(Because we were individually incapable of figuring out what needed to be done or meeting deadlines, I guess.) That day would include several crew meetings where the Aircraft Commander (AC) gave or checked up on assignments.
Back in the day when I was a B-1 copilot we would spend a full day planning for a mission. The crew arrival at the jet is a beautiful ballet to me because it contrasts so sharply everything about the analogous process in the USAF. Meet the flight attendants, sign the paperwork, drag your bag to the jet, check the logbook for write-ups before anything else.
After a bowl of delicious Mediterranean food we meander over to our gate. It’s glorious! It will give you back many hours of more meaningful life over the course of your career.) We intentionally took a van a few minutes early so that we’d have time to grab some lunch. (At many US airports, airline pilots get to skip the regular security line altogether thanks to the KCM program. DCA is a great airport and we breeze through the Known Crewmember checkpoint. The hotel is close to the airport so it’s a short van ride through the freezing cold. A uniformed USCG E-8 in the elevator even treats me like a real Commander after noticing the three gold bars on my sleeves. For once my double-breasted uniform jacket doesn’t feel totally ridiculous. There’s some sort of naval surface warfare conference happening downstairs. We have an uncharacteristically late show time of 11:20 am…plenty of time to get a workout, call home, surf the web, etc. We’d finished late the night before so I’d gone right to bed and let myself sleep in. I wake up in a very nice Hyatt Regency in Crystal City near DCA. So, here’s a day, and a trip, in the life: Part of making a decision on whether to leave the military or not (or to pursue an airline pilot job at all for you young civilians) is trying to get an idea of what the job is actually like. It’s easy to paint airline pilot life as being all unicorns and rainbows because, compared to the queep/lack of focus/careerism/waste rampant in the USAF, life as an airline pilot is pretty damn rosy! However, I think it’s worth showing the good and the bad. In the meantime, I figured I’d tell you about a recent day at work, and a little about the rest of that trip. I’ve started work on a large-scale, exciting project, but it won’t be ready very soon.
I’d been trying to come up with something impactful or profound to write for you…and had failed miserably for quite a while. Greetings TPN! This post was started a while ago, before I wrote my Second Year in Review.