Ask The Captain

Cap'n Meryl taking a London cab for a spin.

2007-04-24T19:46:00.000-06:00

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Flying Through Midnight

2007-04-22T13:09:00.000-06:00

I heard from my good friend, American Airlines Retired Captain John Halliday. John’s book Flying Through Midnight was released in the same general time frame as my own book, The World At My Feet.

John tells me the paperback version is starting to show up in Wal-Marts and other major outlets, and I wanted to let you know as well as give you a new link for this book. When I first mentioned Flying Through Midnight upon its release a couple of years ago, many of my readers immediately read it, then wrote to tell me how much they enjoyed it. Here is how one reader put it:

One of the best books I have ever read, and could serve as a guidebook for living. You are a philosopher, poet, humanist, and gifted writer. There were so many lessons to be learned regarding friendship, loyalty, and thinking outside the box that I read the book a second time in order the fully grasp these lessons. Who can ever forget Wiley, Jack, Charles, Ty or the Hawk, Desktop, and the Church of the Air Force. Your endless patience with Rich, your regard for Tonto, and your gift of tools to Toothless revealed your character. The way you wove the music of the day into daily events and the symbolism of the rocks was pure genius. The lyrics of those songs will forever remind me of the stories in the book. In skimming over the Mekong River on the return trip from Long Tien, I felt the sense of triumph and relief of you and the crew at having survived the impossible. Thank you for helping me to understand the role of politics in deadly conflicts. Your father's observation that you were lambs led to slaughter was right on. The news bulletin interrupting the Lawrence Welk show describing "the event" would have been unbelievable had I not just read your book of what really happens in war. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You are truly one incredibly brave and humble American.
– Ruth Daniel

When I read Flying Through Midnight myself, I was just incredulous. I didn’t know John very well yet, and didn’t appreciate the scope of this true-life adventure. This is truly one of the most thrilling and unbelievable stories—aviation or otherwise—I’ve ever read and I am proud to call John my friend. You can find more information about it here:
My Space .

I’ve now posted the first part of “Cookie Run,” accessible through the Table Of Contents . Some of my readers who go back a few years may remember this from a previous Blog entry, and I later decided to include it in my sequel. In the very first part of this chapter I’ve described a photo mission for my airline, taken at Mt. McKinley. The photo appears among many others in The World At My Feet as well as in my Photo Gallery. The link appears in my “A Much Younger Cap’n Meryl” Album: Photos

"The World At My Feet" and "Flights of Whimsy" is now a
permanent offer in our Gift Ideas area at
fromthecockpit.com. Just $25 for both books,
shipped anywhere in the world for free for a
savings of $12.85.

Click here: Gift Ideas

Volcano Country

2007-04-12T20:57:00.000-06:00

This week, for some reason, as I was going through Part Two of the latest chapter to my book sequel, I stopped and really thought about my years in Alaska. I moved there in 1981 to take a flying job, my first experience with passenger jets, and didn’t move out of Alaska until five years after that flying job had terminated due to the airline going out of business. That was Wien Air Alaska, which operated B-727’s, B-737’s and a couple of DC-8’s during my time there as a pilot. It started with Noel Wien, a bush pilot, in 1927 and grew into Alaska’s premier airline. At the time of its demise, it was the oldest airline in the world, as far as I know. What a blow that was to the people of Alaska and to me as well in a very personal way. Many members of the Wien family flew for the airline, and I’m still in contact with a few of them from time to time, including Merrill Wien (one of Noel’s sons) and his son Kurt, who now flies for American. Flying with Captain Merrill Wien was one of the highlights of my career at Wien Air Alaska. He was (and is) a gentleman, as smooth a pilot as I’ve ever known, and a part of aviation history. His son, Kurt, and his wife had a baby girl awhile back and they named her “Meryl.” The name is of course for Kurt’s father, Merrill, but I was told the spelling was with my own name in mind.

Although I was initially based in Denver with United, and later in San Francisco, I could just not bear to part with this wild, wonderful and beautiful state when I was first hired by United. So I commuted, as so many pilots and flight attendants do, for more than five years after I was hired.

A few years after I started to fly for United, I was in Anchorage on some days off. I was in the living room of a friend’s home and standing at a large picture window. Suddenly, I saw a large cloud of gray/black smoke materialize in the distance. It looked like a nuclear bomb had been dropped. I turned on the news and discovered it was Mount Redoubt, about 150 miles from Anchorage. Unbeknownst to me until then, Mount Redoubt was a volcano and it was erupting.

