range consequences.

When one of my co-workers tells me about their new BMW or huge home they are building, I will ask them how they can justify spending that kind of money in today's airline environment. In fact, I had such a discussion two nights ago. The answer is always the same, "I am going to live for today, screw management. Look at their homes. Why should they live like that and I live in a crackerbox." OK.

Well, to each their own. Personally, I like to live for today by getting ready for tomorrow.

Stealth Technology

We did not see Santa this year, nor did ATC acquire him on radar. Why? Well, I am guessing that Santa covered the sleigh with radar absorbing composites and made radar absorbing harnesses for the reindeer. Of course, Rudolph's nose would have to be covered, too. This is only a theory, but I'll bet he has Fox News Channel at the toy factory. If he does, no doubt he saw the report about the kid who was asked to leave a Christmas party because he was dressed like Santa Claus. Old St. Nick must be keeping a low profile...One thing working in Santa's favor, though, is the increasing number of naughty people in the world. The sleigh's gross takeoff weight is much less nowadays, which is a good thing for the aging reindeer.

Anyway, Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!!

Moonlight

We left Arizona on schedule, for Sin City, with 137 passengers, most giddy with excitement. After a bag drag in Las Vegas, we departed for Washington's Reagan National Airport on schedule with 66 passengers. The flight across the country was awesome! More than half the route was above a moonlit undercast. The moon was almost full and very bright. I was amazed at the distinct and sharp shadows I could make with my hands in the heavenly light streaming through the cockpit windows. I pressed my head against the side window and looked back at the left wingtip shining in the moonlight. We are far above the earth moving with the black air mass in glassy smooth conditions. Our groundspeed is 560 m.p.h. The fuel flow is wonderfully low because I have reduced thrust. We will be arriving ahead of schedule with plenty of fuel.

I am a happy Captain...

We have not seen Santa yet. He is probably in the busiest part of the delivery schedule. He would be under the undercast...flying from roof to roof at low altitude.

We will be watching for him...

Suiting up for Christmas

Yep, I get to fly tonight, Christmas Eve, and into Christmas morning, arriving on the east coast at sunrise. I have been thinking about taking the wife of my youth with me, but the loads are forecast to be full and then some. She will probably stay in Arizona. Fortunately, I will be back the day after Christmas.

I get to fly most every Christmas because I am not senior enough bid it "off." I usually do the "Santa Claus in sight at 10 o'clock moving south by southwest. Look, you can see Rudolph's nose" routine. I have to wait until the opportune moment with a good visual of an aircraft crossing underneath us. The kids love it, or have in the past. Maybe I should not this year because of all the political correctness crap. I would hate to offend someone's sensitivities over Santa Claus.

Well, I've got to get busy.

Primary flights

My airline has several linchpin flights a.k.a. primary flights which must depart on time to maintain schedule harmony in far away times and places. The airline will do about anything to make sure this happens. I had a primary flight yesterday that departed Phoenix for Los Angeles. This was an early morning departure (yikes! I prefer the night schedule...) that utilized an aircraft that had been sitting at the gate overnight. When I arrived in the flight deck the aircraft was "cold and dark", i.e., all electrical power removed from the aircraft. My aircraft type is known as the "electric jet", or as the hardcore Boeing guys call it, "Sparky". On occasion, when power is restored, electrical gremlins pop up. We have several methods we use to correct this situation, which usually involves rebooting selected computers. Of course, this is what happened to us. I called maintenance control for help and within minutes I had techs and supervisor techs at the aircraft working the problems. It was impressive! A standard departure flight calls in a problem and you go on a waiting list for the next available tech. The wait is usually about ten to twenty minutes.

Needless to say we left on time.

