Sitting reserve...and looking forward.

It's been awhile for the blog....so I'm getting back to it.  So far, sitting reserve is treating me alright.  Some months I get to fly every week and other months it seems that all I do is wait for the phone to ring. A few months ago I missed a call from crew scheduling, so I listened to the message.  My wife asked where I was going, and I told her it was probably a charter since I was laying over in Charleston. After checking my schedule online, I realized that too many years were spent flying domestic...instead of going to South Carolina, I was going to Paris!  What I heard was Charleston (CHS), but what the scheduler said was Charles de Gaulle (CDG). This all meant that I needed a nap!  Report time was in 6 hours and I was going to be flying all night.

Show up, meet the crew and get it all started.  Great crew...I've flown with one first officer before, and the other was a transfer from the Cincinnati base. Everything went off without a hitch, just as planned.  That's how the majority of our flights go... you plan it out, fly the plan...and move on to the next flight.  Sure there are hiccups... but for the most part we just keep the tempo, follow the procedures and read the checklist. 

Weather was good for the overwater crossing.  And the thing I love about this international flying is the last hour or so when we make landfall and knowing that we're almost there.  When the weather is good and the sun is coming up....it's beautiful (like it was on this flight).  Other times, all you see is the gray/white undercast and your first glimpse of Europe is when you break out and see the runway. Like all landings in the 767...it seems to just want to roll on.  I guess it's just too many years of flying the DC-9 (close to 20) when each landing seemed like its own challenge.  I loved that airplane, but I have a new respect for how hard I worked before, and how much easier life is when you're flying fewer flights but more flight hours.

For tonight, I'll keep my phone near by...and be happy whether I get to fly or get to stay home. Staying home allows me to work on the business...and hang out with my wife. As always, be sure to check out my site, because I can always use the hits... http://pilotballcaps.com