I had flown right by this volcano for months during times of furlough (there were many) at Wien. I had been hired as the Chief Pilot for the Nondalton Indian Tribe and their new air taxi service (about which I wrote a little in my first book, The World At My Feet). In fact, I passed Mount Redoubt almost daily on my flights back and forth to Anchorage. Often there was a cloud near the top, but there are often little clouds around mountains and I thought nothing of it. That was no cloud but rather steam from an angry, boiling interior I never suspected looking at its serene, snow-capped exterior.

As I watched the cloud of volcanic ash grow and grow and start to spread, I didn’t think about anything but the fact that I had never seen a volcano erupt before, and had never thought I would (other than one on the Big Island of Hawaii). However, as the cloud quickly blew toward Anchorage, I knew I had a problem. Flights into and out of Anchorage were quickly being cancelled and it was already too late to get out. I was stuck behind this wall of volcanic ash for the next week or so. I called United and surprisingly, their attitude was that it wasn’t my fault a volcano had erupted. They were very laid back about it and told me to just let them know whenever I made it back.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines also knew it had a problem. One of their B-747’s, inbound to Anchorage, had experienced engine failure in all four of its engines in the volcanic ash cloud. Fortunately, just above 13,000 feet, the crew successfully restarted all the engines, but not before $80 Million of damage had been done to the plane. I was one of several pilots invited to Anchorage International Airport afterward to view the damage and learn from it. The whole airplane looked like it had been sandblasted, which basically it was. What a terrifying freefall for all on board in mountainous territory. You can read more about it here: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs030-97 . Volcanic ash avoidance by aircraft has been vastly improved since this and other incidents.

Living in Alaska was always interesting, to say the least. I’ll write a little more about it in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you’ll find Part Two of Keep Your Pants On, Please! here along with all previous installments Table Of Contents.

LIVING IN ALASKA

2007-03-27T13:37:00.000-06:00

First, a reminder that you may send your aviation questions to me at support@fromthecockpit.com with "Aviation Question" in the subject. Be sure to check out this week's Ask Cap'n Meryl question & answer about: You Dirty "Rat"

This week’s chapter, entitled “Keep Your Pants On, Please!” may be recognized by some who have been reading my blog for a couple of years. It was first published in March, 2005, in response to several inquiries regarding funny incidents that happened during my flying career.

Published in two parts as always, keep in mind the funniest sections are in the next installment. All chapters of my sequel may be found here as they are published:Table Of Contents .

Stories like this really take me back. When I first moved to Alaska, people who had been there for awhile told me people either love it or hate it almost immediately. I had no doubt whatsoever that I would love it, and I did.

I remember first learning about Alaska after the huge 9.2 earthquake there on Good Friday of 1964. I was in elementary school at the time and thought (other than that whole earthquake thing) it sounded like the most wonderful place, and that I would like to live there sometime. I was just sure I’d wind up there at some point.

My wish came true and I did live in Alaska for a period of ten years, moving there in 1981 to fly for Wien Air Alaska, and commuting from San Francisco for another five years after I was hired by United.

During my time there, I flew the B-727 and B-737 for Wien Air Alaska, but was often laid off for stretches of months at a time. During one of those breaks I was hired as Chief Pilot for the Nondalton Indian Tribe, whose Chief, “Jim,” thought it was just “way cool” to have a female pilot in charge. I thought it was pretty cool, too, and wrote a little about it in my first book (Chapter 25 – “Wing Walker”).

Colorado, where I now live, is a lovely state, but Alaska holds a special place in my memory and in my heart both from a career and personal standpoint. It’s where I got “up close and personal” with a moose or two, stood under Northern Lights so brilliant winter nights sometimes turned into day, stood on the north shore of the state in oil camps with nothing but the endless white arctic plain in sight, flew by steaming volcanoes, petted a friendly Beluga whale from a jetty right in Anchorage Harbor, stopped my car on the way home from the airport once to let a hot air balloon bounce right in front of me on the street and become airborne again, and had countless other wondrous experiences.

It’s why I’ve included so much about it in Part Two of “The World At My Feet.”

"The World At My Feet" and "Flights of Whimsy" is now a
permanent offer in our Gift Ideas area at
fromthecockpit.com. Just $25 for both books,
shipped anywhere in the world for free for a
savings of $12.85.
Click here: Gift Ideas

And with that,
Until Next Time,
Maintain Airspeed,

Cap'n Meryl

EARLY COLORADO SPRING

2007-03-13T11:13:00.000-06:00

First, a reminder that you may send your aviation questions to me at support@fromthecockpit.com with "Aviation Question" in the subject. Be sure to check out this week's Ask Cap'n Meryl question & answer about: What's In A Name?

