A Day Off Produces This Little Gem...

The UN is just like any other bureaucratic organization.  They like their weekends off, so that is usually when I am off too, unless there is a requirement for VIP movement or a medevac.  I stay in a gated complex - called "Paradise" for some reason that totally escapes my sense of logic.  But I digress...

I have been back in to exercising.  Last year, I reached an all time high weight.  Not good for the over 40 crowd, so I decided to get back in to shape.  40 pounds later, I'm finally running without making my knees sore or getting shin splints. 

So today, my one day off per week that is "OFF" and not stand-by, I decided to get in a run.  I usually do circles around my complex.  Due to the nature of the roads here and the way people drive in DR Congo (think Mr. Magoo - only not as skilled), I find - er used to find - it safer to stay behind the gates. 

Well today during my run, what do I see slither out of the drainage grate?  A little snake they call Mamba here in Africa.  Nicknamed the two-step snake because, after a strike, two steps and you're dead.  It's a viper that certain scientific circles consider to be the world's deadliest snake. The guards quickly killed it, which was just fine with me.  I'm more of a dog person.

To quote Indiana Jones, "Snakes.  Why'd it have to be snakes?"

Anyway, not a fan.  I hate snakes.  All snakes.  Just sayin'.

Entebbe, Uganda

I thought I'd start out with something from right now.  There is so much to catch up on, I might as well start back with something fresh in my mind.

Yesterday I was in Entebbe, Uganda.  Why?  It's a logistics support base for The United Nations.  This year, I've been working as a mission support pilot for the UN in the MONUSCO mission - Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.  Entebbe is a place we fly to frequently, as many MONUSCO employees, contractors and NGO workers filter in to Africa via Entebbe.

Many people remember Entebbe from Operation Entebbe, back in 1976.  If you're not familiar click on the link and it will take you to a Wiki summary.  Basically, it was a hostage crisis that erupted from the hijacking of an Air France flight that originated in Tel Aviv.  The plane was taken to Benghazi Libya.  Afterwards,  Idi Amin gave refuge to the hijackers in Entebbe, Uganda.  After thorough planning, the Israeli Defense Force executed a near perfect rescue/assault that resulted in the loss of only four out of 260 hostages.  It destroyed the entire Ugandan Air Force and was a huge black eye for dictator extraordinaire Idi Amin.  Of course, this a brief summary - I encourage anyone interested to read up on it. 

Anyway, the old terminal/control where the raid took place is still standing and is close to where we park our aircraft when we spend the night in Entebbe.

Entebbe is an interesting place.  I will post more about it in the future.  

An-124 next to the old terminal and tower in Entebbe, Uganda 

Another interesting sight in Entebbe is the Ugandan Air Force Sukhoi 30 fighters.  We taxied behind one the other day.

Su-30 holding short of runway 17, Entebbe

Su-30 on takeoff roll, runway 17 Entebbe.

NEGLECT

This blog has been undeservedly neglected.  I owe it to myself and family to have it rise from the ashes.  Well, that's a bit melodramatic

Although the blog has been quiet, the last few years have definitely not been.  The last time I posted, it was about the story of a job interview with the airline I was hired to fly for in Nigeria.  Due to their inability to pay my salary on time, I was forced to search for "greener" pastures.  Nothing is more frustrating than being 8,000 miles from home and your salary has not been paid.  What is the point of being there?

I'll get more in to that later.  First I have to talk about the summer of 2010, when the storm clouds that were brewing. That summer was filled with bouts of bliss, melancholy, opportunity and finally despair. 

First, the bliss.  I had purchased a motorcycle to save money on gas.  It was my daily driver for a while.  Not a big displacement bike, just a 750.  Initially, my wife was at odds with me purchasing a motorcycle.  She didn't even remember that I had a motorcycle license.  My hard headed nature won out and I bought the bike.  About a week after, I talked her in to going around the block with me on it.  Reluctantly, she accepted.

From that moment on, she was hooked.  We made a point every single evening to take the motorcycle out and enjoy the wonderful Kentucky summer.  The area we live in is filled with beautiful back-country roads.  There are lakes, creeks, hills, roads with tree canopies, fireflies, the Ohio River and so much more.  Each ride was magical.  It was a way to leave the days stresses behind.  It seems like the time not spent on the motorcycle or with the kids was full of melancholy.

There were flying jobs, but most paid too little to justify.  I love flying, but will not do it just for the sake of flying.  Nothing comes before my family and the whole point of flying is to provide for them.  I interviewed with a small airline in Cleveland, but was shocked to hear that their Captains made less money than I made at Comair.  Shameful.  I was offered a job with a freight operator flying Commanders, but it was from Blueash airport in Cincinnati, which is easily 40 miles from where I live.  An 80 mile round trip, 5 days a week just wasn't in the cards.  I also turned down a job flying a single engine cargo route.  The time off just wasn't adequate enough to justify it.  I didn't mind my non-flying job and they were good to me, but I just wasn't happy.

Of course, neither were about 50 million other Americans who were either unemployed or underemployed just as I was.  It was time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get serious.

