what my Pilot Ball Cap customers do for me...

It's been awhile since I've rambled on. We've had a lot going on, and still do but I was just thinking about what my customers do for me and thought I'd share it.

Since this business is more of a hobby, it allows me to be in touch with aviators from all backgrounds and experiences.  My guy Georgio, who flies ultralights in Italy (yes, I have pictures on our site).  Nails, who saved a Marine Corp unit under fire by VC...just he and his crew, his helo and flachette rockets (thus the call sign "Nails"). Stories about flying DC-6s and 707s back in the days when airline careers were legendary. A ball cap sent to someone's Dad who flew Lancasters for the RCAF and another to a Grandfather who flew Jugs and Mustangs for the Air Corps in WWII.  It's amazing who you get to know just from selling a few ball caps. George and Ike, both 'old fighter pilots', who have now passed on to fly west. I just wish I could hook up my Chaplain friend with their families! As he would say "Blessings from Father Jeff", but I still like to call him Padre! We have an ongoing list of folks who "checked in" with their call signs on our home page. Which reminds me that I've got to update that list again.

Back to the point of the story though.  Many of my customers become acquaintances, and some even become friends.  It usually starts with a note from me, thanking them for their order and maybe commenting on something I notice about their order or home town. The feedback I get for such simple observations is amazing, and our conversations begin. Since we're always looking to pass the word, I usually ask this of my customers, and sometimes they overwhelm me. Like Roger from Dallas who is a retired Delta pilot. He liked my hats and service enough to recommend our site to his group. The next day we sold out of Delta Captain ball caps and had to re-order.

We don't just get recommendations and great stories.  I've got standing invitations to visit from around the country, Germany, Canada and Australia. If I only had the time to get to those places (and NOT while having to work flying there and back).  Just this week I got the book "Steel Beach" signed by its author Jeff, who is a cancer survivor like my wife Connie. This gift was what brought me to write today! I've gotten USAF bag tags, patches from different units and even from the Gathering of Mustangs.  Hats, pictures, articles... these folks I call customers are just too much. Too kind.  I think it's just the common ground we all share. We've all been there, or know someone who has. Whether it's flying, or work, or just surviving your worst fear. I guess that's why I still do it. My wife says I enjoy it too much. She encourages me, supports and loves me...and understands when I take an hour (or two) out of my day just to communicate with folks I may never meet.

I wish to thank my wife Connie, who tolerates all of this, and really helps keep things moving in the right direction. And I thank you, my customers and friends. You make this business not only possible, but worthwhile.

Find us at pilotballcaps.com

What is your business?

I had an interesting conversation with another pilot a few weeks back.  The kind of chat that causes you to think.  He had been to a conference with the featured speaker being Ray Kroc years ago.  Someone had asked Mr. Kroc "how's the hamburger business?".  The reply was surprising.  We're not in the hamburger business, we're in the real-estate business. If you notice, most McDonald's restaurants are in important, well placed locations.  The franchisees are in the hamburger business, but the corporation seems to make its money from the fees and rent generated from their real-estate holdings. (I can't verify this conversation, since it's second-hand, but it still caused me to think about my own business).

I wracked my brain to figure out what the basic purpose was for Pilot Ball Caps.  Do we just sell ball caps? We're not selling them to generate a profit from shipping (as many companies do).  We're not selling anything that's not related to professional aviators and pilots, so that limited my view.  The stories I get back from my customers are fascinating.  Wide ranging, from general aviation pilots to retired airline pilots...to World War II pilots who flew all manner of historic aircraft in interesting and dangerous situations.  Navy and Air Force pilots from the Viet-Nam and Korean wars.  And (like me) the Cold War, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.

Then it came to me.  Pride. Esprit de Corps. Memories. Valor.  The things that my customers all share, is a desire to remember, to acknowledge their accomplishments. And sometimes to share those memories with other pilots, aviators, friends or family members.

I may be selling ball caps, but my product and purpose is a memory, a proud moment that may be gone, but never forgotten. It's that purpose that keeps me in it. There's no real profit in it, so I guess I get the same thing that my customers get.  Pride.  Satisfaction in a job well done or knowing that someone can take a trip back memory lane with their son, daughter, wife or grand father. I just provide the symbol of their journey. Just another ball cap.  But it's theirs and they earned it. And they found it at pilotballcaps.com .  I guess we aren't just another online vendor.  And I share in that pride.

