A Little Bit About Me

Hard to believe its been over four years since I retired! Don't feel like I'm retired with everything going on. No signs of boredom yet.

Actually I made the decision to retire in a rather short period of time. I was always planning on bailing out of my job a few years early, but then 9/11 came along and the government took all the fun out of my job. One day it occurred to me that I just wasn't enjoying what I was doing anymore. Funny that it happened to occur after I had just spent a week fishing up in Canada. It was all I could do to go back to work.

So I started asking my other retired friends their advice and opinions and it was unanimous: Do it if you can! I started figuring out the finances and figured it was worth a shot. In October '03 I had my twenty years in and could qualify for a pension. As meager as it was, in November I took it and that was that, my airline career was over. Yes, I left my job early as a Captain for a major US airline - and we weren't even in bankruptcy! At least not yet. My only regret is not knowing maybe five years earlier that I would be retiring this soon and then I would have made some different financial decisions. Oh, well..... I have yet to regret my retirement decision, though.

I flew professionally for thirty years, but haven't given up flying altogether. My plan is to get involved in some general aviation again, soon. Just as soon as I find the time. Amazing, that I still seem to be short of that.

Some of my early history: as a military brat our family did our share of moving around. Was born in California, then off to Florida, the French Riviera (the Navy used to have some great duty stations) and Virginia. Seven different schools for my first eight grades. After his retirement, my dad moved us back to Europe, where I spent my high school years.

Loving the mountains but wanting to find some place where the sun shines (Geneva is one of the dreariest places in the winter), I picked Colorado for a university. Four years there and then I followed in my father's footsteps and became a Naval Aviator. I know he was disappointed that I wasn't a 'lifer', but six years was plenty for me. Remember, this was post-Vietnam and the military wasn't held in such high regard as it is today (though I do think we've swung a bit too far the other direction).

Took over three years after the Navy to find an airline job. How many of you remember PeopleExpress Airlines? No, not Peoples Express - no such airline. Stints flying gliders in Colorado Springs and a year in Saudi Arabia, when we were actually wanted there, preceded my getting hired for the New Jersey based airline. Best job I ever had, while it lasted. Unfortunately, things don't stay static too long in the airline business, so we found ourselves bought out and merged into another airline - Continental.

For a while there it was like the military again. Not the best reputation around (hint: Frank Lorenzo). Things did turn around, and I know I am biased, but today I know that Continental is one of the best airlines around. I just hope they survive this latest business cycle.... My pass privileges depend on it.