The Many Plates an Airline Has to Spin

I’ve worked in the airline industry most of my life and in various capacities.  I’ve done every job people normally think of except pilot, flight attendant and mechanic.  (I did interview for a flight attendant job many years ago but was disqualified due to my eyesight.)  What follows are some of the things that must happen in order for you to fly on a commercial flight.

1  The schedule must be made.  

I once interviewed for a position in this area but was not successful.  Now that I deal with it more, I see what a nightmare it must be to create it.  It is more than merely picking times for a flight to operate between an origin and destination.  They must also consider which aircraft to use.  Airlines want to make money so they want the planes to operate full.   Is it better to operate a plane with 200 seats that normally fills 160 of them or fly one with 150 seats?  Also, there are crew considerations.  Some international destinations require additional crewmembers.  Some other ones even require crew rest facilities.  (Yes, in some of those planes there are pilots and flight attendants relaxing above you.)  Therefore, the schedule is tied to ship, crew and other considerations.  

2 A maintenance schedule

Like your car, airplanes have regularly scheduled items that must be done on a regular basis.  That includes changing the oil.  Most things on your car are counted down by miles or days/months/years.  It is similar with airplanes, except they counted by days, cycles and hours flown.  A takeoff and landing equals one cycle.  There is typically some type of work done on an airplane every time it lays over in a maintenance base.  Many of the items are simple and can be done in a short period of time.  Other things are more time consuming and require coordinating resources.  If you know you have 5 planes that will require the landing gears to be replaced over the next year, you need to set aside time in a hanger capable of jacking up the plane.  Often, they are scheduled back to back and the mechanics who work on them we be more familiar with the process each time.  I’m not saying the mechanics need this familiarity but is certainly can’t hurt. 

Of course, once the plane is in the hanger and every unneeded item is removed, the plane is jacked up and the landing gears are removed.  I trust it goes without saying the plane is not moving while in this state.  Since hanger space is limited, it is precious.  This is why a robust hanger and maintenance planning system is vital. 

3  There must be a system to get the plane to that hanger

How do you know where a plane will layover every night?  What has to happen in order for Ship 101 to be in Kalamazoo on March 13^th for the gear change?  First, the plane is assigned to flights every day based on the flight schedule.  Based on the flight schedule, it will layover in Duluth, MN, Columbus, OH and Sacramento, CA on March 11^th, 12^th and 13^threspectively.  Of course, that is not where we want it.  What do we do to get it into Kalamazoo on the 13th?  At some point, the plane will be in the same station with another plane.  It is a matter of changing the flights they will both take out of that city.  Sometimes, it will require a couple more swaps with more airplanes and maybe even on different days but I trust you get the idea.

These a just a few of the many things that must happen in order for you to enjoy your commercial flight.  I hope to share more in the future. 

A Heart of Red

In fields of war

There is no star

Above the dead

Whose hearts have bled

Here I lie

About to die

I want to live

I’ve more to give

What will you do?

With news you get

I dream of you

I’m in your debt

Image in hand

Memories scanned

My life bleeds on

And soon I’m gone

I see a light

Piercing the night

A heart of red

That warms the dead

Onward I’m drawn

Toward the dawn

I leave this life

And all the strife

My one desire

To feel your skin

But I hear the choir

Their draw from within

My moments wane

My dear sweet Jane

I love you so

But now I go

© 2016 Duane Windell Phillips

The Big Move

16 years ago today, I moved from Lake Worth, FL to the Atlanta, GA area to start a new job.  How well I remember getting into the car that cool morning.  Everything within me fought to stay.  My wife and I made the choice about a month earlier.  We prayed about it and sought counsel.  We believed this was the step to make but a decision and an action are two very different things.  That morning was the first price I paid to make the move. 

I remember being a little fearful of the unknown.  I also had some trepidation at not knowing how often I would see my family.  I hoped it would be every weekend but I wasn’t sure at that moment.  Finally, how long would it be before we sold the house and the family could also move?  

I thought about the plant I purchased for my wife a couple weeks before.  A smile came to my face.  I gave it to her saying it was a way for her to remember me.  It was dead a couple days before I did the big drive.  I still like telling that story.  What are you trying to say, honey?

I look back now and acknowledge God knew what He was doing.  I know we were comfortable in Florida but we all needed to grow.  I still need to after 16 years.  Kids here get their license to drive at that age.  Then they really start growing.  Maybe we will “really start growing” now. 

