It's 6pm and I can feel my cell phone alarm vibrating in my pocket. Regardless of what I was dreaming of it's all slowing disappearing as the dank smell of the crew room, a room that hasn't seen a furniture upgrade or carpet change in years, makes its way into my nostrils. In fact, one pilot I know says he even saw a mouse in here.
Why is my alarm going off at 6pm? Simple. I commute.
I don't live where I work, like most normal working adults. Instead, I live hundreds of miles away and must fly to work as a passenger before my shift starts. My company allows me to fly for free on the airline and many pilots, including myself, use that to their advantage.
Yes, you can live where you want, but that sometimes means showing up for work hours before you need to, depending on flight schedules. One pilot I know commutes from Hawaii - actually a few do - which is 11 hours away from our East Coast base. No thanks.
As I collect my belongings I glance at my trip information, which I printed out before my nap.
Tonight I'm heading to Paris, The City of Light.
Not that I would know. With an 8pm departure, we will land in Paris before the sunrise and be at the hotel just as the sun is peaking through the curtains. After waking up from my nap, it's night again. So much for sightseeing.
But I have a fantastic crew and the weather is forecasted to be great for our entire 7 hour flight. As I finish up packing and assemble my flight case I get excited for the adventure that is to come. For every tiring 6pm wakeup on a crew room couch there is a sunrise over the North Atlantic that rivals the most beautiful thing you've ever seen.
With this blog I will share my adventures with you as they come my way.
Yes, it's now time to go to work.
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