I found out about the opportunity to return to flying overseas, with a good salary and rotation and went for it.  As I've already written, I got the job.  It didn't turn out to be the best job, due to their financial instability (go figure, an airline with cash flow issues) - but it did get me current again and gave me another year of experience.  So for that, I am thankful.  It was a great opportunity at the time.  Before the opportunity came to fruition, everything was almost lost.

I nearly lost my wife, my best friend, my one and only.  She almost bled to death internally and had to have an emergency hysterectomy.  She had not been feeling well for quite some time, but the doctors kept prescribing her with iron supplements and said she was fine.  One day, she nearly passed out.  We took her to the hospital, where she received a blood transfusion.  She was sent home only to have the same problem 3 days later.  Only this time, she was worse.

She was admitted to the hospital and had a hysterectomy the next morning.  It was a very close call.  He blood count was so low, that doctors were amazed she survived up to the surgery.  It was very scary for us.  I don't know what I would do without her.

Thankfully, her Mom and sister came out while this was happening.  It was a huge help to have them there and I will always be thankful to them for all of their help.  It made all the difference during that scary time.

After the surgery, her recovery was amazing.  She was back to work within three weeks and was well enough for me to start my new job.  So with that, I resigned from Staples, sold the motorcycle (it was the end of the Summer anyway) and started the next chapter.

Detroit Meltdown

Like I said, getting home is a story in and of itself. I picked up a taxi from CAE to the international terminal at Pearson. CAE is just on the other side of the aiport, so it's only a 10-15 minute taxi ride. It took a while for my taxi to pick me up and I was beginning to worry about missing my flight, which connected through Detroit.

When he picked me up, I had exactly one hour to departure and was extremely nervous about not getting to the gate on time. I asked the driver to get there as fast as he could. As we were heading down Derry Rd. on the West side of the airport, the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes. Out in front of him was a police officer, pointing at cars that had been caught speeding. Luckily he didn't point at my taxi. Apparently, that's how they pull you over. You Canadians are so civilized...wait...civilised.

I made it to the terminal 45 minutes prior to departure. I made it the gate 5 minutes prior to departure only to find that the flight was delayed by 90 minutes. No problem making it. The late departure would make me miss my departure to Cincinnati.

When I got to Detroit, I made my way to the gate area and found that there was one more flight departing to Cincinnati. It was sold out, but there was a Comair pilot flying on company business back to Cincinnati, so I approached him and asked if he'd take the jumpseat so I could get a seat in the cabin. He agreed and told the captain. The captain came down and asked told the gate agent there would be one more seat in the cabin. The gate agent had already closed the flight and wouldn't let me on board the aircraft. It's not good to argue when you travel on pass privileges, so I graciously (on the outside) bowed out and started looking for other options.

The only other option was to go through Ft. Wayne. I was ticketed and about to board when a family of non-revenue passengers with higher priority came and took all of the remaining seats. I was bumped. Faced with the prospect of a night in Detroit was not very appealing. Money was very tight and anxiety was building.

Just as I thought a good day had turned bad, a couple approached me. The husband said, "Sounds like you need to be in Cincinnati tonight." I nodded and indicated that I had been bumped from my last flight option. I introduced myself and we all got to chatting. We got to know each other a bit and found that we lived within 10 miles of one another. Their son was a pilot with Delta and they too had been bumped from the Cincinnati flight. They too wanted to be home that night, but didn't feel like driving. They said if I drove, they'd pay for the rental car.

They said that since I was a pilot, they figured I could drive a car safely too. Umm...ok. I'm in. They had no luck finding a rental car, but I was able to get a one way rental from Enterprise for a very reasonable rate. Withing 30 minutes, we were on our way to Cincinnati which is about 250 miles away.

It was a very enjoyable drive. The husband is a petro-chemical engineer with Ashland and the wife a physician. I stopped and bought burgers for everyone along the way and we had a nice time. I appreciated their generosity and hope to be able to do the same for someone else in their time of need. We made it back to Northern Kentucky by 9 p.m., I dropped them off at their lovely home and met my wife at Enterprise. Pure serendipity.

It was a good ending to a long weekend and a very long day. Storm clouds were on the horizon.

Fast Forward

I have a lot of holes to fill and have been remiss about posting. Although mindful of the personal importance of keeping up with writing, several challenges and obstacles had taken my heart out of it.

I used to have a link to some of my favorite aviation blogs through Blogrolling, but they have ceased operation and all links were lost. I've added a few. If you have an aviation related blog and would like me to add it to Great Gig In The Sky, please let me know.

In twenty five years, I want to have something to look back on that can be shared with my children and grandchildren.

Back to blogging. It's going to be out of sequence for a while, but I will try to fill the gaps as time goes by.

Where am I now? West Africa. Abuja, Nigeria to be exact. Abuja is the capitol city of Nigeria, created the 1970's from scratch as a master planned government city along the same lines as Brasilia, Brazil.

