Who am I? (That great eluding question!!!)

I grew up in Texas and now am a pilot with a major airline. I got into aviation when I was in my early teens by going flying with my Dad in his Cessna 175. I would go flying with him on the weekends, and he would let me fly! I knew how to fly before I was old enough to drive!

In 1982, one year after graduating from high school and holding a full time job, I got my private flying license and started doing aerobatics. Now that is flying!!! Then I went to college and got all my other flight ratings. After three years of college I graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor Degree. I immediately began flight instructing at that college. In 1986 I got a job with a commuter airline, Exec Express (now called Lone Star Airlines), flying into and out of the DFW Airport. Then in 1987 I got a job with another commuter airline, ASA, again flying into and out of DFW Airport. In 1991, after 5 years of commuter flying in which I logged over 4500 hours and over 4400 takeoffs and landings into and out of the DFW Airport, I got hired by Delta. Again, I was very lucky to get based in DFW.

The transition from flying commuters to flying with a major airline was easy. It was nothing more than changing gates, uniform, aircraft type, and crew lounge. There are really only four major differences in flying for a major airline and a commuter: 1) Get paid a lot more, 2) Airplanes are bigger, 3) You don't get near as much weather-flying with a major as you do with the commuters, and 4) You have to make a lot more inflight decisions on your own as PIC in the commuter flying because the company support via radio just isn't there like it is at a major airline. Also in Part 135 Ops, you don't have a dispatcher who looks at weather, chooses alternates, and figures fuel reserves. You do it with no backup except your copilot, so you'd better listen to him when he speaks up. You also do your own performance and weight and balance.

Glad those commuter flying days are over. At least I hope they are. I say that because I was furloughed from Delta for over three years and you never know when it could happen again. During the time on furlough, I ran DODDger Software LLC, got involved in a network marketing company (and made some good money!), and flew a jet as copilot for a corporation. I also got hired by the FBI to be a FBI Special Agent, but ten days before shipping off to the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA, I turned them down due to Delta calling me back from furlough. The FBI would have been an experience, and it was a hard decision choosing not to go, but I decided to stick with what I already knew, flying, for many reasons.