Sometimes decisions are made in increments and realizations come into focus\u00a0one piece at a time. That is the case here, when a confluence of events reminded me what is important in life, where I need to be, and what I need to be doing.<\/p>\n
Approaching the end of ground training, one of my boys asked me why I was so driven to do this, and working as hard as I was. I didn’t have a good answer, other than to say that I’ve always been that way. Driven onto the next thing. I don’t need to work, certainly, so it must be\u00a0because I was enjoying myself.<\/p>\n
The unsuccessful early bid for Captain was a difficult event – creating a considerable amount of stress. Sheer effort just wasn’t enough to compensate for seasoning and experience on the line. Getting through re-qualification was an additional necessary burden, the stress of which\u00a0diminished the fun factor somewhat further.<\/p>\n
So I pull up the bids for January and the prospect of living in hotels for another winter while my wife sits at home suddenly becomes incredibly\u00a0unappealing. I would like to experience a snow storm from my home for the first time in years.<\/p>\n
Then there is the fact that Bev and I are also getting older. I\u00a0realized that flying the airlines until\u00a0I am\u00a065 would preclude us from traveling and spending time together while we are still young and healthy. We don’t want to miss that. I don’t want to miss that.<\/p>\n
My original goals at Piedmont\u00a0were to prove to myself I could fly a Dash8, and to learn about the airline industry from the inside. I’ve accomplished that now\u00a0for over 13 months, and have a good feel for how things work. \u00a0I could stay another 10 years and still be learning, but I’m not willing to do that. What a great experience this has been – and the people there – my friends there – are just awesome.<\/p>\n
My book is coming along, albeit slowly. I have been writing a book about aviation experiences in fits and starts over the last several years. I plan to spend the next two months trying to move that along further. Learning how to get one published may be the next big thing I tackle.<\/p>\n
All that said, I am making a change and leaving Piedmont for my next opportunity. \u00a0This will be the first time that I will have been unemployed since the 7th grade, and it is by choice.\u00a0In the mean time, I’ll be looking for a relatively local aviation or technical job that won’t keep me away from home most days. Just enough to fly the hell out of my Twin Comanche, Thank \u00a0you….<\/p>\n
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