Movie Review

What's this? A movie review? Yes, indeed. My wife and I saw the remake of The Flight of the Phoenix this afternoon. As a professional pilot I am by nature critical of flying movies, but this one was fairly good. The acting was OK, the flying sequences were well done and the story line did not diverge too far from the original. Of course, I have seen the original many times. How did this one stack up against the first movie with Jimmy Stewart? Actually pretty well, as computing power can nowadays allow more realistic disaster scenes. And, finally, a flying movie that has a decent soundtrack. Airplanes, especially large airplanes, are loud. Very loud. Big twin-engine piston powered transport planes of yesteryear had powerful Pratt & Whitney radial engines. These engines sound like no other. Usually Hollywood will show a Pratt & Whitney powered aircraft with a weed eater soundtrack. Totally ludicrous! However, the C-119 in The Flight of the Phoenix sounded correct. Thank you! There were a few small errors that only a pilot would notice, but overall I would recommend the remake of The Flight of the Phoenix.

Flight Level 390 against the sun.

The A320; a fabulous aircraft.

The School House

January is my recurrent training month for 2005. I must attend groundschool and simulator training. Then I must prove my ability with a checkride in the simulator. After that, I must demonstrate my actual line flying skills to a check airman observing me during a passenger carrying flight. Six months later I must have proficiency training in the simulator. Before I report to the school house, a huge training facility for pilots and flight attendants, I am required to do home study courses covering airline operations. It is a never ending cycle until retirement.

I always dread the school house; it isn't easy. Simulator training is tougher yet. Yet, when it is over, I realize it is necessary. This airline flying is serious business.

Hmmm, I have thirty days from today before I report to the school house. I have 180 home study questions to answer...that would be six (6) questions per day. I can do this...

Switches and Buttons

I reported to the Las Vegas airport to begin the second day of a three day trip. The co-pilot I had yesterday called in sick and went home on a 10:30 AM flight. He was recovering from a cold and had returned to work too soon. I hope I do not catch it! When I arrived at the gate the new co-pilot was already there preparing the aircraft for departure. He was a new hire right out of training on one of his first trips and was clearly nervous. New pilots typically sit reserve for a year or so; in other words, they are on call and never know where they are going or with whom. Is the Captain an a--hole? What happened to the other co-pilot? I introduced myself and told him the main objective was to have fun. He visibly relaxed...oh yeah, I remember those days. We loaded up 124 passengers for southern California and as I was doing my preflight checks a fuel pump push button fell into my hand from the overhead panel. Great!! I called maintenance and a tech was there within minutes. It took about thirty minutes to replace the push button. We are now running late!

Our first turn of the evening, southern California and back, went well. After parking at the gate in Las Vegas my co-pilot was told to go back to Phoenix on the next flight. I learned a long time ago not to question crew scheduling's decisions. It will only frustrate you. Co-pilot number three showed up for the second turn of the evening. He was a mid-level seniority co-pilot who had chosen to work as a reserve pilot for the month of December so he could get Christmas off. We pushed back from the gate late for another southern California turn. The second turn went well, except for being behind schedule.

Our last flight of the night to San Francisco pushed back twenty-five minutes late with 65 passengers. I was getting tired and was thankful the night would be over with soon. I was the flying pilot and decided to hunt for favorable winds to increase our groundspeed. I found an altitude where the winds were more of a crosswind instead of a headwind. This helped reduce our time deficit by nine minutes. We arrived at our gate in San Franciso at 1:37 AM.

Sleep came easy...

Expect Further Clearance

We pushed back from the gate on schedule with 86 passengers and 2 infants for Atlanta, a.k.a. Mylanta or Hotlanta. The fuel load for the flight was exactly what the route demanded plus a 45 minute reserve and 1000 pounds extra (10 minutes if you are lucky) for unforeseen contingencies. I usually like to carry 2000 pounds more than the company fuel load for contingencies. In fact, I have done it for years. However, nowadays the company is asking the Captains to drop the extra fuel because you burn fuel to carry extra fuel. I will try to comply but it is a hard habit to break.

I asked my co-pilot (while taxiing to the runway) to wait until the very last minute to start number two engine to save fuel. Each engine burns 17 pounds per minute at idle thrust. He timed it perfectly. We had number two stabilized with the afterstart and taxi checklists done at the exact time the tower cleared us for takeoff. The co-pilot ( the flying pilot to Atlanta) pushed the thrust levers forward about two inches and let both V2500 engines spool up from idle thrust to 40% before pushing the thrust levers forward to the calculated power setting. These engines love cool air, as it is denser. They produce a lot of thrust without getting close to the maximum EGT, which is a big problem in the summertime heat. We quickly climbed to our cruising altitude of 37,000 feet where I did my first fuel quantity check, known as the top of climb check. Looking good!