Today is presidential election day. Nigerian law dictates that election days are strictly enforced non-movement days. The night before from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., there is a curfew. Everyone is to be off the streets except for essential personnel. Coming back from the airport last night at 10 p.m., we had a police escort and encountered several road blocks where citizens were being questioned for their reason for being out past curfew. Election day non-movement is from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. People are only allowed outside of their home to vote at their local polling station. Needless to say, I am sitting in the Sheraton with plenty of time to kill. Time to blog.

Last August I was invited to interview with my new airline in Toronto. The interview was to include a face to face and simulator assessment. Having been out of an aircraft for almost 10 months, I was rusty and feeling more than a little nervous. I needed this job.

Luckily, the guy that interviewed me is a caliber guy. He made me feel relaxed from the beginning and my nerves settle by the time the simulator was open. I had the earliest flight of the interviewees and took the first slot. Might as well get it over with, right?

It was a straight forward assessment. We began with a standard take off where I climbed to 10,000 feet. He then had me demonstrate some steep turns. A steep turn consists of a 45 degree banked turn, usually 180 degrees in one direction and then 180 degrees back to the original heading. ATP standards are +/- 100 feet and +/- 10 knots. My first one was a disaster, so I asked for another. The second one was within ATP standards and he said he was satisfied.

Next we returned to the airport for a standard ILS approach. It was down to minimums and required a missed approach. After the missed, did a hand flown VOR approach to a landing. He re-positioned me for a low visibility takeoff and gave me a V1 cut (engine failure at the most critical phase of takeoff). The V1 cut worked out fine. It was due to severe engine damage. I did the emergency items for it, stayed on single engine and did a hand flown, single engine ILS to a full stop. One last normal takeoff, he failed the flaps and I did a visual approach with flaps zero back to 31L at JFK.

Whew! It was over. He said, "Good job. We'll see you in a few weeks for training and then in Lagos, but the official word will come from our office in London." It sounded like I was hired, but not hired. He saw the confused look on my face and said, "I'm the one that makes the decision. You just have to get the confirmation from the London office." That made me feel a lot better.

I shakily got out of my seat in the sim and headed back to the lounge area where the other guys were waiting their turn. They were all anxious to hear the gouge so they'd know what to expect in their ride. That's the downside of going first. You don't know what to expect. I spent about 20 minutes telling them all about it, wondering which of them I'd be seeing in Africa. Then it was time to get to Pearson airport so I could get back home.

That's another story in and of itself...

The outside of the Sheraton Hotel in Abuja. It's a large hotel with resort
style amenities like a steakhouse, Italian restaurant, casino, large pool area,
tennis, conference facilities and spa facilities.

This is the view from outside of my room.
Each tower is pyramid shaped with an open atrium.

Long delays between posts

Although this blog was created purely for personal reasons, I feel fortunate to have made many friends through it and am honored that it has many followers.

Life has been very hectic and that is the reason for the delays. Lots to say, stories to share, promise to be back very soon.

Long Time Coming

Well, the title says it all. This post has been a long time coming. The last year or so has been difficult at times but, as always, persistence pays off.

To summarize the last eighteen months, there have been highs and lows (seemingly more lows) travels abroad, job changes, job searches, interviews, job offers and finally employment that is suitable for the needs of my family.

Yemen was an interesting country to spend time in. I have many photos and experiences to share from my time there. Flying in Yemen made me a stronger pilot. Spending five months straight in Yemen nearly made me lose my mind. The main contract was canceled and I was offered a local contract with no rotation home. Due to scheduling for a required proficiency check, I was forced to remain away from home for five months to the day. Being away from my family for that amount of time was one of the most difficult experiences of my life. The negative impact it had on my family was inexcusable and never again will I let a contract employer stand between my family and I.

There were many positive experiences in Yemen. I made life long friendship connections with the guys I flew with. I've never had the honor of serving in the military, but I can say the camaraderie that develops between men in a situation that only you as a group can relate to/understand must be comparable. I can tell my family and friends in the US about the experiences, but only the guys I worked with truly understand what it was like.

I left for Yemen on a twelve month contract. Based on the pay, it was a good opportunity. When the airline canceled the contract between my employer in the United Kingdom and themselves six months early, it left myself and the others between a rock and a hard place. The job market was still VERY tight. Few of us could afford to stop working and go home. The airline knew that and offered us all "local" contracts at a much lower pay rate and zero rotation. Most of us had no choice and took it with the intention of leaving as soon as possible.

By the end of 2009, I could no longer stand to be away from home and decided to leave. There were a few opportunities around the corner. It was time to leave and be back with my family. I needed them and they needed me. After a wonderful homecoming, the opportunities on the horizon had dissolved. Hiring in the US was still stagnant and there was no where else to turn.

Due to the economy and the declining state of the industry, finding employment in my previous profession was impossible. With a resume heavy with flying for the last few years and the absolute desire to stick with it, finding employment was difficult. I was constantly told I was over qualified or that my eventual return to aviation meant poor return on investment for prospective employers.

After doing some temporary work, I was fortunate enough to find employment with Staples, Inc. working in a call center. It was a good work environment, the pay was livable, there were benefits and the company was glad to have my talent for the time being. They encouraged me to continue seeking employment in aviation while always encouraging me to grow within the company as well. I have nothing but positive things to say about Staples and what a caliber company it is. Thank you, Staples.

