In 2014~
The Plane...
The Views...
The landings...
The crew...
I'm just finishing the end of my first trip of the year. On reserve I have not had the opportunity to fly that often. But hopefully this will be an indicator of times to come. This was a GREAT Trip!
What makes a great trip?
The Plane...
The Views...
The location...
I vote for the crew!
It's always the human factor in everything we do in life. Especially in a plane.
While the rest of it's kind of nice too.
What makes your flight perfect?
Enjoy the journey!
XO Karlene
Is getting your own hotel room one of the benefits to being a female pilot? :)
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures and the sentiments of this post.
Happy travels Karlene!
We all get our own hotel rooms these days. In the old days when we shared, gender did not make a difference. But...there is nothing like your own room on a layover. I can sleep for 12 hours.
DeleteHappy New Year Karlene! All the best for lots of fun flying and authoring in 2014! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Captain!! All the best to you too! Come back tomorrow. I need advice on the book cover. :)
DeleteKarlene, finally got the computer back up and running. What makes a flight perfect is knowing that each and every moment I am in control of the airplane, that each and every second is a thrill. The unexpected is expected. Challenges are always present. I am one who likes to live on the edge (of a cloud) The views, the flight deck, and those who are on the plane are secondary.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that your first trip of the year was awesome and to boot, in a warm, sunny, location.
Written regards from an absurdly frigid NYC with fingers that I can barely feel in order to type this message.
XO Jeremy
Hi Jeremy, I'm writing from seriously frigid Atlanta. Keep flying on those clouds... you get to experience something different every time!
DeleteThanks for the comment. And come tomorrow. I need your help with a question.
Awesome pics, Karlene! I always enjoying seeing the view from your office.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes a great flight for me?... Not having the time to think about what holds me back on the ground. When I'm up there, it's more than relaxing to me, because all I have time to do it focus on the "here and now" of flying and staying safe. It's a special thing to be able to forget everything, just for a little while, to do something you love.
Thanks, have a great trip!
-Swayne
Swayne, YES!!! This is why I loved to fly when I was young. I had so much going on at home and it gave me a time to be free and be me. A time to focus on positive and not on all that pulled on me. I get it. You get it. :) Keep flying. It gets better!
DeleteKarlene,
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great trip. I was fortunate enough to have a nice trip to finish IOE as well. Not as nice as yours but it wasn't Great Falls so for that I am happy.
The best part about being an airline pilot to me, other than the pay check, is meeting a new face at the folder and just a couple hours later having the feeling that you have known them forever. The pilot community may be small and exclusive but it is most importantly family.
Rob, isn't that the truth! So you too know it's all about the crew. Those friends you meet along the way. I feel for you and flying in the US now. What a system we are experiencing. So glad I flew west to the warmth. It was by choice... I was assigned this trip. But it was so nice.
DeleteThanks for the great post, Karlene. I know that you go through your recurrent training and that as a former trainer, you've got a slight edge in knowledge, but as a reserve with limited trips and even less hands-on time, it must be an awful challenge when you do get an opportunity to drive. Are the line holders generous with landings and with TOs and fist leg flying? It must be difficult maintain your own standards for currency. Happy New Year and that new grand baby is a cutie! -C.
ReplyDeleteCraig, you know exactly what is happening. The challenge falls in knowing that you haven't flown your plane for six months! All you have in your tool bag is your knowledge and the foundation. Thankfully I had a good foundation with CA Palmer...but that was a long time ago. You know what to do, but will you be able to do it?
DeleteThere was no way for me to get current on this trip. One of the pilots needed two legs. Three of us were sharing 4 legs. The CA took the first and gave me my choice of legs since we were all in agreement that the other FO could get current with two. It's nice to be part of a crew that is fair and works together.
I took the second leg. A chance to watch one, and then I jumped in. But the itch to do it again was there. Not as many line holders are as generous as this crew. More so with the floating FO. If a crew flies together (two) they may take them all and the floaters (third pilot) pops in for a leg or two and doesn't get anything.
But I got one. Hit the sim on the 21st. And flying again on the 26th. Hopefully I'll get another!
I think what makes a flight perfect, is a lot of things combined. A heavy piece of machinery that defies gravity is probably one of the most impressing parts, but also how people can be in control over something so big. Heck, even the smaller planes weigh more than a car!
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I would say; the human factor! Over the years I have experienced flights together with instructors and friends, and just to be able to share the moment of being up in the air together, is something unique.
During my extensive travels over the past couple of years, I have actually started to get to know some of the crews, and that makes flying from a passenger's point of view, a lot more interesting. Now, some of my closest friends are flight attendants and pilots I met for the first time during a flight. We can relate to each other and we have a special bond, a love for flying, that holds us together.
Thank you for a wonderful post. It looks like you got to see some pretty amazing sights during your first trip of 2014. I hope that this year will bring you lots of fun, love and many, many wonderful moments in the air. I can't wait to fly with you sometime soon!
- Cecilie
Thank you so much for the comment Cecilie! Yes, I hope this is the beginning of a great year of flying. I still never get over the size of the machine. Each time I do a walk around I look up and am in awe of what sits before me and amazed at the people who had the ingenuity to build it. Many flying moments coming your way too! And, I'm flying to Florida to have you teach me how to fly a small plane when you're ready!!
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