The blog must go on

I considered recently the possibility of turning off this blog. It can sometimes be a hassle to keep things updated. Plus, with a huge readership of three or four, would it really be missed? I decided that it would be missed, missed by me. So this blog will continue. It will continue, but instead of just putting pictures up, I will include more in depth descriptions of what it's like to have my occupation.

As far back as I can remember, I have wanted to fly. Actually, my first real memory of wanting to be a pilot is when I was 8. Anyone that I have ever associated with in my life has known that I was either a pilot, or wanting to be a pilot, depending on when they were associating with me. I have had the dream of flight for a very long time. And I've stuck to that dream. Yes, life does come along and create roadblocks to your dreams, but stick to them. Has it been worth all the training and work? Yes it has. I have a cool job.

Flying an airplane, any airplane, is cool. It takes a fair amount of smarts. Your safety depends on many things: a good knowledge of how weather works; the systems that make your plane fly; good judgement; and how to communicate in another language. And that's just to fly a Cessna 152 ( two-place aircraft ) around the airport. There's a lot to know and a lot to do.

As you move up in aircraft size and performance, there is more to know and , at times, more to do. Plus things begin to happen a lot faster. Now add passengers in the back of the airplane that expect to have a hassle-free, uneventful flight and you have my job....more or less.

There are many rewards in my job and past flying jobs that I have had. I have seen a lot of the nation the flight deck. I have landed at airports in 45 of the 50 states. I've flown over great natural landmarks such as the Grand Canyon, Mount Saint Helens and Niagra Falls. I've also been able to see man made wonders from the sky. Washington D.C. was cool, Times Square from 35,000 feet at night was cooler. I've seen beautiful clouds of every kind from the top, bottom and side. I've seen the tips of a Caravan propeller glow green as I flew through heavy dry snow at night. I've seen the windscreen covered in a mini electrical storm ( also know as St Almos Fire ). I have squeaked a 46,000 pound aircraft onto the ground with 50 passengers in the back who had no idea how hard I was working in that crosswind. I have flown around massive west Texas thunderstorms without even a bump. I have handled emergencies in the air and lived to fly another day.

It may sound like I'm bragging...I'm not. I'm simply pointing out how my job differs from others and to snicker because my job is better than yours.

In the coming days and months I would like to use this blog to give all three of my readers a better understanding of how it is to work and live as a pilot. Maybe someone will learn something, maybe not. Regardless, I will continue to publish this blog...I'd miss it.

Peace.