Mommy, Is That Where The Pilot Sits?
I was just nine years old when I flew for the first time. I remember thinking that it was pretty neat that such a huge vehicle could become airborne and deliver us to Florida in such a short time.
I remember getting a glimpse of the cockpit and asking my mother about the pilots. I also recall thinking that they were pretty smart to be able to get the craft off the ground. I was nervous just walking by the room.
I was thirty-nine when I drank with a group of pilots in a Long Beach, California bar. We had a ton of laughs that night and while I was still in awe of what they did, I understood that they were just people - with problems and flaws.
Everyone in the group was a lot younger than me too - good guys and gals for sure, but they could certainly put 'em down.
Cut to yesterday and reading about the horrific crash in Buffalo where 49 people died because of the inattention, inexperience, and fatigue of the pilots.
I felt physically ill reading the transcript, knowing that those left behind were suffering horribly as they considered that their loved ones didn't have to meet such an end.
And once more, childhood took a back seat to the grim realities of the real world.
The pilots aren't invincible. They aren't immune to the mistakes, misgivings and weaknesses of the rest of us. In a lot of cases they may have flaws that can be fatal. Yet, did you ever get on a plane and ask for the resume of the guy in charge of keeping you from crashing and burning?
Scary thoughts. God help those left behind.
It would have been a lot easier to stay a wonderous child, don't you think?
I remember getting a glimpse of the cockpit and asking my mother about the pilots. I also recall thinking that they were pretty smart to be able to get the craft off the ground. I was nervous just walking by the room.
I was thirty-nine when I drank with a group of pilots in a Long Beach, California bar. We had a ton of laughs that night and while I was still in awe of what they did, I understood that they were just people - with problems and flaws.
Everyone in the group was a lot younger than me too - good guys and gals for sure, but they could certainly put 'em down.
Cut to yesterday and reading about the horrific crash in Buffalo where 49 people died because of the inattention, inexperience, and fatigue of the pilots.
I felt physically ill reading the transcript, knowing that those left behind were suffering horribly as they considered that their loved ones didn't have to meet such an end.
And once more, childhood took a back seat to the grim realities of the real world.
The pilots aren't invincible. They aren't immune to the mistakes, misgivings and weaknesses of the rest of us. In a lot of cases they may have flaws that can be fatal. Yet, did you ever get on a plane and ask for the resume of the guy in charge of keeping you from crashing and burning?
Scary thoughts. God help those left behind.
It would have been a lot easier to stay a wonderous child, don't you think?
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