This has been a pretty slow couple of weeks. What I’ve discovered is, the more I’m earth-bound, the more I’m feeling comfortable with it. I miss flying for a living but am enjoying life here on the rolling prairie outside Denver. Our deep snow has retreated leaving damp earth and gushing rivers in its stead under blue skies and temperatures of over 70 degrees.

Had I still been commuting to Chicago to fly trips this winter, I don’t know how I would have managed it and frequently wonder how other pilots were able to get to work. We were snowed in so many times I lost count. I could not have even backed the car out of the driveway, let alone drive the 50 miles to the airport.

Cap’n Al and I had the opportunity to meet with one of United’s dispatchers (flight planners) when she passed through Denver last week. I had previously spoken with her on the phone from Tokyo (Narita) when she was working Pacific flights and I was flying them. I met only a few dispatchers face-to-face while a pilot and it was a nice opportunity to put a face to the name.
Sporadic meetings such as this, along with emails to and from other pilots, are pretty much my only remaining contact with airline life. Even after more than a year since my last trip, it’s hard to believe it’s been more than just a few months since I last flew across any oceans or countries.

As I said, though, I’m not uncomfortable being home for now with Al and all our various critters. When I first had a cat, I seriously considered taking him with me on my flights. That was when I lived in Alaska, in the early 1980’s. Obviously, taking a cat along was out the question, but I missed him terribly and never did understand how parents could manage being away from their children so much.

These days, the thought of leaving Al, the Puffer (our dog, Coco-Puff), the Ferret Brothers (Petey and Charlie), Miss Bunny Bunée and Houdini (our Chattering Lorrie) is just too painful to even consider. New readers can meet all of them and see some of our views along with some gorgeous sunsets from our rural Colorado home here in our At Home Album.

The latest installment of “The World At My Feet” sequel, Chapter Three, Part II,” may be found here: Table Of Contents

CAPTAIN O' THE FOREX

2007-02-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

In my last Blog entry, entitled A New Direction, I wrote that my life has taken a new path which is very different from my life's work as a pilot. The time has come to discuss it with my readers. Many of you have written wondering if and when I might resume flying for another company.

I wrote once before that I was starting to trade foreign currencies in the Forex (FOReign EXchange) with some success. A spinning medallion was added to the upper right-hand corner of the Home Page at www.fromthecockpit.com. That link will take you to a site, www.forexeztrading.com, which has to do with trading the Forex using a simple, mechanical method requiring no analysis, chart interpretation, etc. There is a small learning curve to learn to use some software, but very little knowledge of the Forex is required.

There is also a mini-course which explains the philosophy behind the method. The course is also available in a free Ebook which I can send upon request. Write to admin@forexeztrading.com and put Free Ebook in the subject line.

Since that icon was posted, I have been trading about a dozen different accounts, some for myself and my business entities along with other accounts for some relatives and friends. Every single account has shown a profit, some of them mind-boggling. Of my four main accounts, two have more than tripled and two have more than quadrupled since mid-November.

In the first two months I used this software, my accounts rose about 60% or so.

However, about two months ago, I discovered an additional couple of twists and suddenly my profits were through the roof, resulting in profits even I did not imagine.

Through my broker and word of mouth, my track record started getting noticed, and I began to receive requests to trade others' portfolios for them. Some of those requests were for portfolios worth potentially tens of millions of dollars from commercial money managers.

To that end, the Captains Fund was born. Please do not consider this a solicitation in any way. It is not and I do not have any need or desire to seek additional funds to trade. However, if you do have an interest, you'll find the pertinent information at http://www.captainsfund.com . Regardless of my successful track record, trading foreign currencies is considered speculatively and risky, in spite of the fact I've learned how to minimize the risk.

The name of this new endeavor came about, not only because I'm a retired airline captain, but because my three partners happen to be retired or current airline pilots as well. My three partners are my husband, Al The Web Guy (retired 747-400 captain), a former Eastern and Cathay Pacific 747-400 captain, and a current 747-400 Co-Commander for Cathay Pacific, currently based in Hong Kong.

Whereas the simplified do-it-yourself method is highly effective and takes literally only a few minutes a week to manage once set up, I've added my personal touches and in doing so created a full-time occupation. With so much at stake, I can't justify running off for a week or two each month to go flying in such early stages of this new venture. I may reconsider my potential offer to ferry airliners in the future, however, especially since a software company is attempting to automate my trading system for me. Should they be successful, I will still have the option to resume flying. Right now, it doesn't seem terribly likely, but I haven't ruled it out, either.