It's personal...

Yes, I did get called out to fly this week....thanks for asking. Winter storm in Detroit, and I get a 0500 report to start a 3-day trip.  The good part is we have a long Cancun layover and I have an excellent first officer. The bad part is my wife decided not to risk getting stuck in Atlanta and she stayed home.

Yesterday morning (first leg) was one of those flights where nothing was as simple as it should have been. We push-back from the gate and find out that even though they deiced the aircraft earlier, they didn't use an anti-icing agent and we still get to go to the deice pad....yeah! Oh well, we'll just get it over with. I decided to start both engines because of the slick taxiways, which was a good decision. After starting the second engine its bleed air valve wouldn't open. We went through the hoops, called maintenance and did our procedures.  I guess it just had to warm up a bit, because on the fourth try it opened and we were off. By now the visibility went down to 1/4 mile which made for an even slower taxi. This wasn't in the forecast, so we had to get a takeoff alternate from dispatch while on our way to deice. At times now the vis was only about 1000 feet or less, but the deicing went without a hitch.....and still no word from dispatch about out alternate. (a takeoff alternate is required when the visibility at your departure airport is too low to make a Cat I landing in the event of an engine failure on takeoff). The F/O sent another request as we crept along, and we finally got Columbus, OH as our alternate by the time we reached the end of the runway.  Visibility was between 1200-1800 feet now, above our minimum for that runway (500 feet vis required on 03R) so off we go. As we climbed out of the snow and clouds, the sun was just barely starting to rise...and I enjoyed that moment, because I knew that we had done everything right, step by step, to make sure our flying customers were safe and comfortable.

A beautiful flight down to ATL and on to CUN as well. Uneventful, which is how I like it! The Boeing 757 lands sooo very nice. Even with the gusty winds in Atlanta, she just wanted to make me happy. And once we get to CUN, all I could think of was how great a nap would be!  After getting a short (and much needed) rest, it was a typical layover. Check in with Connie, answer emails, get a little lunch and have a couple of beers with Jim (F/O) since we had 24 hours off down there.

By now you're asking "What about the title? What makes this 'personal' ?"  It wasn't just the trip.  It was about reading some business articles online and some reflection on my (very small) business (pilotballcaps.com). Over the past week I've had several emails, recommendations and phone calls with customers. My biggest take-away from all of these contacts is that I must be doing something right. Not one of these conversations was about a problem!  I guess that's why I keep doing it.  Not for the money (there isn't much in selling ball caps). It's knowing that, in some small part I can give our customers a good experience (whether it's flying OR selling ball caps), without gouging them to make a profit. One customer even suggested that I charge more for my hats, since my competition was "over-priced, lower quality, and slow to deliver".  I just told him (Bill) that I still wouldn't charge more than what I'd pay for a nice ball cap. Repeat customers and their referrals make up over 25% of my business.  Now is not the time to screw that up just to make a buck.  So you see....whether it's flying or my business.... It IS Personal...

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

Fun with Spirit Airlines?

Okay, I should have known better.  Hell, I did know better. We booked a short vacation, all-inclusive, including air fare.  I could have changed airlines when I saw that it was Spirit... having heard nothing positive about them.  Lesson learned.  When you see that "cheap fare", just add $350 or so to that price, and that's what you'll actually pay. So, we get charged for checked bags...so what? Everybody does that in one way or another. But being charged to carry on luggage? Really??? The fees are cheaper if you book it online, so that's what I did.  So here we go: right around $35 per bag....not bad. Including carry on... PER LEG!!! So you pay these fees for each leg of your journey. It was 2 legs down and 2 legs back. Plus, to get assigned seating (not preferred, nothing special...just to be able to print your boarding passes before you get to the airport) are you ready.....$10 each...PER LEG.  Now if you want a soda...$3.00. That gets you a can of Coke and a cup of ice.


Now I know that on any given day, ANY airline can be the best or worst you've ever flown on. I've had customers come up to me after an 8 hour delay and multiple inconveniences, and tell me "Thank you...that was a great fight.".  No kidding!  But then turn around and have a smooth and flawless flight, on-time, uneventful.... and someone who's pissed-off about something totally unrelated to our flight says: "I'll never fly this airline again!".... They'll be back.    That being said, out of our 4 landings, all were "interesting".  Something about swerving back and forth on the runway after touchdown makes me uneasy. And I know what's going on up there....it's what I do for a living, and I understand the cross winds, short approaches, wake turbulence etc. But when I get out of the plane and the wind is only blowing 10-15 knots?  Not buying it. Not 4 in a row on 2 different days. 