I interviewed at a few airlines while working for Staples, but just couldn't justify starting over at another airline and making my family suffer through first year pay all over again. It just wouldn't be fair to them. They have been through enough the past few years. I was also offered a job with a cargo/freight carrier that operates point to point delivery all over the country. The pay was better, but the schedule would keep me away from home too much.

The answer was there. I just hadn't found it yet. I continued working for Staples in to the summer, enjoying the time being home with my family. I purchased a motorcycle that my wife and I enjoyed immensely. There's nothing like a relaxing ride on a cool, Kentucky summer evening under the dense tree canopy of summer, sharing the cool breeze with millions of fireflies. I see a Goldwing in our future.

This was the beginning of an eventful summer, filled with promise, despair and ultimately a renewed lease on life.

Time To Catch Up

Before disclosing the current locale, I should probably spend some time catching up over the last 12-15 months. Many interesting things happened in Yemen both good and bad and overall it was a rewarding experience. In the end due to circumstances beyond my control, I ended up spending five months away from home. It was a sacrifice I will not let happen again.

Living and flying in Yemen was quite an adjustment. It is a country of very diverse geography, from hot and humid coastal zones to mountians in excess of 12,000 feet in height and the arid, sandy desert of the Wadi Hadramaut. All of the planes are/were based in Sana'a, the capital, which sits in an a very high valley (7,200' above sea level) surrounded by huge, jagged mountains.

Sana'a looks very much like Phoenix, my home town. With Sana's elevation, the temperatures there are more moderate than Phoenix. A typical summer day sees a high of about 32C (about 90F), but the weather patterns, vegetation and topography look very much like the Sonoran Desert. Prickly Pear, Cholla, Bouganvilla, Eucalyptus, Aloe Vera, Pyracanthia and a variety of other plants. There is the Monsoon like rainy season with afternoon thunderstorms that build over the mountains and roll in to the city in late afternoon. Those create some pretty white knuckle flying too.

The average American has one opinion when it comes to Yemen: terrorism. While there are undoubtedly extremists and terrorists in the country, the average person is kind, generous and willing to go out of their way to help you. Petty crime there is non existent and I was able to safely walk the streets of the city day or night. Here are a few photos of Sana'a:

This is a view of the Presidential Mosque as seen from an area called Hadda Street. It was built two years ago at a cost of $20,000,000

View looking south from Babel Yemen aka Old Sana'a

More to come about Yemen, it's people and flying experiences while there.

The End of an Extended Absence

Well, I think I've really dropped the ball on something I worked long and hard at. Aviation is a tough business and has not been kind to myself and scores of others these last few years.

I spent all of 2009 flying in Yemen. Although I had a lot of interesting experiences there (which I will start writing about), it was very tough being there. At one point, I was away from home for five months to the day. I left Yemen in November, 2009 and decided to take some time off from flying and just be home.

I turned down several flying opportunities while waiting for a recall at Comair. I just missed the last round and was pretty upset about it. I decided to start looking at other opportunities again.

In late July, I went to a sim evaluation in Toronto. I was rusty and hadn't touched a jet since November. A few weeks later, I received a job offer from another overseas airline. This time with better terms and conditions.

I'm there now and hope to be better about adding to the blog once again. I've put too much effort in it to just let it remain dormant. Time to go flying again.

chirp...chirp

It's been a while since I've posted. The last year has been intersesting. More to come soon.

Welcome to Yemen

The first thing I thought of when we landed in Sana'a was John Candy saying to me (as in Planes, Trains & Automobiles "Welcome to Wichita!") "Welcome to Yemen!"

Getting the aircraft to Yemen was quite an ordeal due to several factors. In the end, we only had one captain to fly the entire trip. Our ever evolving route took us from Goderich, ON to Halifax, NS where we picked up a life raft. From there, we went to Keflavik, Iceland where we spent the first night. Due to a late afternoon departure from Goderich and Keflavik being GMT, we didn't arrive at our hotel until 5:30 in the morning. We departed about 2 p.m. for our next stop, Vienna, Austria. It was my leg and it took 4.5 hours to get there. By the time we arrived, the sun had already gone down. I was really disappointed by not getting to see the approach in to Vienna. Oh well, another time. We refueled, picked up a trip kit and headed to our next overnight, Cairo. We arrived in Cairo at 2 a.m. local and headed to the hotel. We we booked at the Fairmont and it is one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed at. We met up downstairs the next morning, where we found the CEO waiting for us. He joined us on the final leg from Cairo to Sana'a.

Our arrival in Sana'a was very exciting. There were hundreds of people there to greet the aircraft. After about a thousand handshakes, we obtained our visas and headed to our accommodations. We were all extremely tired and needed rest.

The next day, a driver picked us up and took us to company headquarters. They are located in a very modern 10 story glass building. We were personally introduced to the entire management and office staff and given a tour of the entire operation.

There is a lot more and I will post again soon. Here are some photos to accompany the story.

The snowplow/dumptruck is towing the broken fuel truck (on ice) to the aircraft to refuel. Only a photo will do here.

