Airline Pilots (A little Friday humor)

[Dave Avery]

Martin,

Nice to hear from one of Fedex's best. I work for Pratt & Whitney, currently as CFO of our Engine Alliance joint venture with GE making the GP7200 engine powering the Airbus A380. Any chance you'll be flying A380's when Fedex takes delivery in 2009? Dave.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Martin,

I'm not sure if I remember Anse or not....Windy sounds familiar but I also worked with a John Windham, a civilian at Meridian.....I might be confusing the two. Lots of water under the bridge since then and I'm not a spring chicken anymore.

Saw some interesting accidents/incidents working ATC during the Vietnam Navy Pilot Pipeline days.......Student on first solo in T-2....nose gear didn't extend....I happened to be at the precision radar hardstand near the approach end of the runway when it he landed....He held the nose up as long as he could then turned loose and put both hands on the console and braced himself.....I couldn't see any apparent damaged to the plane until they picked it up with the cherry picker......some torn skin...that's about all.

A pilot called the tower "I'm approximately 22 miles southeast of Bravo field .....my engines are out.....l'm baling out!" .......ATC scrambled the SAR chopper ........formed up the ground search teams....Bravo field was an outlying field used for touch and goes 22 miles NorthWest of McCain Field at Meridian.....The ACs pulled the tapes.....got the call sign .....then it dawned on them......Sure enough the plane was sitting on the mat area across from the contol tower.....The pilot had never declared an emergency! Seems this was the pilot's last flight for the Navy and they'd been hoodwinked!

[Martin Shupe]

Martin,

Nice to hear from one of Fedex's best. I work for Pratt & Whitney, currently as CFO of our Engine Alliance joint venture with GE making the GP7200 engine powering the Airbus A380. Any chance you'll be flying A380's when Fedex takes delivery in 2009? Dave.

Dave,

Not in 2009, but maybe someday. My seniority is about 75%, and I'll have to wait for a bunch of guys and gals to retire before I get to sit in a 380. Maybe in the right seat of one, someday.

Don't forget Fred is a horse trader, too. He might have bought those slots just to resell them at a profit. Around here they say "don't believe anything until you see it at the gate painted purple". Actually, I think he will keep them, since they will carry an awful lot of boxes. The latest rumor is that we will get some 737's in the fall to start replacing our 727's.

Hey, if you get a chance, tell those European guys to make the tails a little stronger, eh? Or maybe change the rudder pedal gain so they don't come off below maneuvering speed?

Seriously, I think my next move is the right seat of the Airbus. I could have held it a couple bids ago, but waited for a little seniority. Then last bid they only gave out 10 slots and I couldn't get one. I should be able to hold it next bid.

From your pic I would have guessed you for a pilot, instead of a CFO, but I am sure you make a lot more money pushing papers than I do hauling boxes.

[David Klug]

Thanx Aaron, ROFLMAO

DK

[Greg Heppeard]

I'm glad I don't have to work on those winged things anymore...did 20 years in Air Force as a navigation computer tech. Traded in my safety wire and duct tape for a table saw and router. Yeah, I know...more dangerous equipment.

[Dave Avery]

Dave,

Not in 2009, but maybe someday. My seniority is about 75%, and I'll have to wait for a bunch of guys and gals to retire before I get to sit in a 380. Maybe in the right seat of one, someday.

Don't forget Fred is a horse trader, too. He might have bought those slots just to resell them at a profit. Around here they say "don't believe anything until you see it at the gate painted purple". Actually, I think he will keep them, since they will carry an awful lot of boxes. The latest rumor is that we will get some 737's in the fall to start replacing our 727's.

Hey, if you get a chance, tell those European guys to make the tails a little stronger, eh? Or maybe change the rudder pedal gain so they don't come off below maneuvering speed?

Seriously, I think my next move is the right seat of the Airbus. I could have held it a couple bids ago, but waited for a little seniority. Then last bid they only gave out 10 slots and I couldn't get one. I should be able to hold it next bid.

From your pic I would have guessed you for a pilot, instead of a CFO, but I am sure you make a lot more money pushing papers than I do hauling boxes.

Say it ain't so, Martin...... I HATE it when someone retires a P&W powered aircraft and replaces it the a CFM powered one

I guess I never thought about it, but the short hair and sunglasses do make me look a little pilot-like. Wishful thinking, I guess. While I'm not complaining about the paper pushing money, I'd trade jobs and salaries in a heartbeat. Good luck moving up the seniority list...... Dave.