I will say this: the crews were very nice, Pilots and Flight Attendants alike. Very cordial and professional.  Just don't deal with the gate agents. The less exposure, the better.  On our return trip we were delayed about 3 hours.  No information was posted, no updates given.  So I had to keep going back to the agent to see when it was estimated to depart. Our 4 1/2 hour layover in KFLL was now about 2.  Just enough to clear customs and go back through security. We arrived alive, and so did our luggage. That's about all I can say.


When I say "I'll never fly this airline again!".... just like I've heard so often over the years, it's different. I mean it.  Maybe if it were free....totally free.  So the actual comment should be: "I'll never ever pay to fly on this airline again!"... That sums it up.  I knew better.  I have confirmed the reviews and comments I've heard about Spirit through the years.


I know better.... and now, so do you!

Training behind me and on to the Reserve life!

Well, last month I finished up my 757/767 training. It was fast, but got me where I needed to be. After 2 weeks off, I started flying domestic with a great instructor. After a 4 day trip I was signed off, and ready to try international on the 767. The actual plane (757) is beautiful to fly and easy to land compared to the DC9. The 767 flies even nicer, and the next week I had my first ever 400,000 + lb. takeoff out of Stuttgart. This instructor was "very thorough" which in aviation terms means "pretty anal"! The following week was to Zurich, which totally rocked. My instructor was awesome and polished off the last few edges I needed to be confident and qualified to cross the pond on my own. Total hours for August: 86+..... Total sweet landings: all of them!

And then reality sets in.... sitting on call, waiting for a trip on reserve. After my first 3 days, I managed to get some painting done, spent some time at the shooting range, and worked on my pilot ball caps stuff. Then I get a 3 day trip to Phoenix (twice) and got to fly with an excellent first officer, who I knew from flying the DC9. Had a great trip, even though it was 108 degrees for my layover. That was my last trip though. Since then I've had a little bit of vacation, got to see Charlie for 2 weekends, and generally decompressed from the hectic Summer. This morning I got off of my 2 hour on-call "leash" and go on long call. Long call is nice because you have a minimum of 12 hours notice before your next assignment. From my notification to my flight will be at least 13 hours, but usually more. That means I can have a beer with my burger at the Rusty Nail today.

Sitting around on-call isn't so bad after all. I get stuff done, and get to fly once in awhile. The only drawback is that I have to be on long-call or off duty to pick up Charlie. It may work out next month, with my schedule and his.... but I haven't been able to get more than 3 weekends off yet, and holidays will be sketchy at best.

You can check out my aviation pictures at : http://pilotballcaps.com and look for "Random Flying pics!

Until next time, fly the airplane - do not hurry - silence the bell - read the checklist!

Training

Well, I'm back in training..... Hopefully for the last time in my career. It's always good to re-boot the brain (or what I have left of one), and as is true throughout an aviation career..... training is where you reconnect with the same folks that went through it last time.

After flying the DC9 for 19 years, it was probably time to move on. I did a short stint on the A320 (so I learned that "language"...probably something close to French), and now I'm learning to speak Boeing FMS. It makes sense, but sometimes getting through the pages on the MCDU is like navigating the Pentagon with a visitor's pass. Three weeks into it and I'm done with systems. I only got a 96%, but passing is all that matters. I'm not a big fan of computer generated tests. Tomorrow is my procedures validation. That's where I get to prove that I can not only confuse the computers...but also confuse the evaluator. Wish me luck. Full flight simulators start next week.

The 757 is a beautiful airplane, and I hear the 767 is one of the nicest passenger jets you'd ever want to fly (but that comment comes from 75/767 drivers). Short of the T38, I've never flown an aircraft with this much power. This should be something.

Well, three more weeks to go and then on to my OE flights. With any luck I'll have a few weeks off to spend with Charlie and Connie.... maybe even Sam (my oldest) if he's up for a visit.

Connie.....thanks you for all of your love and support through all of this.

SPUD