This is the Fairmont Hotel in Cairo

Part of the welcoming party upon arrival in Sana'a.

The view East from my flat. Even though the elevation here is 7.200 feet, the terrain and vegetation looks a lot like Phoenix and the Sonoran Desert.

View from my room. This is a garden with a lot of different vegetables sprouting.

This is the company's very well equipped training center. Computer based training, cockpit mock-ups and whiteboard. Very nice.

This is a group of Yemeni First Officers that took the US pilots out for dinner the day after we arrived. From left: Ibrahim, Basam, Ahmed, Waleed and Mubarez. They are all really outstanding guys and I like them all very much.

Week One - New Job

The first week of "New Job" has wrapped up - and - I'm still in North America. Yes, another delay has ensued.

The call came Tuesday morning. I was to head to Toronto Tuesday night instead of Wednesday because of flight scheduling. That gave me only Tuesday to get packed, tie up loose ends and have a really good lunch with my good friend, and former co-worker, Dan. We met him in Lawrenceburg, IN - a nice little town on the Kentucky-Ohio-Indiana border. Lawrenceburg's biggest claim to fame used to be a huge Seagram's factory. Now it is Argosy Casino. Anyway, we met at a great restaurant called Whisky's. It's in a building that has been around since the mid 19th century and has a great menu. Recommended. Dan is about the join the US Army and go to helicopter flight school. So Tuesday was the last chance for us to get together for at least the next year. Good luck Dan and thanks.

The rest of the day was spent getting packed and spending as much time with mykids as possible. We treated them to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings on the way to the airport.

I was the first of the group to arrive late Tuesday night. A few other guys came in Wednesday morning. The remainder of the crew was to come in Thursday morning when we would all head to Goderich, ON to pick up the newly painted and appointed aircraft from the paint shop. Five guys, with 2 months worth of bags, plus a driver. Sounds like a job for a 12-15 passenger van, right? How about a Chevy Uplander. There was no way that everyone, even with just a carry-on would fit. Luckily, two of the guys inbound flights were delayed and the van made a second trip to pick them up.

Have I mentioned that I don't care for Canadian weather? Yeah...no. I completely understand why the US is full of Canadian geese. I don't blame them. On top of bitter, below zero cold, the trip to Goderich was complimented with sudden intermittent snow squalls, lake effect snow, icy roads and sudden onsets of zero visibility. It took us all afternoon to get there. I do have to say that, even covered with snow, Canada is truly a beautiful country. Every small town we passed through was clean and charming.

When we arrived in Goderich, we went straight to the airport. The aircraft was out on the ramp and it looks great. They did an excellent job. This paint might actually avoid stripping and peeling for the first month, unlike the lower than lowest bidder shop contracted to paint the Comair fleet.

The plan was to do some take offs and landings for the guys that needed currency and then leave Friday morning. Well, like before, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. The weather was intermittent squalls, gusts to 39 knots and 500 foot ceilings. Not the kind of weather for pattern work at a non-towered airport with no navaids, not to mention a lack of proper deicing equipment. There would be no flying.

The FMS needed to be updated. The update was in hand, but the data-uplink computer was supposed to be coming in on another CRJ coming to the paint shop. There was no way it would get there either. There would be no departure for Friday.

One issue created another and now the new departure date is Tuesday, with pattern work to be done on Monday. The good news is that at least I'm being paid. The bad news is this town is so small that, due to a hockey tournament (go figure), there are not enough rooms for us this weekend and we have to go to another town 15 kilometers aways. It's not that big of a deal. It's just inconvenient.

I have to take a minute to talk about the little motel we've been staying at, The Maple Leaf. It's not a fancy Marriot or Hilton, but it has something they'll never have: Jeanette and her staff. What The Maple Leaf lacks in polish, it more than makes up for in personal, caring service. Jeanette went out of her way to make sure that every unique need we had was taken care of. I wish we could have stayed.

The new place is in Bayfield, ON. This place is too weird to describe. The closest description I can give is The Overlook Hotel (Come and play with us, Danny...REDRUM) and a Lawrence Welk Show rerun. There's no phone in the room and the Electrolux COLOR TV has KNOBS! The place is too weird for words. I really expect to see Danny riding his Big Wheel through the hall when I open the door or this...

When I go outside with all of the snow that has fallen, I expect to see Scatman Caruthers* in the Snow Cat coming our way.

There are worse things in life than being paid to do nothing although it would have been nice to have extra time at home with my family, who I already miss so much.

Hopefully, we'll be on our way Tuesday morning. Here is the planned route from Goderich: Gander, NF; Keflavik, Iceland; Shannon, Ireland; Marseille, France; Istanbul, Turkey; Cairo, Egypt and then our final destination.

*Thanks John...late night. I couldn't have been more wrong!

Finally

Well...five months after interviewing, three and a half months after being furloughed and sixty days of delays...I'm finally going back to work! I might even be leaving tonight. Yikes. (sorry K)

All I can say right now is how fortunate and grateful I feel to have a job.

More soon.

