Hang In There!

When I first became aware of pilot wives, as a group of women, I knew I technically belonged, but I wasn’t sure if I was fully considered a “pilot’s wife” in the same sense as most of the other women here. After all, my husband went to work every morning at the local airport, flew around on little prop planes, and came home again at the end of the day. He wasn’t a captain or a first officer; he didn’t fly for a regional or a major; there were never any long commutes or trips away from home for days. He was a corporate pilot for a small company, flying around South Texas. Or he was a charter pilot flying tourists to the beaches in Costa Rica. Or he was a Chief Flight Instructor flying circuits around a tiny airport in China.

There’s nothing wrong with any of that, in fact I believe that we lived and breathed aviation far more than those in the airline lifestyle. Still, when I told people my husband was a pilot, they’d immediately ask, “Oh yeah? Which airline?” or “You get free tickets, right?” or “How exciting for him to fly those big airplanes.” They always looked at me funny when I explained it wasn’t like that. It does seem that those outside the industry consider being an airline captain as the pinnacle of the pilot career, when in fact there are many roles and paths in aviation, all desirable depending on our individual goals and desires.

Flying for the airlines was never my husband’s dream. He knew it would be difficult for him to do so – a non-US citizen with a FAA license; a European without a JAA license. So we’ve done the best we could and had some amazing experiences. We’ve survived the post 9/11 downturn and the recent recession. All it comes down to is that he just wanted to fly and I have supported him nonstop in his dream – even moving to China to do so. I did this without hesitation, craving a bit of adventure of my own. At this point there’s no place I wouldn’t go, except for maybe Iraq or Afghanistan.

So even though we’ve persevered, the last year has been discouraging and daunting as we searched for an “upgrade” in jobs. My husband, with his 15 years of experience and 4000+ hours, just didn’t seem to have the right passport or the right type of hours or the right type rating, etc. We were fairly close to just throwing in the towel on our expat aviation career and applying for a green card to the US, where he might be able to find a regional first officer position.

Then it happened. Out of the blue. Which is why I’m here to say to all those wives out there in a position similar to mine – don’t give up! Hang in there! Last month a Chinese friend mentioned to his acquaintance, a pilot for a business aviation company, that he knew a foreign pilot with Chinese licenses who was looking for a new position. Within a few weeks my husband was offered a great job – a first officer on a business jet with the possibility of cross-training on the Airbus A318 Elite. He’ll be flying businessmen and wealthy clients across Asia.

I’m still not an “airline pilot’s wife,” but I might have to start dealing with some of the scheduling issues that concern so many of you. We’ll be relocating to Beijing. While that might sound challenging and/or scary, keep in mind we’ve been living the past 4 1/2 years in rural China, where it’s hard to even buy a cup of coffee. Beijing is like New York City to us! I couldn’t be more excited.

Contributed by Heather, a “regular” in the Pilot Wives Club. You can check out her blog at http://global-gal.com/ Thanks, Heather, for sharing your non-airline story and letting us know there IS another side to aviation!

The importance of wind…

I came across this quote while researching other quotes to include in a project I am working on…

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” ~ Henry Ford

Being married to a pilot, I felt it rather poignant since my life is steeped in aviation…

I feel the need to expand on this quote. So, here’s my take on it -

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. Sometimes the wind changes directions and comes at you from the side and the ditch on the side of the runway is waiting to swallow you up. Even if you do get in the air, the wind will try to push you off course. It takes great skill and determination to overcome the crosswind and fly.

Taking the wind analogy a little further, we can say that sometimes the wind changes directions and comes at you from behind, seeming to travel with you, but throwing you off your rhythm. This sudden change can even flip you over if you are not prepared.

A day with no wind is a joy. You can accomplish the act of flight with little effort. You don’t get knocked around in turbulence. You can sit back and enjoy the ride.

On the other hand, there is the challenge that comes from flying on a windy day. When you meet the wind head on, the airplane jumps at the opportunity to get in the air. Trusting in your abilities, you will be surprised at how fast you climb! It may not be entirely comfortable, but you can take heart in knowing you accomplished something that most cannot or will not do. You flew!

As pilot wives, we handle our fair share of adversity. We learn to live independent lives when our pilots are away. We learn to incorporate our pilots back into our lives when they return. We raise our children mostly alone. We sometimes go through life’s events (births/deaths) alone. We cope with the loneliness and the feeling of being overwhelmed. It is not an easy life. But we take a page from the flight training guide that was shared with us by our pilots - point the nose into the wind and fly!

Aviation in Alaska - An Introduction

There is a running joke in my family that I won’t let my husband be a “Fire-Bomber” – thanks to the movie “Always” – but I will let him be an “Alaska Bush Pilot”… For some reason, that seems to make a lot of people laugh…

Alaska has such a large area, with the majority of it’s towns and villages inaccessible by roads. Before aviation was introduced, everyone got around by sled dog or boat, depending on where you lived. The aviation pioneers that started flying up here had their challenges. Most of them died doing what they loved. Some of them helped to innovate new ways of getting around the state. Aviation is such a necessity here. Most, if not all, of the villages have airports, or are in close proximity to an airport. Small but dependable air-taxi services dot the landscape, providing the necessary support to the villages. Their duties range from mail and freight delivery, taking passengers “in to town”, medivacs, and so on… It’s no wonder this is the area that my husband wanted to start his commercial career in.

My husband started flying for a Part-135 Airline in Juneau, Alaska. He was taught how to navigate “Southeast Alaska” by one on the best pilots in the state. When we needed to start accumulating “actual instrument time”, we moved out in the bush, to Iliamna, Alaska. There, he flew to more remote villages, to places where the town surrounded the airport. Where there were no tower services and the way to announce your presence is to buzz the town. We had our personal airplane with us in Iliamna, and it came in handy. We would fly to Anchorage to do our shopping every 2-3 months, and hit Costco, Wal-Mart and Safeway – the staples of remote living. Living out in the bush is not for everyone, and it wasn’t for me. We moved on to bigger and better things, taking us back to the “lower-48” and then out to Hawaii.

The “bigger and better” jobs were fun for my husband, at first. Then, he got bored, going to the same place, at the same time, along the same airway, every day. He missed the challenges of flying in Alaska; of getting to meet your passengers face to face and become their friend; of getting to do the occasional “back-country Canada charter”; of going to familiar territory, but different places every day. It was then that we decided to move back to Alaska.

We returned to Juneau. The airline my husband used to work for is no longer in operation, so he works for a company out of Bethel, on the other side of the state. He commutes for the first half of the month, and then gets to come home for the second. He is back to servicing a large area of small villages. We have found our little niche and we are not moving again (I hope). Where else in the world do you have such a reliance on aviation, such a stable corner of a vastly changing industry?

With the stability, there is a sense of concern. This is Alaska, where anything can and does happen. Systems that pilots use in the “lower-48″ are practically useless here. Due to the rugged terrain, radar only works at high altitude. Even with advances in satellite tracking and advances in Capstone (a terrain and aircraft avoidance system pioneered in Alaska), I worry when he doesn’t check in on time. In Bethel, he doesn’t have cell phone coverage, so I have to wait for him to get home to the pilot house to call me. I could do without the days where he waits until 9:00pm to check in…

Living and flying here has its challenges, but I don’t think I would trade it for anything.