The ride to the southern U.S. was smooth and beautiful. We flew into the night sky about halfway to Atlanta. As we were approaching the Atlanta area I heard some airliners ahead of us get holding instructions over RMG (Rome). You have got to be kidding me! It was clear and a million miles visibility at the Atlanta airport. Sure enough, as feared, we received holding instructions; hold over the RMG VOR/ten mile legs at 33,000 feet and expect further clearance at 9:20 P.M. or, to put it simply, 40 minutes of circling in the night sky northwest of Atlanta. Holding requires a total shift in mental gymnastics. The flight crew has been flying toward the destination with their hair on fire trying to keep the schedule intact only to be shut down when the airport is in sight.

The folks that work ATC do a magnificent job, but they can only cram so many airplanes into the airspace over our airports before holding is required. Atlanta is one of the busiest airports in the world. Of course, the chances of holding are directly tied to the fuel remaining in the tanks. Our fuel situation was not pretty for a 40 minute hold. I checked the distances and weather for Tampa, Raleigh-Durham, and Memphis; all OK. We slowed to minimum holding speed as we entered our holding pattern at 33,000 feet. Then the ATC folks started stepping us down in the stack. This allowed the engine thrust to be reduced further bringing our fuel flow down to a bare minimum. We finally reached the bottom of the stack at 8,000 feet and it was our turn to fly to the airport for the approach and landing, which went very well. This co-pilot can really fly!

Well, our original 41 minute groundtime at Atlanta is now shortened to 20 minutes. The station is determined to get us out in the shortest possible time because of connections in Las Vegas. Hair is on fire again; not good for a silver haired Captain. We loaded up 127 passengers and three new flight attendants for Las Vegas and pushed 25 minutes behind schedule, again with only flight planned fuel and not one pound more. The flight to Las Vegas was beautiful underneath the Great Rift and Orion the Hunter. I know I go on and on about the night sky in this blog, but it is breathtaking. I thank God for the opportunity to fly a $40,000,000 aircraft in this black dome of stars.

Las Vegas arrival was 18 minutes behind schedule. It has been a long night; in fact, only five minutes short of the maximum allowed flying time of 8 hours. Must sleep...

Not bad for an amateur plumber.

Handy Man

The wife of my youth asked me (in the cute way only she can do) to do a few upgrades around the house, so on these days off I have been replacing faucets, towel racks, light fixtures and painting wrought iron plate hangers. I have spent a lot of time on my back underneath sinks busting my knuckles on plumbing fixtures. I have tripped some circuit breakers when I forgot the black wire in the ceiling fan is hot even if the switch is off. I have driven to Home Depot or Lowe's about every ninety minutes for several days, except while asleep (and then I dream about going to Lowe's or Home Depot ).

Returning to the cloud mines on Wednesday will be a rest...

December 7, 1941

Sixty three years ago the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces attacked our fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. Japan's finest aviators were in the cockpits and they were good. Over 2,500 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and civilians were killed. Today, December 7, we give it a ten second sound bite. A surprising number of our citizens do not know anything about it. There are still a few living survivors, but not for much longer. I have talked to a few of them over the years about their experience at Pearl Harbor. To the man, what they remember the most is the noise of battle. They say that it is hard to describe to anyone who hasn't experienced it. The thunderous explosions and the concussion wave that follows, the howling aircraft roaring overhead with engines at maximum war boost, the horribly wounded Americans screaming in pain; sounds of the metal storm. Soon, they who survived this hell, will succumb to the ravages of time.

I salute them.

