My day started out with humor. My young co-pilot set off the alarm (twice) at the T.S.A. airport security check point in Las Vegas. I knew that he would because of the amount of metal in his hat, shoes and watch, but I didn't say anything. He was certain that he could make it through the magnatometer successfully. He didn't and they, the T.S.A., stuck a probe up his butt looking for a pair of scissors or a pocket knife. Hold it a minute...let's think about this...the government takes our pocket knives away, but they let us command an aircraft later...oops! I forgot; it is the zero tolerance policy. If an airline pilot questions this stupidity, that individual will be led away in handcuffs as a possible security threat. Can you say "public education?" It is embarrassing for our country. Our society is being dumbed down. Want another example? In Philadelphia, recently, I witnessed a Muslim woman ( wearing traditional Muslim clothing ) operating a security checkpoint's x-ray machine. The middle aged T.S.A. supervisor was twenty feet away reading a magazine. What's the problem, you say? Well, for starters, the terrorists involved with the Madrid train incident were embedded and trusted members of Spanish society. Uh oh...

I really do try to keep this blog aligned with the operational aspects of daily airline operations, so I will step down from the soap box. After the co-pilot was strip searched, we started a long and arduous day of short hops in the western United States. We flew five legs and had three different aircraft. Our last leg was from Phoenix to Orange County arriving at 10:56 P.M., four minutes before the landing curfew. We barely made it! Orange County airport has 4,800 feet of usable runway, which is not much for an airliner. The flying pilot must be in the groove when landing on such a short runway. My co-pilot seemed to be on the ball, so I decided to let him land two times at Orange County today. As I suspected, he did a magnificent job. I could not have done it better myself. Stopping a large jet aircraft with aggressiveness is a really cool event. The flying pilot must transform the aircraft from the airborne state to the ground state in a short amount of time and distance. The amount of energy that must be dissipated is incredible.

Orange County is a really cool place, literally. I love it! After a hard day in the cockpit, it is nice to shower and put the shorts and sandals on and go for a walk in the cool night air.

So, that is what I did...
 
The aircraft assigned to us in Oakland was brand new. The airline had put it in service the day before. The co-pilot and I were excited about the possibility of flying her all the way to Florida. The gate agents loaded her to the gills with passengers, bags and freight. We taxied out on schedule for a runway 29 departure. After we received take off clearance the co-pilot slowly pushed the thrust levers forward and at that time one of the hydraulic systems failed. I took over and rejected the take off at about 50 mph; turned off the runway and started trouble shooting the problem. Long story short- the problem was an electrical relay that controls the hydraulic pump on that system. Did we have one in stock at Oakland? No way! Flight cancelled...hop on another airline to Las Vegas. Arriving in Las Vegas one hour late for our Miami departure, we were told by crew scheduling that we had been re-routed to Chicago and to please have a good flight. We hustled over to the Chicago gate and found our airplane to be one of the oldest in the fleet. I have flown her many times. As usual, we filled every seat to Chicago and blasted off one hour and fifty minutes behind schedule. The ride over to the windy city was uneventful and really quite pleasant. The night sky was gorgeous and the tailwinds were strong. Our arrival into Chicago with the rising sun was one hour and twenty late, so we made up thirty minutes. Not bad, considering.... I am extremely exhausted; must lay down. Tonight we are scheduled to Phoenix. Yeah!! Two days off, I hope.

 
Where did July go? Wow, it's incredible how fast time passes as one ages. It's a cruel joke that Mother Nature plays on all of us. As an eighteen year old with no money and no life experience, time is like cold molasses pouring from a jar. All the old silver haired Captains that I used to fly with as a young co-pilot are long gone; many have flown west for the final checkride. Yes, I remember well their sage advice about many things. Uh oh! Now, years later, I am that silver haired Captain. Incredible!

I am on day two of a four day. We arrived this morning into Orlando at sunrise after flying all night. We left Phoenix and flew over to southern California, then to Las Vegas, and finally on to Florida. This morning, over the southern U.S., we watched Orion the Hunter rise. It is my favorite constellation of the night sky. It also signals the coming of winter, a much sought after season for Arizonians. August is the hottest month in Phoenix. It is a month when the sunlight feels heavy on your body. As if it actually presses you toward the ground with hot hands.

Well, it's time to saddle up for the night's flying. We are scheduled for Las Vegas and Oakland. There is a lot of storm activity over Florida this evening. It will be a busy departure tonight....