Service service
serviceplease
Arriving back in
My how time flies! Or so goes the expression. And so
too do flight crews. Getting a wake-up call from dispatch at
midnight plus thirty after just two hours of attempted rest, the trip
begins. You get out of bed, amble to the shower, get dressed, pack up the
flight case, gather some food snacks, head out the
door and drive to the airport.
Getting through the front door, the woman guard is standing there an notices my arrival. I am wearing a pilot uniform:
shirt with epaulettes, black tie, black pants,
black shoes, flight kit. Offering a quiet early morning hello brings a
response. "May I see your ID?".
"This woman must be new!", I muse and had
bring the ID from around my neck into my hand and close to the guard. She
stares at is for several moments. My words come out, "You must
be new.". No reply is received.
After several moments I decide that this is enough, retreat the ID card back
and head for the lounge. "Who does she think is there at this hour
anyway?", I ponder in amazement. She
must be new!
I've not had this kind of early morning scrutiny before. The guard
does not follow from my retreat, but I'm not sure she was satisfied with the
inspection. It will have to do. Enough is enough. I
have a preflight to conduct and dislike the challenge to my
arrival.
The hardest part is now complete - showing up for work. Who
is there to join me? Arriving ten minutes before the required one hour
preflight, the answer quickly comes.
Nobody! The pilot briefing lounge is empty. "Very
well", I muse, gather the trip flight release, weather reports, and settle
into a comfortable reclining chair. But someone has gotten here
first, as noted by the highlight pen markings on the flight release. Key
data is marked with a fluorescent yellow-green color, calling to attention
someone's idea of vital data. And it is vital. Trip date, flight
number, takeoff weight, cruise air temperature, time enroute,
fuel requirements. The list goes on.
I scan over the pages and am pleased and intrigued with someone
else's analysis. Could this be the captain?
That is my first thought, because it would have to be someone who has knowledge
of the details of a flight trip. That responsibility goes to the
dispatcher and the captain, working together to make a successful trip.
The challenging details presented on paper, the team
works through them, and a flight is
accomplished. It sounds so wonderfully poetic, or at least it seem so at this early hour of 2:00AM.
Just then the captain enters the doorway. We flew together for
initial training four months ago and have not flown together since then.
He is a skilled pilot, check airman, kind personality, and a pleasure to fly
with. We greet each other with a warm handshake. The captain picks
up the paperwork and I ask, "did you make the highlight markings?". The answer comes,
'No.". Who else could it be? The Engineer is
the only remaining person. He is not here. That may be easily
explained in that the engineer performs a pre-flight inspection.
I flew with the engineer a month before on a very exciting flight, marked by an
engine failure at 100 feet above ground just after I made a
takeoff. That was followed by an engine shutdown and immediate
return to land. The day dragged on and become quite routine
after that. Eventually we rode a commercial airline flight back to
It appears that the engineer has come and gone and likely has the preflight
duties well in hand. The Captain and I visit for a few minutes,
review the flight and trip paperwork, and then head for the
airplane. A quick restroom stop is made and then a walk through the
hanger and finding the airplane. Another guard is present just before the
ramp. This person is called a Ground Security Coordinator.
I've read the procedure for how to display an ID to the GSC and they check with
the flight manifest to make sure that you are supposed to be there, and on and
on. All in reaction to Homeland Security procedures imposed on
airlines. In reality a wave to the GSC suffices, if even
that. We understand each other. Often that person is away from the
desk anyway. We pilot have enough to deal with without the added
scrutiny imposed under the guise of heightened security
procedures created by some distant bureaucrat. I would tell such a person
to get out to the flight line at 2AM and live
the job.
Arriving at the airplane I make a walk-around inspection paying particular
attention to the lower forward and aft cargo areas. Opening the
cargo doors I see full loads in both forward and aft locations. Checking
the trip sheet confirms that this will be a full flight.
We take off, land, unload, load, and return to
The ride to Customs is done with a driver and a loud radio. I have to ask
twice to turn it down. I'd prefer it turned off and wonder if the drivers have
any sense of who is in the van besides themselves. Their behavior
suggests otherwise. The van is operated like it is theirs. This is
often also true with hotel shuttle drivers. Radio volume, air
temperature, all little things but they become quite noticeable to the
passengers. I'd vote for no radio and let welcome the
quietness. I'm sure other passengers also would .
Passing through Customs is brief. Two quick checkpoints, an exchange of
General Declarations and a passport swipe through a computer reader, a stop a Immigration to check on declared items, and we are
done. This Customs office handles flight crews well.
Arriving home I sit at the computer terminal for a half hour until my eyes
close. I realize how tired I am and quickly close down the laptop and had
for sleep. It's been a good trip and an enjoyable flight with good
people. The work is good. Cargo is vital to economies and the
silent reward comes in a smoothly run operation, thanks to the crew, ground
support, and even the new guard.
We live in service to a cargo industry. I serve to live for others, as
remembered during this period of Easter week.