Low level wind shear

Back to California we go with 67 passengers. Our destination airport of San Jose is under a weather alert for rain and gusty winds due to a frontal passage. I briefed the flight attendants about a rough ride in the descent and landing before we departed Las Vegas. As advertised, the ride began to deterioate as we descended into the Bay area. On downwind leg at 3,000 feet, west of the airport in instrument flight conditions, we hit bad turbulence and moderate rainshafts. The winds were 60 mph from the west gaining strength as they crested the terrain. The instrument panel was hard to focus on because of all the rocking, rolling and jolting. I turned base leg, lowered the landing gear, and called for flaps thirty degrees about one mile from the outer marker. Approach control had cleared us for the Instrument Landing System approach to runway 12 right. We intercepted the localizer and glideslope radio beams at the final approach fix and followed them to the runway. Tower issued low level windshear advisories with plus and minus 25 mph airspeed fluctuations reported by previous aircraft. OK, that got our attention! Many accidents in the past have been caused by windshear. I briefed the co-pilot on the windshear escape procedures and continued the approach. The ride down the glideslope was rough but manageable. As we crossed the runway threshold the aircraft rolled sharply left then right. This rolling was most likely caused by wind blowing over buildings on the perimeter of the airport. I was able to dampen the oscillations with aileron inputs just in time to smoothly roll the main gear tires onto the asphalt. It was impressive and darn lucky.

I love the transition period when the aircraft goes from an air vehicle to a ground vehicle. My fingers on the right hand lift the thrust lever reverser paddles up to activate the reverse thrust feature of the V2500 engines. It is a mighty thing, this reverse thrust. Cascade vanes open on the side of the engines and the hot gases are redirected out and forward. The aircraft decelerates rapidly and at 115 mph I begin applying brake pressure. In a few more minutes we are at the gate. I shut the fuel flow to the engines off and breath a sigh of relief. The rampers push the airstairs up to the airplane and the passengers began to disembark in the wind and rain. A few even complimented my landing. The flight attendants were very impressed and told me so several times. Of course, I played the silver haired Captain routine to the max. The co-pilot was rolling his eyes up.

V2500 atmospheric processor

Senior Flight Attendant

Today, between SFO and LAS my number one flight attendant (front galley person) was one of our oldest, most senior and most enjoyable to work around. I will not use her name because I do not have permission, but she is an interesting woman. When I was a brand new co-pilot she showed me her photo book she carries in her overnight bag. There she was on the airstairs of a DC-3 with the Captain, co-pilot and one other flight attendant. The year - 1953! She looked to be about 21 years old. That would make her about 72 years old today. I asked her about the crew in the photo and she said, "Honey, they're all long gone. I'm the only one left from that picture." She is still in good shape and mentally agile. She has been a flight attendant for 51 years!! Unfortunately not for the same airline. Even so, this has got to be some sort of record.

Amazing!

Airport Appreciation Time

We aircrews use this term in jest. Occasionally, during transit of hubs, our schedules have a long break between flights. This is me as I write this in the Las Vegas airport. My co-pilot and I have a three hour break before we fly back to California. It is interesting to watch passengers come and go in the terminal. The money they bring into this town is phenomenal. The Las Vegas airport has installed wireless internet and to use a Jack Black term, it rocks. Very nice! It will be easier to keep myself entertained.

Trip Tough

Finally, I am back in shape physically and mentally for the rigors of around the clock all weather airline flying. I took some vacation in September and November and became soft and whiney about work. It happens to the best of us, I guess. Airline operations demand a tough mental can do attitude. Also, your physical self must be up to the challenge. Low calorie and low fat diets are a must, along with a realistic rest and exercise schedule. I tend to be a very bad boy on my vacation time, then I whine and complain when I don't feel well or am suffering from lethargy at work. Stupid! I know better... A person can stay in "trip" shape with a little bit of effort, even while on vacation. The older I get, the harder it becomes to get trip tough after letting myself fall into old, bad habits.

Out of thousands of pilots at my airline, the chronic complainers and trouble makers are usually overweight and/or have a serious behavioral impediment on their backs. Such as drinking too much or poor personal health habits, etc. Some of these pilots have been married four or five times. Hard to believe, isn't it?

Non Directional Beacon

I am back in the flight deck after three days at home. Those three days were very busy with Christmas stuff, such as helping my wife buy the tree, gifts, and Christmas cards. This morning, before work, I wrapped and mailed three large boxes full of gifts. We are trying to break the habit of waiting until the last week before Christmas.

