February 27, 2008
Wait for Me!
Moving cargo involves showing up
before a trip, loading, flying, unloading, and the post-flight. At each stage there is an opportunity for
things to go well, go slowly, or break down altogether. The contrast between snail’s pace and Mach
speeds leaves one with mixed feelings of boredom and exhilaration. So it goes in aviation.
“Are we there yet?”, we cry out as young children. Growing older and working jobs, and we still have this child-like question in our
minds.
Are you a Push or a Pause? When you enter the elevator do you push the door
close button, or pause and wait for automatic door closure? How long does it
take for doors to close? The answer is about three or four seconds. But for the
one who is in a hurry, the wait seems like thirty seconds or longer.
Arriving at the cargo office in
the early afternoon, the crew assembles and cheerfully greets each other. The captain and I have flown together the week
before and it was an enjoyable and educational trip. Our engineer is new to me
and has a few more months with the company. We review the weather reports and forecasts,
load planning, fuel requirements, and then head out to the airplane. Loading is in process and we have one pallet
of unusual cargo. It is eight live small black pigs who are headed for
Departing from
We begin a takeoff just as raindrops
begin. At the critical decision speed for flying the captain raises the nose
and begins a climb-out. We are relieved to be getting out just in time. The
rain hits just as a turn is made away from the shower. Continuing, the landing
gear is raised, speed increased to retract the flaps, and then a climb
initiated to the clearer skies to the east. No waiting here!
Standing in a wood crate and
with wood shavings for litter, the cargo pigs appear content. They look cute
and are friendly to the touch. Arriving in
On the second leg of the trip
and with additional cargo loaded, a weight and loading sheet must be checked. This load review takes time, requires
accuracy, and is a duty assigned to the first officer. I muse, “weight for me”, and continue. Here is
the recipe: Start with an empty airplane, add three crewmembers plus flight bags, mix in some cargo. Measure carefully and you get a
Zero Fuel Weight. Fill contents with trip fuel and the result equals a Takeoff
weight. Record these values on the load sheet, note the weather, airport
temperature and winds, select a runway, and compute a takeoff speed. That’s it and you are done!
While reviewing the loading
paperwork a discrepancy is noted of one pallet number mismatch. This
discrepancy is promptly reported to the captain who handles the matter by
writing the correct pallet number on the load form. Essential paperwork is
complete and time seems to pass more slowly. Again the question arises, “Are we
there yet?”
Assembling for the next leg, we
plan a very short thirty minute flight to the
We land, unload, and wait. This
time the delay is with paperwork which needs to be sent to the
Returning to
Monday late afternoon I relax by
spending time at the local hotel pool. There is a young couple and their 3
month old baby at the shallow end, dipping in and out and sitting quietly. I
attempted to visit with them but only learned that they were from
Next, a group of three young girls came in ages from about 8 - 12. Could they
be sisters? I watched them jump in the pool or get pushed it. They are vacationers
having fun.
Then a woman named Robin (43) arrives and swims. I introduce myself and we
talk. She is vacationing from
Robin describes her visit: "...we had a great time....I am sick..... this was a wonderful time", she detailed. I ponder the
middle comment and waited for a time to ask about that. The details of the trip
spill out of her.
Robin does share the middle section. She has terminal breast cancer.
She continues talking non-stop for an hour, enjoying the pool and saying how
swimming is the one thing she can do to easily move around. Last autumn she was
barely able to move between the bed and the couch. She hopes to live at least
until May and see her daughter's high school graduation.
Robin says that she is thankful for every day. Her husband and her two children, are great supporters. She does not have a church
but has a friend who is a minister and he spends time talking with her.Robin goes to sleep each night and gives thanks for
another day.She believes she will go to heaven. She
does not worry about life's little problems, why people keep pettiness and
won't talk with each other in her family. Or people on the street who pass by without saying "hello", but just keep
their heads down."
"You said hello and talked with me!", she
exclaimed, between paragraphs of her life story. I am glad she was pleased.
Robin did the talking and had much to say, to share, to tell about her life of
43 years, how she met her husband to be at 18. How he made her wait 5 years
until he proposed the day before Christmas, and when she was quite weary of
waiting. Their life continued with a move to
Robin says her physician and oncologist continue with monitoring and will have
more aggressive treatments, "when the time comes". She has contacted other cancer centers with
her case. The centers’ physicians reply, saying that the treatment she
currently receives is what they would recommend.
Robin's father arrived at the pool and we continued the visit. Dad is 79. Robin
is at peace with herself. She expresses joy and thanks for life.
It is in waiting that we reflect upon what is important. For cargo carriers, it
is a realization of the people who work together and make trips work For Robin, it is looking both backward at the
time spent with family and looking to the present with an attitude of
gratitude, of thanks for being alive. She hopes for medical treatment which
will extend her time on earth. She
accepts a future without her family on earth, but one which brings her to
heaven.
In this season of Lent, in the
forty days before Easter, Christians observe a time of self-examination and
turn to spiritual growth. We journey in
the wilderness in prayer. Some observe a time of sacrifice and give up dessert.
Others observe giving more: in time for service projects such as volunteering
with the Habitat for Humanity. All of us
pass through the forty days leading to Easter in waiting. We know that God uses this time to bring us
closer to him. When all else we do fails, that is when we realize our faith
sustains us. A promise of faith, which leads to hope, to love, and a time of
eternal life.
What are you waiting for?