Stories

When Brittany Madison Payne was in high school, her father told her she couldn’t date until she was a senior…..citizen.  Due to her father’s sense of humor, Brittany knew he wasn’t serious.  He also advised she should marry a man whose surname began with the letter W.  That way her initials would be BMW, like the automobile.  Little did he know she would one day marry Joe West. 

Brittany was always thin.  However, after her third child in just under three years, she gained a lot of weight and was never able to return to the body of her youth.  She was not pleased the time her parents came to visit and her father remarked BMW stood for Big Mamma West.  Joe and the children laughed.  Brittany seethed and was secretly angry about the comment.

When her father was on his death bed, which was only 2 short years later, Brittany realized the foolishness of harboring such feelings in her heart.  She let them go.  As they spoke one night, Brittany was reminded of how her father used to tell her and her siblings stories about his life.  She mentioned these special times and he smiled. 

“You and your brothers loved hearing stories probably more than when we would read you books.”

“Yeah.”

“I remember how you guys would laugh whenever I talked about times when I was very young.  I guess it was hard for you to believe I was once little like you were.  My family always told us stories.  They always meant a lot to me so I wanted to do the same for you.  I hope you are doing that with my grandbabies.”

“Not really but it is a good thing to start doing.  They aren’t too old yet.”

“Too old?  The baby is just getting out of her terrible 2’s and Jason is knocking on 6.  They are still babies.  They’d love to hear about you when you were little.  The kind of life Joe had?  I bet he has all kinds of stories for them.  Those little ones gotta know where they come from.  Tell em!  Tell em over and over.”

Brittany promised to do so.  Seven months after her father died, it would have been his birthday.  That night she made the kids lie in bed and told them she had a story to share.

“A long time ago, there was a little girl named Brittany Madison Payne and she was a skinny, happy little girl.”  The oldest child, who was lying next to the youngest, rolled onto his side to face her and the two of them giggled.  The other added his laughter.  Brittany smiled as she continued, “Her father, Marshall Payne, used to tell his children stories about their past.”  The middle child interrupted, “Where they true stories?”

“Of course.  When he put his children down to sleep, he would ask them what kind of story they wanted to hear.  He would make up stories on the spot if they were make believe.  Otherwise, the true stories were true and were very important.  That was so his children would know where they came from and it would help shape who they were. 

“When Brittany became a grown up and had little boys and a girl of her own, she decided she needed to start sharing stories with her children.  She realized she was Big Momma West.  She was big because her heart grew with each baby she had.  It had to grow since she had so much love to give to her children.  It filled her whole body.” 

Stand Your Ground

Ever since I can remember, I have had a fascination about military topics.  In particular, I like reading about battles during World War II.  One thing I have noticed in conflicts where one group wants to take a position currently held by another is that there are two ways to take the position.  1. You must attack and cause him to retreat.  2. You must attack and kill him.  As long as the enemy is on that ground, you do not have it.

For people who are believers in Christ, we hold a position in Him.  We are sons and daughters of God.  Galatians 3:26, “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” 

Also, “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6

So what does our position in Christ have to do with taking the position of our enemy?  I trust it is obvious we do not want the position of the enemy.  If you’ve read to the end of the bible, you know what Satan’s end is.  However, he does attack us.  He is always probing our position and trying to determine our weaknesses.  Once identified, he attacks them.  Therefore, we need to be on the alert and we must be sober minded and prepared.

Due to our position in Christ, we can never lose when we stand firm in His promises.  “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  Romans 8:37  So it hit me today that, since we can’t lose when we live in Christ, the only way the devil wins is when we give up.  If we continually stand in faith and trust that God’s will is best, we win.  Even it if appears to the world we lost, if we keep faith in God, we win.  We only lose when we give up our faith. 

Many years ago, I considered the verse where Jesus says that if we have the faith of a mustard seed we could move mountains.  I couldn’t help but think that it must not take much faith to get us through our present circumstances.  Romans 12:3 states that God gives to each a measure of faith.  What excuse do we have?  If only a little faith is all it takes for us to stand firm, and God gives that faith to us, we should always stand strong to the devil and let Christ have the victory. 

I am saying this for my own benefit as well as yours.  Remember who you are in Christ.  Stand firm in that knowledge.  Do not give an inch to the devil.  It is only when you give up that he wins.  Give God the glory for victory in Jesus. 

Paradise: Final

Light was finally showing but RB wasn’t out of the dark yet.  He still had a few weeks before he would walk out of The Bad Place for the last time.  Too bad time didn’t fly.  Instead, time seemed to drag each day until RB drove home.  Upon looking back on the day, RB marveled how quickly it went. 