Had the overseas airlines I applied to not rejected the notion of a foreign female airline captain, or had the airliner ferry job offer come sooner, then I might once again be flying around the planet. For now, however, I find great satisfaction in helping others grow their portfolios and intend to start a charitable application in the very near future. Since I am able to generate more in a month or less than I did as an airline captain in an entire year, financially my needs have been met. This was of great concern after both Al and I lost nearly all of our pensions after United declared bankruptcy and they were handed over to the government.

I've discovered a new passion and am thoroughly enjoying myself, even more so knowing I can make a difference in people's lives.

With this fortunate turn of events and my life on a new course, my sequel may now have an ending, as yet unwritten, but for now you can find Part One of Chapter Three here: Table Of Contents

A NEW DIRECTION

2007-02-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

I've alluded once or twice to a possible flying position starting around March of this year. At this time, however, my life has taken a new and exciting direction which I will tell you more about in the next Update. It's exciting in an utterly different way from flying, yet I've discovered a new passion and talent for something I've long suspected but never had the time or tools to develop.

Things have happened very quickly even I'm surprised and I think you will be too when I tell you about it. You may even want to participate in my new venture and I'll give you all the facts so you can make an intelligent decision. Although it means passing up the opportunity to take up a flying career again right now, it does not rule it out in the future. Time will tell.

So for now, hopefully you are intrigued and rest assured I'll fill you in completely in about two weeks. In the meantime, you can check out Part Two of Chapter Two of my book sequel, and catch up on any parts you may have missed here: Table Of Contents

SNOWMOBILE QUEEN OF THE ROCKIES

2007-02-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

First, a reminder that you may send your aviation questions to me at support@fromthecockpit.com with "Aviation Question" in the subject. Be sure to check out this week's Ask Cap'n Meryl question & answer about about "Crabby Pilots”

Now, I may have exaggerated just a tad with the title, but that's just me. When a friend of mine invited me snowmobiling near his Breckenridge home I couldn't resist. I'd been snowmobiling just once before, for about ten minutes, sitting behind someone who believed in keeping his speed moderate--maybe about 20-30 mph. That was in Alaska about 25 years ago or so.

My friend assured me this would be a docile, scenic ride. There would be two others with us, a couple from Florida. That sounded like fun and with all the snow we've had I knew it would be beautiful, so I accepted the invitation.

Al The Web Guy made the trip to the mountains with us but has snowmobiled many times before and didn't want to leave our dog Coco-Puff, so they just wandered around the mountains a little while we zoomed off into the wilderness. And when I say "zoomed," I mean ZOOMED.

It was a weekday and we saw very few other snowmobilers. My host had a trailer full of snowmobiles, helmets, gloves, clothes and everything else you can imagine.

What I didn't know was he apparently has the need for speed and an apparent death-wish. I was in the #2 position behind him with the wife and husband in that order after me. He took off like a shot and right away I had trouble keeping up. Within the first 20 minutes I was barreling along so fast it was hard for me to take my eyes off the trail and look at my speedometer, but I managed to do so. 65mph! What was my host thinking and what was I thinking trying to keep up? I later discovered he rides at speeds up to 120 mph, so from his perspective I guess we were just poking along.

I was afraid I'd lose him, though, as the trails branched off and he was not always in sight, and tried valiantly to keep up. At one point the trail became extremely steep and I went out of control and right over the side of the mountain. The snow was very deep off the trail and I stopped fairly quickly, but it took about half an hour to dig me out. I had tried to brake but my gloves were just big enough to keep my grip from being firm enough. I later pulled them up high on my wrist for better control, which helped a little.

One by one, we each had our moments, catching someone else's ski and usually throwing both riders off but each time, our host helped us up, then took off again leaving us far behind.

Surprisingly, out in the middle of what seemed like nowhere, we came upon a lodge where our host sprang for hot chocolate and hot dogs. I declined the hot dog as Al and I had stopped on the way up for a big breakfast. I couldn't resist looking at the prices, though. Six dollars for a hot dog! Frankly (Get it? Frank-ly?) that's just too much for a hot dog. Or maybe the hot dog was really just $1 and the fries 50 cents apiece. Hard to say.

So we refreshed ourselves, pleaded again with our host to slow down, which he didn't, and the three of us proceeded to be flung all over the mountain some more. I had to be pulled out over and over again. My last incident was the worst when I went over a steep cliff and wound up buried, along with my trusty steed in deep snow.