Heartbreaking

Continental Flight 3407, a Q400 operated by Colgan Air went down on approach to Buffalo taking the lives 45 passengers, 4 crew members and one on the ground.

God rest their souls and be with the families of their loved ones.

Nothing else matters.

A Rare Flying Opportunity

Over the course of the past three months, I've had plenty of spare time. Of course, without income, spare time doesn't yield too many flying opportunities. As of February 5th, it had been 90 days since being at the controls of an aircraft. 90 days is kind of a milestone. It meant I was no longer current. In order to be current again, I would need 3 take offs and landings and figured the next chance to get current would be at the new job.

Now, back a few weeks. My father has had a rough ordeal involving his eyesight over the past several years. It all came to a conclusion a few weeks ago with some pretty major surgery. I decided to go and visit my parents for a few days before heading overseas for an extended period of time.

While deciding the best date to go, my friend and former co-worker Mark invited me to go flying with him when I came out to Arizona. He needed someone to fly to California with him in his personal V-tail Bonanza. So on top of a nice visit with my parents there would be an opportunity to get back in an airplane.

I headed over to Phoenix for a jam packed trip full of family, friends, flying, Mexican food and In 'N Out Burgers. The first night, I enjoyed dinner with one of my oldest friends. Day two, I spent enjoying the company of my parents and seeing Slumdog Millionaire (highly recommended) with my mother.

On day three, I headed over to Deer Valley airport where the 1967 V35 Bonanza is stored. It was time to go flying with a CFI and get signed off in the Bonanza. There was a special flying event for physically challenged children going on, which was great. But between that and flight school traffic, it took almost 2 hours on the Hobbs to complete the checkout. By the final landing the weather had deteriorated and the winds were kicking, but all I could think about was how much fun it was to be back in a light aircraft.

I have to say, I love this plane. Even though the all of 42 years old, it flies nice and tight, like it was built yesterday. The Continental IO-520 engine started without the slightest protest and its full complement of IFR avionics work flawlessly. The interior is gorgeous and the leather still smells new. It's obvious how well Mark maintains his Bonanza.

The previous owner was a character named Tex Earnhardt, Arizona car dealer with the slogan "NO BULL". With more money than taste, the man puts his giant bull horn logo on everything and this poor Bonanza was no exception.

Even though the logo has been removed, years of oxidation left a giant "Tex" stain on the side that won't rub out. Only new paint will erase it. "And that ain't NO BULL!"

We put the plane back in the hangar with plans to take it to Yucca Valley, California the next day...if the weather was going to cooperate.

On the way back, my phone rang and it was a friend who will be working with me at the new job in the Middle East. Travis happens to live in Phoenix. Once he found out that we were planning on a trip to California in the Bonanza the next day, he told me that the V-tail Bonanza is his favorite aircraft. One call and he was invited to join us the next day...if the weather...

Sunday rolled around and the weather looked dismal. A check of the weather said our best chance was to depart Deer Valley around 2 p.m. Ceilings were about 5,000 broken. So our plan was to fly VFR at 4,500 feet...not the most efficient altitude but for three guys itching to go flying it was perfect.

We had a pretty strong tailwind, so the trip took a little over 2 hours. On the plus side, flying low provided for some pretty spectacular views. It was really neat to see things like the huge CAP pumping stations built in to the side of the San Jacinto mountains. It was also cool to see Joshua Tree National Park from the air. Joshua Trees are pretty amazing things.

The ceiling came down as we turned north towards Yucca Valley and we got some close up views of the surrounding foothills. The airport has a single runway 4300x60' runway with no taxiway. The surface is pretty deteriorated. We entered on the upwind and came in on 24. The winds were pretty gusty, but Mark's landing was picture perfect.

We taxied over to parking and met up with an interesting guy named Glen Porter. Glen is a retired Marine with a background in airport management. With more degrees than you can shake a stick at, this guys is full of knowledge. His latest venture is working with metal. He customer manufactures weather vanes to match just about any aircraft you can imagine. Mark had ordered one a few months ago and this trip was to pick up the finished product in person.

Here's a photo. It doesn't justify the craftsmanship. For example, the prop and spinner is custom made, precision balanced and has commercial grade bearings to keep it spinning flawlessly for years. It really is a beautiful piece of work.


The lighting doesn't do the copper finish justice. The welds are nearly invisible, the copper finish is gorgeous and the price was very reasonable. Here's a link to his site.

The brief intermission in the weather that allowed us to slip over there was coming to an end rather quickly, so we jumped in the plane and headed back to Deer Valley. We had a nice tailwind on the way back, giving us about a 200 knot ground speed. We got back to Deer Valley just before sunset and had a nice dinner at Macaroni Grill.

One of the things I've enjoyed most about getting in to aviation is the friends I have made along the way. Some through training, some through work and many right through this blog. It's experiences like these that make flying so enjoyable.

Here are a few more photos from this trip:

Ain't she pretty? (the plane)

Downwind for Yucca Valley Runway 24

This picture doesn't do justice for how beautiful the moon looked.

The Moon Valley area of Phoenix as we returned to to Deer Valley.