Anyway, the weather in Phoenix today is fit only for ducks; low IFR conditions with cold rain. Brrrr! I checked in for my trip via computer in the pilot lounge, gathered all the required paperwork, met the co-pilot, met the flight attendants, loaded 72 passengers for San Jose and blasted off a wet runway into the muck right on schedule. We broke out into the clear blue at about 15,000 feet. Arrival at San Jose was right on time. This airport is one of the few where we still use airstairs instead of jetways. In fact, in the summertime they use airstairs at both ends of the aircraft. I think it is very nostalgic. From California we flew to Las Vegas with 32 passengers. The loads are tapering off a bit between Thanksgiving and Christmas. At Las Vegas we had a bag drag, airline parlance for an aircraft change. The distance between the gates was so great, that the airline sent a crew van to pick us up so we would not be late for the Chicago departure. We traded our A319, a 124 passenger aircraft, for an A320, a 150 passenger aircraft. After 107 Chicago passengers boarded, noticeably less cheerful than when they arrived, we left for Chicago's O'hare airport; named after Butch O'hare- a Navy fighter pilot killed during World War II.

We level off at 37,000 feet in a clear night sky. The wind is on our tail at 77 mph giving us a groundspeed of 575 mph. Over our first cruise checkpoint, an intersection in the sky named Mosbi, I am pleased to see we have 500 pounds more fuel than forecast and are one minute ahead of our ETA. The flight plan says our true airspeed should be 517 mph and groundspeed should be 578 mph. The actual figures are 514 and 575. That is impressive! Obviously, my dispatcher is in the groove.

Later, we watch the half moon rise in the east. Now, there is an undercast far below us. The moon is softly illuminating the cloud tops. It is a lovely sight. We are close to my father's house in northern New Mexico. I am sure he is sound asleep under the cloud blanket. I tune in the NDB (non-directional beacon) located at the small airport one mile from his home. I listen to the never ending transmission of the same three letters in Morse code. That radio signal keeps going forever into time and space. It fascinated me as a youth; it was a siren song beckoning me to the sky. I watch the ADF receiver needle swing to the tail of the aircraft as we speed away toward the east.

We climb to Flight Level 390 to decrease our fuel burn even further. That is not a correct eastbound altitude, but at 3:15 AM, the ATC folks will accommodate us. The arrival into Chicago O'hare, one of the busiest airports in the world, at 4:20 AM was anti-climatic. We were the only aircraft in the vicinity, thankfully. The gray hair factor can be extremely high operating at O'hare airport. Outside temperature is 27 degrees with light winds. Of course, one of my flight attendants, a 21 year old new hire, is without a coat. I offer her mine but she refuses. I think she is embarrassed. Oh well, I tried...

In the hotel room, I am so tired I could lay on top of the bed, uniform and shoes still on, and be instantly asleep. First, I will work on this blog for a few minutes...

Have you ever seen so many lights?

When I was a kid I rarely got the opportunity to go into an airliner's cockpit, er, flightdeck. I remember a few times, one being a TWA Constellation, and the other was a Frontier Convair. That would have been about 1960, so those pilots would have been World War II guys. Being invited into a flightdeck was the dream of every male child back then, I assure you. Airline pilots were at the top of the pyramid.

That was then; this is now...

It would not be an exaggeration to say that kids are not interested in airplanes anymore. Once in a great while a child will ask to see the flight deck. Probably about one every two months. I do not understand this at all. The airplane that I fly is one of the most complex machines on the face of the earth. Why aren't kids interested? The flight deck looks like a starship, literally. I love to show kids all the lights, switches, buttons, levers, controls, computers, etc. The instrumentation lighting is amazing when the test button is pushed.

Is it because of the level playing field theories so prevalent in society today? No one person is more important or smarter than another person...

Is it because airline flying is commonplace today? Passengers, even young ones, don't really care about the miracle of flight anymore?

Too bad, I say. I can take you across our magnificent empire in a heated, pressurized aluminum bird for a few cents per mile in four hours and ten minutes. Our ancestors, if they survived, could make the same trip in four months.

Instead of roasted rattlesnake, we'll give you honey roasted peanuts.