CHRISTMAS AT HOME

Link to this week's column atUSAToday.com/travel:

USA Today.com Column

It's hard to believe this is my last Update for
2005, but here we go:
It is a rare treat to be home for the holidays
for any pilot, and it's certainly no exception
for me. Al The Web Guy and I are spending the
entire holiday season at home and enjoying some
time off-sort of. If there's anything worse than
a workaholic at home, it's two workaholics at
home and that describes the two of us,
unfortunately. Still, we're trying to relax at
least a little bit this holiday season.

Once again, Al The Web Guy transformed himself
into Al The Don't-Anybody-Come Near-My-Kitchen
Holiday Chef. He prepared a wonderful Christmas
feast for us and a few of our friends.

One thing I get asked frequently is if flight
crew layovers are long enough to enjoy the cities
where we lay over. Sometimes we do have time,
and other times there is only enough time to get
some sleep before heading out again.

One Christmas, I was in Washington, D.C. where I
had been sent TDY (Temporary Duty) for two
months. The airline had no specified hotel TDY
pilots were supposed to use but there was an
allowance of so many dollars per night-and it
wasn't very much. We could make our own
arrangements using the allowance or let the
airline make them for us to stay in a reasonably
nice hotel.

As it happened, my parents had some friends in
the area whose daughter was a manager at the
Ritz-Carlton near Washington National Airport (it
wasn't called Reagan yet). I arranged a lunch
meeting with her and explained my circumstances
to her, and she graciously offered to give me a
luxury suite for the allotted rate as nobody was
using it anyway during the holiday season. If
anyone reserved the suite, I would simply be
moved to a regular room, but that never happened.

It was much more than I bargained for- far larger
than the apartment I was renting at the time in
Denver. It even came with its own chauffeur.
The Ritz is located in a shopping mall with lots
of restaurants, and below that is the subway
station. I got to know Washington, D. C.
intimately well, from the pandas at the National
Zoo to the Ruby Slippers from the movie "The
Wizard of Oz" at the Smithsonian. There was an
indoor pool, steam room and gym in the hotel. It
was a better than a vacation.

I had no assigned flights but was instead on
reserve, and in the two months I spent there I
got paged to fly a trip exactly one time-I was
doing the White House tour when my beeper went
off and had to cut my tour short to go fly. It
was the one time I used my chauffeur's services
as he was able to get me to the airport very
quickly and the flight was holding for me (the
regular captain started feeling ill after he'd
already checked in for the flight, so there was
no time to spare).

As the chauffeur was helping me out of my Ritz
limousine, a business traveler (by the looks of
him) watched and said very dryly, "No wonder
airfares are up." Oh, well, there was no time to
explain. I felt vaguely as though I'd gotten my
hand caught in the cookie jar.

So I spent Christmas in Washington, D.C. that
year and was treated by the hotel management to a
lavish holiday dinner, which started at around
10:00 AM and was actually a brunch. I've never,
ever, seen such a lavish spread of food in my
life and spent the next few days recovering from
it, but it was one of my more memorable (and
fattening but worth it) Christmas layovers.

When I checked out of the Ritz after two months
of being spoiled beyond belief, I checked with
the management staff to come up with an
appropriate gift for the manager who made it all
possible, and wound up buying her a large box of
Godiva chocolates-her favorite. Small payback
for such a lovely time.

Between Christmas at home and Christmas on the
run, Christmas at home wins, of course. But Al
The Web Guy and Chief Holiday Chef's Christmas
feast reminded me of this other feast a decade
and a half ago.

On another note, one of my pilot colleagues sent
me a cute link, and I thought I'd share it with
you. It's called "For Retired Pilots Only" and
be sure to turn up your volume. It's short but
funny. Cute Video

Finally, for anyone in the San Diego area, I want
to let you know that my friend Norah O'Neill,
first female pilot for Flying Tigers and author
of "Flying Tigress" will be speaking about her
career, reading from her book and signing them at
the San Diego Aerospace Museum at 2001 Pan
American Plaza in Balboa Park on the first
Saturday of 2006, January 7th, at 11:30 AM.
Museum info is at Aerospace Museum
619-234-8291 and information about her book is on
her website Norah ONeill

There is a wax figure of Norah in the museum and
I regret I won't be able to attend this event
myself, but I hope some of my readers will.
Don't forget to give Norah my personal regards if
you do attend. Norah's story and my own have
many similarities, but also some profound
differences, and I encourage you to read her book
if you haven't.

Once again, as a notice to my newest readers and
a reminder to others, my newest book "Flights of
Whimsy - Quips 'N' Quotes" is now out. The retail
price is $11.95 plus just $3 shipping anywhere in
the world. Order four and the fifth one is free,
and there is no additional shipping charge.
Click here to order: Gift Ideas

I've also made autographed copies of my book "The
World At My Feet" available. This book is
$17.95 plus $4.95 shipping and must be ordered through my
Gift Ideas area to include autograph. There is
an area on the order form where you can give me a
name if you'd like the book signed for a
particular individual or if you want a specific
message. Also ships out immediately. Order up
to four books with no additional shipping charge.

Gift Ideas