One week before RB’s last day, there was a lunch party for RB and Pam, who was going to another area within the company.  RB drove two coworkers to the Thai restaurant a few blocks away.  RB liked spicy food but had forgotten how spicy Thai food can be.  He was glad he normally drank water.  He was thirsty when everyone arrived and drank a glass and a half before everyone was served.  He merely continued this trend as a means of quenching the fire in his mouth. 

Shortly after lunch, there was a pow wow in the break room.  It was in honor of the young lady who was moving on.  She gave an emotional farewell and a cake was brought in.  After the cake was served, RB extended his congratulations.  Then he headed back to his cubicle.  He wanted to finish early if possible.  He wanted to get out of there.  The party made him anxious to leave once and for all. 

When the big day finally came, emotion filled RB’s heart.  It didn’t seem real.  It reminded him of when he was a child waiting for Christmas.  When the day finally arrived, it wasn’t real and it went too fast.  He also always regretted its passing.  He didn’t expect a luncheon since it was understood they shared the one at the Thai restaurant.  Still, he wanted to share his heart with his coworkers as Pam did the previous week.  He looked forward to it.

While eating lunch, RB pondered what he would say as his last words to his coworkers.  There were only four people in the department that had been there longer.  Therefore, most people were relatively new and RB believed he could impart some knowledge.  More than anything, he wanted to stress that by uplifting each other, they could get through each day. 

Around 2:00, the phone rang.  RB saw it was Matt and believed he was calling about the meeting so he could say goodbye and give his thoughts. 

“Hello, boss.  What’s up?”

“Close it up and go home.  Thanks for your hard work.”

Bewildered, RB asked, “Really?”

“Yes, you deserve it.  Go home early for a change.”

Disappointed, RB expressed appreciation and hung up.  He gathered his things and went from cubicle to cubicle saying goodbye.  One person questioned why RB didn’t have a meeting to say goodbye.  RB simply said he was told to leave early.  He never said it but RB felt it was a parting shot from The Bad Place.  It would never let him have any satisfaction. 

RB had five days off before training for the new job began.  It was completely different than anything he had done before and it bended his mind.  Still, he felt that was a good thing.  At least three times before his class, which began at 5:00 PM, he stopped by The Bad Place to say hello to friends.  It was during the third visit someone commented they see RB more now than before.  RB never returned until a time a former coworker specifically asked him to visit. 

It was about six months into the new job when RB realized he finally was over The Bad Place.  He believed all the crud that had accumulated on his soul was gone.  It only added to the joy that was in his heart.  It hadn’t been easy being in The Bad Place but as bad as that was, the new place was that much better.  In RB’s mind, it truly was paradise. 

Paradise Part 19

Adrenaline flooded RB’s body.  Was the sun finally going to peak over the horizon?  After so many years of drudgery, was the dawn finally coming?  The weight of the job, the cavernous emptiness of giving and giving and giving to people had crushed RB for so long.  The infinite line of complaints, that continuous stream of incoming mail that sucked the life from every person in the office, was it finally over? 

RB replied, “Yes, Mr. Dawson.  What’s the word?” 

Bill Dawson continued, “Well, I’d like to offer you one of my Equipment Scheduler positions.  Are you still interested?”

Joy!  Sheer unadulterated joy coursed through RB.  Like a lifelong prisoner who finally greeted the sun on the day of his release, RB wanted to cry out in jubilation. He wanted to kiss the man through the phone.  However, RB calmly and professionally replied, “Yes, I am interested.  Thank you very much.”

Bill advised of the start date, which was in three and a half weeks.  RB thought to himself it was three and a half weeks too long.  Also, there would be a pay increase.  Icing and a cherry on top of the cake.  When Bill was finished, RB politely said, “Thank you very much.  I’m excited to get started.”

Without removing his headset, RB picked up his phone and called his wife.  The sky seemed brighter.  RB felt as if he floated.  He could fly with the eagles.  After giving the news to his wife, he walked to Matt’s office.  Upon hearing his employee was leaving, Matt smiled and said, “Congratulations!  You deserve this.”  RB smiled.

Matt continued, “I hate to say it but I’ve known for almost two weeks but couldn’t say anything.  It was stuck in HR and nothing could be done until they gave it their blessing.”

“So you knew the other day when you asked if I heard anything?”  Then RB smiled and said, “You jerk!”  He didn’t mean it.  He was too happy to be angry.

Driving home that night, RB wanted to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming.  It couldn’t be possible.  After all these years, he was finally getting out of The Bad Place.  Oh bliss!  Oh heavenly joy, rapturous joy!  He was free.  Finally, free!