Our host and the other gentleman with us were successful in digging me out along with the snowmobile, but the incident held us up and our two hour ride turned into a six hour ride. Al was on the verge of calling Search & Rescue, which wasn't a bad idea by that time.

However, we emerged safe and sound if a little banged up. Our host invited me snowmobiling again this week for another scenic tour but I politely declined. I'm still healing from the last round and not yet quite ready to be splattered all over the Rocky Mountains again.

To see some photos taken during the ride, the following link will take you to the Last Uploads in our Colorado Wildlife album: Snowmobiling

Part One of Chapter Two of my sequel to The World At My Feet is now available for viewing. You'll find it here in the Table of Contents . Table Of Contents

STILL SNOWBOUND!

2007-01-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

Just a note first, that I've posted a wonderful photo of Margaret Wade, wife of one of my readers Walter Wade, in my Cap'n Meryl & Friends Album. I have a special fondness for figure skating myself and you can tell by her smile and her very stance what she thinks of it: Margaret Wade

I've lived in Colorado for 18 years now (how could it possibly have been this long?) and there has never been this much snow. Al The Web Guy was born in Golden, Colorado, has lived here all his life and even he can't remember a snowier winter. We keep getting snowed in over and over and over, and when the snow stops, the wind picks up and renders us snowbound once again due to the newly-formed drifts, many of which are taller than I am.

With the white sky and the white snowscape, and with even the small amount of vegetation poking through now encased in ice, it looks quite like a different planet at the moment with no visible horizon at all.

Temperatures here are now sub-zero and forecast to stay that way for the next several days. I lived in Alaska for ten years and I don't remember weather any more wintry than we're having right here, and in fact it's colder right now here in Colorado than it is in Fairbanks, Alaska, known for it's sub-zero temperatures.

Except for the fact that this extreme cold and snow creates a true hardship for people without the means to house themselves and keep warm, and the fact that livestock and other animals are stranded without enough food, it actually has little effect on us. We have a warm house and everything we need right here, and there is scarcely a minute of the day I don't look around and truly appreciate how fortunate we are.

Last week I published the first half of Chapter One of the sequel to "The World At My Feet." You'll find a live link now to the second half of that chapter here: Table of Contents .

Please note Al The Web Guy has created a free photo gallery site where you'll be able to post your own photos in your own private gallery. Your family and friends will be able to view all your photos. You can register and upload your photos at Your Photo gallery

"The World At My Feet" and "Flights of Whimsy" is now a
permanent offer in our Gift Ideas area at
fromthecockpit.com. Just $25 for both books,
shipped anywhere in the world for free for a
savings of $12.85.
Click here: Gift Ideas

And with that,
Until Next Time,
Maintain Airspeed,

Cap'n Meryl

SNOWY, SNOWY CHRISTMAS

2007-01-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

First, a reminder that you may send your aviation questions to me at support@fromthecockpit.com with "Aviation Question" in the subject. Be sure to check out this week's Ask Cap'n Meryl question & answer about about winglets & sails

Unless you're completely out of touch with humanity, you probably heard that Colorado got absolutely clobbered by a blizzard just before Christmas, wreaking havoc at our "all weather" airport and across the state in general. Al The Web Guy and I were snowed in for five days, then got hit with Round 2 and were snowed in a second time for another three days.

Al and I reside about an hour and a half south of Denver International Airport and of course had plenty of warning for the blizzards on the way. However, Al developed a bad toothache the day before the expected arrival of Blizzard #1 and our dentist was so swamped he had to put Al off until the day of the storm.

The dentist showed up even though the blizzard had begun full force just before dawn. Al was in such pain he kept his appointment as well and headed out into howling 50 mph winds and blizzard conditions. He had not a minute to spare getting home and was unable to stop and get a prescription for pain killers and antibiotics for fear he wouldn't make it home at all. It turned out to be a good decision in spite of the pain.

Our driveway is a quarter mile long. Al got stuck or nearly stuck in snowdrifts several times on the way home on rural country roads and in fact didn't quite make it all the way, but had to abandon the car near the house and tromp through the drifts and the storm with high winds the rest of the way. Serious business, but he made it safe and sound and although he was really uncomfortable for a couple of days, gradually the pain subsided on its own and there didn't seem to be an infection.

This was on December 20th and we weren't able to make it out at all until Christmas Day. However, even then the snow kept drifting back over our driveway and we were once again snowbound. The day after Christmas was the first day we could get out with any certainty of getting back.