Many thanks to Mark for providing such a great aircraft for us to fly and to Travis for providing the photos. I can't wait to do it again some time soon.

Long Awaited Good News

Things are finally coming around for the new job. The original start date was in December. The next one was January. Well it looks like mid-February, but things are becoming much more firm.
The aircraft flew to Canada to get a brand new paint job last week. CRJ's usually take 10-15 working days to paint, so I would imagine February 15th at the absolute latest.

My first flight for the new job will be a ferry from Canada to the Middle East with the other Captains and First Officers. A ten thousand mile flight in a CRJ should be pretty interesting and I'm looking forward to it. What a way to start, right?

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I can't stress enough how grateful I feel to have this opportunity with such dismal economic conditions world wide. The news today alone highlighted over 62,000 layoffs from major employers nationwide. Caterpillar, Texas Instruments, Microsoft, Google, Citi, Wyeth (due to Pfizer acquisition), Halliburton, Schlumberger, Home Depot, Sprint/Nextel, United Airlines and Clear Channel (Cheap Channel) Communications are just a tip of the iceberg.

There's a double edged sword to being a furloughed pilot in a down economy: currency and qualification. To remain qualified in an aircraft that a pilot is type rated in, he/she must have recurrent ground and simulator training along with a check ride every 12 months. Most contract jobs require pilots to be current and qualified in type to be eligible for employment. Many of my coworkers will lose currency next month and qualification by summer.

For many furloughed pilots, right to recall is at least a light at the end of a long tunnel. In the case of ever shrinking Comair, with 300 on the street currently and rumors of another displacement/furlough next month, our group has been told not to expect a call back. For guys that have less than 2,500 flight hours, this could potentially spell the end of their flying careers. When hiring does resume in the US, many who had to sit on the sidelines for 1-3 years will not have the hours necessary to qualify for a premium job. And a large number of them will not be able to afford going to another regional airline for first year pay, which is just awful.

Comair's only hope, which really isn't hope at all, in the near future is the court case between Mesa Air Group's Freedom Airlines and Delta Connection. Delta canceled Freedom's contract for 50 seat lift using Embraer 145 aircraft in March 2008. Mesa filed a lawsuit against Delta and a temporary injunction was granted. Freedom began flying Delta routes again late last summer. The day in court is supposedly sometime around the 30th of January.

First of all, it's hard to call another airline's loss "hope" for your airline. Nobody wants to take someone's job. Second, my guess (that and four quarters will get you $1.00) is that Mesa/Freedom and Delta reach a financial settlement and Delta will simply not re-assign the flying. Freedom pilots will lose and other DCI carriers, Comair included, will not receive anything. What is my reasoning? Mesa Air Group is in a bit of cash trouble due to a settled lawsuit with Hawaiian Airlines, major losses at Go! (Mesa's Hawaiian subsidiary), a share price below 20 cents, major upcoming debt payments and the looming threat of losing Delta lift.

I don't want to see any more pilots, no matter where they are employed, lose their job.

A Little Cryptic

Finally. A day with some good news! The image below will explain a lot to a few and very little to most. Does that make any sense?
More soon...

How Lough Will They Go?

Last Monday, Comair furloughed another 92 of my brothers. That makes the grand total, as of this very moment, 298 pilots furloughed - roughly 21 percent of the pilot group. There are rumors of more displacements/furloughs in the months ahead. This greatly decreases the odds of receiving a recall notice in 2009-2010.

The latest displacement, puts the most junior Captain as a November, 2000 hire. Wow. 8 years to hold a junior reserve captain seat, at JFK no less. I don't know the exact date, but I'm guessing to be a line holding CRJ-200 captain at Comair, he/she would have been hired some time in 1996-97. 12 years to be a line holder at a regional airline?

The question is: If I were to get a recall notice, would it be wise to accept? As the company drastically continues to shrink, I would think the answer is clear.

Comair has a great group of people, from the pilot group to ramp agents to overworked back office support staff. None of them deserve what has been wrought and what may be still be looming.

More Shell Game Fallout & A White Elephant Is Born

Yesterday, 80 more pilots took a solid kick in the tenders. Most likely due to their net loss of 10 aircraft in the Great CRJ-900 Switcheroo of 2008-9, ASA will be furloughing for the first time in it's proud history.

Like I mentioned in the previous post, being "awarded" 10 CRJ-900's wasn't exactly great news for ASA. Delta is doing everything it can to get out of the 50 seat regional jet market and we should expect more reductions to come in 2009.

I'm truly sorry to see more pilots hitting the street. When recalls actually start happening industry wide, I wonder how many will actually accept?

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CVG: White Elephant?

As of January 1st, Delta closed terminal 3's Concourse C and moved all regional flights to Concourses A & B. Opened in 1993, the groundbreaking Concourse C has 48 gates and was the largest terminal ever constructed specifically for regional aircraft. The initial reasoning was to streamline the product and allow the utilization of jet bridges for more passengers. A large number of flights from both A & B will require passengers to ingress/egress via ramps to/from terminal level, in addition to RJ stairs versus convenient ground level Concourse C. Also, at times they will still be using a wing of Concourse C for boarding, requiring buses. However, no services (including restrooms) will be avaiable. Does that sound like seamless product?

