Airline Captain – A Quick Study
I wrote the following years ago as a character study on a Captain I was flying with. I was hesitant to post it then as I genuinely enjoyed working with…
The Captain and His Shark Skin Boots
Airline crews are easy to identify at the hotel bar. Especially if it’s closing time when the lights are bright, and the staff is attempting to clean for the morning.…
No longer an Airline Captain and I’ve Lost My Mojo
I’ve been an airline Captain since 2001. With a recent airline change I’m a First Officer again. The copilot. Just like Kareem Abdul-Jabar… and the guy who sat next to Sully.…
Appropriate (and Inappropriate) Holiday Gifts for Your Flight Crew
It's the season for gift giving. That means it's also the season for scrambling to pay off your guilt by dishing out gifts to those who serve you and make…
What I Did Not Do During My Summer Vacation
I was on vacation during the month of July. I ceased all work related activities. I also didn’t… Read a USATODAY Eat airport food Shave Tell a passenger their flight…
How Hollywood Gets Airline Life Wrong
In many ways… Hollywood’s depiction of airline life is completely wrong. In some ways it’s spot on and I claim those scenes as just another day at the office. My…
Captain Dad – I Called Maintenance Control for a Toy Helicopter
My work life and home life collided yesterday when my son complained that his toy Hess helicopter wasn’t working as it was supposed to. “My helicopter won’t fly anymore!” It…
The Things You Find in Hotel Beds
Do not read this if you are in a hotel bed. If you are in a hotel bed please tell me you removed the bedspread. Please tell me you didn’t…
Eat, Sleep, Fly
Sometimes people ask me what it's like to be a pilot. "Wow, that must be so cool! I bet you're really smart. You must have been good at math in…
The Time I Told an Aviation Icon I Didn’t Have a Business Card
Filed away years ago as, “Well, that sure was stupid.” Once, I met Southwest founder and former CEO, Herb Kelleher in the airport. We talked at length and I got…
Is the First Officer Actually a Pilot?
Since the beginning, there have always been two pilots up on the flight deck. Had it not been for the Wright Brothers, maybe we'd only have one seat up there.…
What You Should Not Ask Your Flight Crew
We obviously spend lots of time around the humans. We are in the service industry after all. Day in and day out we spend our time carrying you, your loved…
Living in Hotels – It’s Us or The Bedbugs
I spend about ten nights a month in hotels. I’ve been doing this job for fourteen years. I’ve slept (or attempted to sleep) in a hotel bed roughly 1700 times…
But They Do Have Free Breakfast
When I was a young airline pilot and new to ‘the road’ I ranked hotels by their proximity to good food and entertainment. Now, I judge hotels on two things:…
Why it is Imperative you Land a Pilot
This article was floating around Facebook today explaining why it is imperative you land a pilot. 6 reasons to be exact. Since I am a pilot, I figured I’d explain…
Thomas the Tank Engine in “Just Say No to Drones”
It was a bright and sunny day on the island of Sodor, and all the trains were running on time except for one. Thomas the Tank Engine sat with his…
2013 resolutions. The cockpit will be a happier place.
As the new year approaches it's time to evaluate accomplishments from the past year and set goals for the next. While I succeed each year with many of my Xbox-related…
Folks, It will Be Yet Another Hour Before We Depart.
Some days, I actually do work. But it’s not the work you would assume. It’s not fighting nasty storms or battling wind shear down the final approach to an icy…
He is Chasing Planes Around Already
The boy has the aviation bug. He has already begun chasing planes around. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. Specifically, it may have started when…
If you watch enough daytime TV… you will get cramps
The boy is almost nine months old, and since I've been back to work after paternity leave, I've been flying weekends. Although airport Chick-fil-A is closed on Sunday, it is…
Mornings in a Hotel: “Where am I? What Time is it?”
A friend once told me that every day he wakes up in a hotel, it feels like waking up with a hangover. "I'm not sure where I am or how…
Returning from vacation – time to catch up on the news
I returned to work yesterday from a three-week vacation with the family. While at work and living on the road, I have lots of downtime that I fill with 'entertainment'…
Maybe cribs should come with a flight attendant call button
In the cockpit, when an alarm sounds, the first response is to “Identify and Cancel” the warning. This means acknowledging the source of the alarm, silencing the warning, and then…
I Made a Burrito and Forgot to Shave
My job as a pilot is made much easier by checklists and routines. I do the same thing - the same way - every time. Checklists are written in a…
My dream of having a band of minstrels.
On days when the air is still and fog forms over a river, it looks like the Great Wall of China is snaking its way across the Earth. Since many…
Alert the pitcrew, we’re coming for more fuel
I showed up in DC for a 5:30 AM flight to Kansas City, followed by a flight to Milwaukee where I faced a 3.5-hour layover in the airport before our…
Holds and diverts and storms, oh my.
This was our third leg for the day. We began in Omaha around 2 PM, flew from Omaha to Milwaukee, and then off to Boston. On the return from Boston…
The summer of fun just got ‘funner’
With her off for the summer, I 'bid' to have some weeks off with her. I was awarded six weeks from the end of June through early August. Eager to…
The accidental peacemaker
I often watch in amazement as gate agents in airports can so blatantly blow off our passengers in their time of need. I know there are plenty of times when…
I’m thankful for warm lemonaide and chicken.
A four-day trip the week of Thanksgiving took me to Columbus, Ohio. Since I was to spend the holiday alone in the hotel, S. decided to drive up from visiting…
I was just a guy on a plane
As I made my way down the aisle yesterday for my flight back from Tampa, I saw two kids sitting in the row I was to take. They had the…
LOST AND FOUND POETRY AT 37000 FEET
I took a walk to the back of the plane in flight today to pee. This is something I try not to do too often and is called the "Walk…