As harrowing as it was, after the storm subsided we had sapphire-blue skies and a true winter wonderland to gaze at in awe before the second storm arrived. I've added quite a few photos to our At Home album of our photo gallery including one of our car almost buried in snow where Al left it. The following link will take you to the latest uploads. They take up an entire page plus two photos on the next page of the album. Be sure to click the Back arrow when you've finished viewing: Latest Uploads

My good friend Kelli King, a regional jet pilot (and former music teacher) sent me a beautiful photo of a snowy night at O'Hare, taken from the cockpit of her jet. Click here to see it in my Guest Aviation Photos album and don't forget to click the Back arrow after you've looked.

She also sent me a long and detailed letter of a truly harrowing winter trip rife with delays, lost baggage and a multitude of other difficulties, but I want to share with you what she wrote when I asked her if she was still enjoying her job as a pilot, even though she had just written about the most horrific conditions on a trip lasting several days.

Kelli wrote: "In spite of it all, I LOVE my job! I figured out a long time ago that whatever you do in life, you should love it enough to put up with all that comes with it. I didn't have that love for teaching school music, but I do have that love for flying. No matter what happens on the ground, or what sort of politics are going on within the company, I absolutely have no regrets when I put those thrust levers forward. I'm willing to deal with quite a bit in order to have the privilege of sitting in one of the "good seats." I can't really see myself wanting to change fields, even within aviation. Airline life is strangely addictive and exciting, as you well know. Even though much of the "glamour" is gone, there is still a "mystique" to being an airline pilot. I used to think I wouldn't care what sort of pilot I was, as long as I was flying, but it turns out I do care, and as long as I can, I want to stay with the airlines! I am also blessed to have a husband who supports me in doing this crazy job.

Is that a wonderful response or what? And she's right when she says airline life is addictive. I'm still in withdrawal although adjusting well enough. In March I will have to decide whether to take up flying again with a potential job offer, but there are several factors to consider and my mind is not yet made up. More about that in the next few months.

And now, here is the next installment of the Sequel to The World At My Feet. The full title of the sequel, at least for now, will be "The World At My Feet, Part 2 - The Other End of The Rainbow." This link will take you to the Table of Contents, where you can click through to the entire Prologue, if you missed all or part of it, as well as the first part of Chapter One - The Rocking Chair: Table of Contents

From Al The Web Guy & me, Cap'n Meryl, along with our critters (you can meet them all at the link above for our At Home album), Miss Bunny Bunnée, The Ferret Brothers Petey & Charlie Chopper, Coco-Puff the Pomeranian and Houdini, our Chattering Lorrie, we wish you a very Happy & Prosperous 2007.

Please note Al The Web Guy has created a free photo gallery site where you'll be able to post your own photos in your own private gallery. Your family and friends will be able to view all your photos. You can register and upload your photos at Your Photo gallery

"The World At My Feet" and "Flights of Whimsy" is now a
permanent offer in our Gift Ideas area at
fromthecockpit.com. Just $25 for both books,
shipped anywhere in the world for free for a
savings of $12.85.
Click here:
Gift Ideas

And with that,
Until Next Time,
Maintain Airspeed,

Cap'n Meryl

SEQUEL RESPONSE

2006-12-19T01:21:00.000-07:00

First, a reminder that you may send your aviation questions to me at support@fromthecockpit.com with "Aviation Question" in the subject. Be sure to check out this week's Ask Cap'n Meryl question & answer about the difference between what the pilot feels when flying with a stick vs. a yoke

Last week I offered my congratulations to Courtney Riecan, who recently attained her Private Pilot's license. Courtney became inspired last April to become a pilot and is now in flight school in Orlando, Florida, to accomplish her goal. I've posted a new photo of Courtney in my Sky Ladies Album, taken just after the successful completion of her check ride, with her check pilot and proud flight instructor:Photo Gallery

Also, last week I posted a question from one of my readers: He asked whether there is a "website where you can see all the planes flying in the US and zoom down to see your area, kind of a live radar map of the US." Thanks for all the responses on this. Most of you sent this link: http://www.flightaware.com along with a direct link to live tracking: http://www.flightaware.com/live

A few other readers sent the following link: http://www4.passur.com and you can add your own city. For instance, http://www4.passur.com/ewr.html

In the last issue, I put the decision to my you, my readers, whether or not there was any interest in seeing the sequel I started for "The World At My Feet." Part way through, I left United and the publisher no longer felt I would have the content they desired. The project was terminated a little more than halfway through. However, the chapters I did write may make entertaining reading, and so many of you responded favorably that I will go ahead and publish about half a chapter per Update (due to length). A few of the chapters have been published elsewhere, so you may on occasion recognize them, especially readers who have been with me for a year or more.

