Finally There?

The day has finally come and A reported in for upgrade training. What was an 18-24 month upgrade back when he started turned into an 11 year journey. But he’s there. He is worried about making it through but for years the trainers and check airmen he’s flown and trained with have told him he’s ready. So for this week and next he’s at the schoolhouse. I know many pilots go into study mode ahead of time for training events and get really stressed out- but not A. He remembers best from hearing things, not reading, so reading a manual would do nothing for him. And he can visualize the mechanics like no ones business. So he just shows up and stuns everybody else when he arrives and never writes anything down. So far he says everything is going well.

Last week A was at union meetings all week. They met with ALPA leadership, the company CEO, and several other important players. They are going into contract negotiations so talked a lot about that. It’s intetesting, A being ‘the ALPA dude’ in base now. He gets a lot of ‘I like you A, I voted for you, but what the hell are you doing for us’ kind of comments. And a frw’you tell management I said...’. If these people are so disgruntled, why aren’t they volunteering themselves? A says he used to wonder the same thing- what are those guys doing- now he knows. And is bound by confidentiality.

Things on the home front are. They just are. Manageable (barely), tolerable (mostly), busy (always).  Youngest brother (2.5) finally had the awareness that dad comes and goes and has started asking about dad when he’s gone. Not crying for him (yet), but asking for him. And now both boys fight over who gets to talk to Dad on FaceTime first. I swear sometimes I wish we didn’t have that technology and we were limited to a 5 minute call at long distance rates. But it is sweet that even Baby Girl recognizes he daddy’s face and voice when he calls.

Just like always, we’ll make it through. But it is nice to finally be not just seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but actually near the end of the tunnel!