A Day In The Life...
This is my first blog...I'm a bit nervous. This seems to be the fad nowadays and there is far too much pressure from everyone for me to do a blog, so here it is.
Some people wonder what it is that I do in a day, so I thought I'd give you a little run down. My day starts at 0630 where we prepare the airplane for it's morning flight, this includes a nice hot coffee. This particular day we had to do a bit of de-icing. Most of the time we just sit around until departure time!! 0700 is departure time.
On a beautiful day like today it sure is nice to turn towards Vancouver and start to watch the sunrise. This first picture taken from 3500 feet shows Halfmoon Bay in the foreground and the Sunshine Coast from Sechelt looking East to Vancouver. Gorgeous!
Once we get to Vancouver, we go and see Dispatch and find out what flights we are scheduled to do for the day. For me, it's usually multiple Comox/Campbell River trips and one Victoria. Exciting!
This next picture is of Howe Sound which is North of Vancouver and directs a person towards Squamish and Whistler. The recent cold snap has brought fresh snow to all the Coast Mountains creating perfect photo ops!!
Once we arrive in Campbell River (30 minute flight) we help the ramp guys unload and re-load the new bags on to the airplane and then usually sit for 1/2 an hour until our next departure time. Ooohhh...Who put on a fresh pot of coffee? It's Tim Hortons fine grind you say? Mmmmm!!! Make mine a Double Double.
Off to Comox, our next destination. A busy 7 minute flight from Campbell River to land at CFB Comox, the military base. The base is often quiet, but sometimes an F-18 will fly by us and nearly blow the doors off (not literally), a 4 engine Auroras' turbulence threatens to hurl us into the unknown, the Buffalo has parachuters dropping out day and night alongside the runway, and there are 2 other airlines racing us for the first landing or departure time, all keeping us on our toes, to say the least. But at least we get another break when we get there...then it's off to Vancouver we go! Not before we get a top up on our coffees!
After our harrowing 2 hour Campbell/Comox trip, we take our well deserved 3 hour break. Enough for a trip to the Main Terminal for a Tim Hortons coffee. We MUST remember to pick up coffees for our Dispatchers to bribe them into not working us too hard the next day! Time for a quick siesta before the 12 minute Trans-Pacific trip to Victoria. After flying over we get comfy with the newspaper and a few magazines for some light reading before heading back to Vancouver 45 minutes later. We don't drink coffee here (Seattles Best coffee?? More like Seattles Worst.) Today we fly over the ferry terminals, Steveston, Richmond and land west-bound at the airport. This picture is the view East up the Fraser River South Arm leading towards Langley. You can see the posts of the Alex Fraser Bridge.
It is now 1315 and it's time for our REAL break. Next flight 1830. We sit down for a nice relaxing lunch, watching while the other employees race in, eat and head back to work in 1/2 an hour. Poor them. When 1430 rolls along we flip to Channel 520 on the Satellite tv for How It's Made. Fascinating show. After 2 full episodes, it's time for my afternoon sleep. First I put in a quick call to Jenni and the girls to see how frazzled they are (being sure to act rushed and really busy) and then settle in on the crew room couch and head off to dreamland. No more than an hour though... When I wake up, it's time for another coffee and a 2 hour CSI marathon before gearing up for my hard 25 minute flight home. It's only hard, because my seat is cold from the plane sitting over the last 5 hours. I wish the plane had seat warmers like the Jetta has!!
I thought I should take one more picture of the Coast Mountain sky line on the way home.
Arriving home at 1930, I've put in a 13 hour day and I'm exhausted. Jenni appreciates how hard I work every day and tries to have a hot supper waiting for me, the girls bathed and in their pj's ready for bed, the house cleaned up and my uniform crisply ironed for the next grueling day of work. I might have exagerrated a little on that one...
Total time at work - 13 hours
Total flying hours - 3.6
Total spent on coffee - $3.50
Total sugar and cream intake - 10 packets and 1/2 liter
Life as an Airline Pilot - Priceless
Some people wonder what it is that I do in a day, so I thought I'd give you a little run down. My day starts at 0630 where we prepare the airplane for it's morning flight, this includes a nice hot coffee. This particular day we had to do a bit of de-icing. Most of the time we just sit around until departure time!! 0700 is departure time.