There will be a separate link so you can read anything you might have missed thus far, and I'll be adding to it each week. That way, if you're a new reader or just missed one part, you'll be able to view everything posted so far. Much of the content has to do with experiences I had prior to joining United, but none of it was included in "The World at My Feet."

Of course your comments are always welcome regarding whether you enjoy this new content or not. Comments should be sent to me at support@fromthecockpit.com and just put "Sequel" in the subject line. If you spot any plain old typos, I hope you'll pop me a note so I can get them corrected.

This link will take you to the Table of Contents, and you’ll see the entire Prologue may be linked to from there.

Al The Web Guy and I wish you the happiest of Holiday Seasons!

Prologue (continued from last week)

I’d first traveled this same route by train 35 years ago when I left my home in San Diego, but things were different now. Back then, trains had a certain sound to them—a certain rhythm. First there would be a loud CLANK CLANK as the momentum started, followed by a more subdued clunk clunk. Then another CLANK CLANK, followed by clunk clunk. The clanking would get faster and faster and faster and would finally disappear as the train got up to speed. Back then, you could feel the rails.

This train was very sleek and modern. If I hadn’t been looking out the window as we pulled out of the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (Main Train Station) I would have had no sensation that we were moving at all. The ride was so smooth that later, after I’d had my head down for awhile reading, when I looked out I literally could not tell whether we were moving or not in the pitch-black before the first light of dawn. With nothing for my eyes to focus on, I was convinced we were stopped. A few minutes later I saw some lights whiz by and realized we were traveling at full speed. It was remarkable, especially when compared to some of the ear-shattering local trains I’d experienced in the United States.

I was impressed by the smoothness and quietness of the ride, but I missed the noise and rhythm of the train on the rails. My mind raced ahead now. What would I find when I got to Innsbruck? Was my host family dead or alive? If they were still alive, had they moved and I wouldn’t be able to find them? How old would they be? I was now fifty-one. They would have to be in their eighties. This trip had come up so suddenly I’d had no time to try and look them up first. This was crazy! What was I even doing here?

This was just like me. My whole life seems to have been dictated by irresistible spur-of-the-moment whims and my succumbing to them. It kept things interesting—that’s for sure. The argument about whether I should or should not have made the effort to take this trip raged in my head all the way to Innsbruck.

When my flight had touched down in Frankfurt from Kuwait just fifteen hours or so earlier, it was the middle of the night. I had almost exactly fifty hours on this extra long layover to either take this side-trip or forget the whole thing. The normal layover time was around twenty-six hours, never long enough to consider a side-trip like this, but this was an exception.

I was so groggy when I finally lay down in my hotel bed at 2:00 AM this morning, I decided to not set an alarm and, on the off-chance I woke up in time just two hours later, I would get up no matter what and go catch that train. That’s the deal I made with myself.

The “night shift,” as I like to call it—otherwise known as my subconscious—apparently couldn’t resist the temptation, and woke me up at precisely 3:55 AM. The voice in my head was saying, “You may never get this chance again! Get up, already! Don’t you even think about going back to sleep. I’m not going to let you. I’m going to stay right here and scream at you inside your head until you get up. "GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!" I got up.

At least I’d had the foresight to research train schedules ahead of time and knew there was an early train departing around 5:00 AM. There would be two transfers involved to get me to Innsbruck. If I missed any of them, there would be no time to catch up and I’d have no choice but to return to Frankfurt, mission unaccomplished. A train even a few hours later would not connect to anything that would get me there before nightfall. It was go now, or forget the whole thing.

So here I was, having flown a military charter as a captain for United the day prior all the way from Frankfurt to Kuwait and back with over ten hours of flight time and several hours on the ground waiting for the troops to arrive for the flight back, barely able to keep my eyes open, heading full-speed into my rather colorful past.

I hoped I’d find my host family still alive and in the same house, but realized I could easily be making this fourteen-hour trip in vain. Still, as I gazed out the window, I thought how surprised they would be to see me and to read what adventures had befallen me. It would be worth it just to see their faces again.

As my train raced on, deeper and deeper into the mountains, my mind wandered to events which happened since 1985. That’s the year the narrative in my book stopped, the year I was hired by United Airlines, the year my dream of becoming a pilot for United was realized, the year I knew all my hard work and disappointments along the way were worth it.

It was also the worst year of my life.