With the increased passenger traffic in A&B from the loss of C, Cincinnati-Northen Kentucky airport will appear to be busy. In addition, the previous two evening pushes/banks have been combined in to one, to complement Cincinnati and Detroit's traffic patterns. Looks can be deceiving. With Comair alone having lost over 20% it's flying from CVG, passenger traffic at CVG has been drastically decreased and will probably see even fewer flights over the course of 2009-10.

The systematic dismantling of Delta's CVG hub has begun. Like St. Louis and Pittsburgh, CVG has reached "white elephant" status.

Has anyone seen the Travelocity commercial where the couple are just checking in and every time the husband tries to speak, a jackhammer interrupts him? I think the commercial sums up my feelings about the US airline business, at least until the economy turns around. Every time I think I've figured something out, the jackhammer of change interrupts and things change. I love the part at the end where he says in the perfect sarcastic tone, "It's gonna be great...it's gonna be a big week."



Well, it's gonna be great...it's gonna be a big year.

The Regional Airline Shell Game

Watch the jet. Can you find it yet? Wherever it lands, you're sure to fret.
Do you wanna make a bet?

The world's largest airline has been busy reducing capacity. The biggest target is 50 seat regional jets. Since the beginning of 2008, Delta has reduced the number of 50 seat RJ's utilized more than any other carrier.

The first catalyst was the cost of fuel, which peaked last summer. The need to decrease capacity continues due to the dismal state of the economy.

Where the cuts come from and how deep is a constantly changing equation. At this point, I don't even think Delta knows. Since wholly owned subsidiaries don't have contractual capacity purchase agreements, it's easier to make changes with them. That is why they have put the screws to Comair.

Another way Delta is trying to reduce regional capacity is by canceling contracts of under-performing carriers. In May, Delta canceled their 50 seat contract with Freedom Airlines, a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group claiming poor completion and on-time performance. Mesa sued and received a temporary injunction to maintain the flying until the case goes to trial sometime in the first quarter of 2009.

In July, Delta announced that they were canceling Freedom's contract for 76 seat CRJ-900 flying as well. Those particular aircraft were owned by Delta and leased to Mesa/Freedom. Mesa had no recourse and Delta began the process of re-assigning the aircraft to other Delta Connection carriers.

First, they announced that the 15 aircraft (some of which have yet to be delivered by Bombardier) were going to Comair. By mid-August, Delta reversed that decision and temporarily assigned the aircraft to Pinnacle Airlines. This, along with the reduction in 50 seat aircraft, was the primary catalyst for my furlough, along with 205 and another 92 on January 16th, 2009.

In November, Delta announced that the remainder of the CRJ-900's were going to be placed with Mesaba, which has experienced tremendous growth in 2008. Now the reasons for that growth are another story entirely. To make a long story short, Mesaba was shrunk and squeezed a few years back and the pilot group is just now returning to it's original size.

Today, a memo was released by Mesaba. The memo stated that 10 of the 15 CRJ-900's that were assigned to them would now be given to ASA. ASA is the major Delta Connection carrier in Atlanta and is owned by Sky West. ASA has a great pilot group and they have been experiencing some reductions, including the loss of their ATR-72 turboprop fleet. Apparently, the awarding of the 900's was a 2 for 1 swap for 50 seat CRJ-200's. This ends up being a net loss of 10 aircraft. With and industry average of around 6 crews per aircraft, that means about 120 fewer pilots. So I wouldn't call it good news for ASA either.

Many of my fellow furloughed pilots had been recently hired by Mesaba and were due to start class on Monday, January 5th. I was glad to see them find work. Late this afternoon, they all received notice that their classes had been canceled. This just sucks.

2009 looks to be a very difficult year in the airline business. The hiring boom of 2007 was short lived. Too short lived. Rest assured there will be another, but with the increase in the mandatory retirement age to 65, it's going to be 2011 or 2012 before mass retirements become a factor and there is any substantial hiring at the majors.

I know there will be another "panic" hiring boom at the regionals before too long, but it won't necessarily be a healthy one. It will be due to the fact that there are so few people going through commercial flight training. The costs have skyrocketed and the lack of available credit for student loans will decrease the number of qualified entry level pilots. Best case scenario would be such a lack of newly trained pilots that the airlines are forced to offer competitive compensation for highly qualified pilots that have either walked away or gone overseas in search of better income. That is a subject of its own and would involve a virtual dissertation.

One thing is certain. Delta is going to continue to dangle larger regional aircraft like carrots in front of it's regional partners in order to drive costs lower. Regional airlines will fight for larger airframes and try to force their remaining pilots to fly bigger aircraft for less money. Scope will continue to be etched away. Until things change, (no I don't have the answer) the race to the bottom is going to be dirty, painful and destructive. The only thing I can do now is watch from the sidelines and hope for the best.

I will also continue to seek the answer to this question: If the CEO of DAL stated that there would be no loss of front line jobs as a result of the merger, why have over 300 pilots been furloughed from a wholly owned carrier?