On a beautiful day like today it sure is nice to turn towards Vancouver and start to watch the sunrise. This first picture taken from 3500 feet shows Halfmoon Bay in the foreground and the Sunshine Coast from Sechelt looking East to Vancouver. Gorgeous!
Once we get to Vancouver, we go and see Dispatch and find out what flights we are scheduled to do for the day. For me, it's usually multiple Comox/Campbell River trips and one Victoria. Exciting!
This next picture is of Howe Sound which is North of Vancouver and directs a person towards Squamish and Whistler. The recent cold snap has brought fresh snow to all the Coast Mountains creating perfect photo ops!!
Once we arrive in Campbell River (30 minute flight) we help the ramp guys unload and re-load the new bags on to the airplane and then usually sit for 1/2 an hour until our next departure time. Ooohhh...Who put on a fresh pot of coffee? It's Tim Hortons fine grind you say? Mmmmm!!! Make mine a Double Double.
Off to Comox, our next destination. A busy 7 minute flight from Campbell River to land at CFB Comox, the military base. The base is often quiet, but sometimes an F-18 will fly by us and nearly blow the doors off (not literally), a 4 engine Auroras' turbulence threatens to hurl us into the unknown, the Buffalo has parachuters dropping out day and night alongside the runway, and there are 2 other airlines racing us for the first landing or departure time, all keeping us on our toes, to say the least. But at least we get another break when we get there...then it's off to Vancouver we go! Not before we get a top up on our coffees!
After our harrowing 2 hour Campbell/Comox trip, we take our well deserved 3 hour break. Enough for a trip to the Main Terminal for a Tim Hortons coffee. We MUST remember to pick up coffees for our Dispatchers to bribe them into not working us too hard the next day! Time for a quick siesta before the 12 minute Trans-Pacific trip to Victoria. After flying over we get comfy with the newspaper and a few magazines for some light reading before heading back to Vancouver 45 minutes later. We don't drink coffee here (Seattles Best coffee?? More like Seattles Worst.) Today we fly over the ferry terminals, Steveston, Richmond and land west-bound at the airport. This picture is the view East up the Fraser River South Arm leading towards Langley. You can see the posts of the Alex Fraser Bridge.
It is now 1315 and it's time for our REAL break. Next flight 1830. We sit down for a nice relaxing lunch, watching while the other employees race in, eat and head back to work in 1/2 an hour. Poor them. When 1430 rolls along we flip to Channel 520 on the Satellite tv for How It's Made. Fascinating show. After 2 full episodes, it's time for my afternoon sleep. First I put in a quick call to Jenni and the girls to see how frazzled they are (being sure to act rushed and really busy) and then settle in on the crew room couch and head off to dreamland. No more than an hour though... When I wake up, it's time for another coffee and a 2 hour CSI marathon before gearing up for my hard 25 minute flight home. It's only hard, because my seat is cold from the plane sitting over the last 5 hours. I wish the plane had seat warmers like the Jetta has!!
I thought I should take one more picture of the Coast Mountain sky line on the way home.
Arriving home at 1930, I've put in a 13 hour day and I'm exhausted. Jenni appreciates how hard I work every day and tries to have a hot supper waiting for me, the girls bathed and in their pj's ready for bed, the house cleaned up and my uniform crisply ironed for the next grueling day of work. I might have exagerrated a little on that one...
Total time at work - 13 hours
Total flying hours - 3.6
Total spent on coffee - $3.50
Total sugar and cream intake - 10 packets and 1/2 liter
Life as an Airline Pilot - Priceless
Comments
Breaks, naps, newspapers, tv, coffee, sitting around, siesta,
lunch its a wonder you have time to fly!!
The only question is... how do you manage to keep it together after such a HARD day at work?? Almost as many coffee breaks as our job!!
great blog, loved it.