Please note Al The Web Guy has created a free photo gallery site where you'll be able to post your own photos in your own private gallery. Your family and friends will be able to view all your photos. You can register and upload your photos at Your Photo gallery

"The World At My Feet" and "Flights of Whimsy" is now a
permanent offer in our Gift Ideas area at
fromthecockpit.com. Just $25 for both books,
shipped anywhere in the world for free for a
savings of $12.85.
Click here:
Gift Ideas

And with that,
Until Next Time,
Maintain Airspeed,

Cap'n Meryl

THE UNPUBLISHED SEQUEL

2006-12-03T22:07:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out this week's Ask Captain Meryl question & answer about figuring an airplane's weight: Figuring an Airplane's Weight

First a couple of notes: Our friend Courtney Riecan is due congratulations as she got her Private Pilot license last week. For those of you new to this newsletter, Courtney first wrote to me last spring, inspired to become a pilot herself after reading "The World At My Feet." She called me immediately right after she passed her check ride, and I couldn't be more proud of her if she were my own daughter. She decided what she wanted to do, took the necessary steps, overcame financial and other obstacles and is on her way to becoming a professional pilot. By the way, she wasted no time and was back in school the very next morning to start working on her instrument rating. Congratulations, Courtney!

By the way, there are several nice photos of Courtney on both pages of my "Sky Ladies" Album in my Photo Gallery: Sky Ladies

Secondly, I received a couple of notes from a flight attendant for Singapore Airlines who was inspired after hearing about my story, and even more so after she started reading my book. She wrote to tell me she, too, has decided to find a flight school and become a professional pilot. Her own obstacles include a traditional Chinese family who thinks she should go get married and have children, but she is insistent and it sounds like she has convinced them to support her. Hopefully I'll hear more from her in the future.

The third note is a question I got from a reader and I'm hoping you can help. He asked whether there is a "website where you can see all the planes flying in the US and zoom down to see your area, kind of a live radar map of the US." If anyone knows of such a site I'd really appreciate it if you would send the info to me at support@fromthecockpit.com. Please put "info for Cap'n Meryl" in the subject.

The fourth, and final, note is that I'm offering a Christmas Special on my "Flying Fearless--Ground School for Passengers" CD course. It normally sells for $67 from my site www.flyingfearless.com but it's on sale now for just $47 for a limited time and includes a free bonus. I mention this because of the number of questions I get from readers who are unaware of either the site or the course: Special Offer

Now, on to this week's title. There isn't a week that goes by that I don't get at least several inquiries regarding the status of the sequel to "The World At My Feet." At the time I signed the contract with the publisher, I was still flying for United Airlines. When I retired, it pretty much messed things up in terms of finishing the book because it was meant to include current flying stories. I wrote fourteen chapters but then the project was abandoned as I no longer had any desire to write it and the publisher no longer had any desire to publish it. I'm still working on a hard-cover fear of flying book, but that's still in the editing process. My Ebook, however, is available at www.flyingfearless.com.

Since I never finished the sequel, I've decided to put out a feeler as to whether my readers might be interested in viewing the unfinished product, probably about half a chapter at a time due to the length. Please give me your feedback on this and I'll make a decision based upon your response.

By the way, just so you know, there may actually be some flying in my future, but not for at least another five to six months. It would be worldwide and include both wide-body and narrow body aircraft, but more about that later as the opportunity develops (if it develops).

In the meantime, I'm giving you just the first few paragraphs of the Prologue now of my unfinished sequel to help you make your decision whether or not you'd like to read more. You can send your feedback to me at support@fromthecockpit.com and please put "Sequel" in the subject line.

Prologue to the Sequel of "The World At My Feet"

My train is racing through the Alps. The scenes that rush by my window are charming and incredibly beautiful, each village with its colorful steepled or onion-topped churches and neat, pleasing-to-the-eye gingerbread patterns in the houses. The snow is deep and the sky an impossible sapphire blue.

I can’t believe thirty-five years has passed since I last traveled this route from Frankfurt to Innsbruck, Austria, surely one of most picturesque and largely unsung cities in all of Europe. Even after all this time, it seems as though part of me is still in Innsbruck, having never left.

I hadn’t bothered to pack a suitcase in the dark hours before dawn this morning when I’d crept quietly out of my hotel after only two hours of sleep. I didn’t intend to be gone overnight, although one never knows, and I was just too exhausted to bother packing. All I carried was a shopping bag containing my ever-present camera and a copy of my autobiography, which had been published only several months prior. It was to be a gift to a family which had last known me thirty-five years ago, when I was barely sixteen.

Since then so much had happened, and I wondered what their reaction would be when I showed them the book I had written. They were in the book as an important part of my life, yet they had no knowledge of this, nor of the fact that I was now one of the few women in the world who had made it into the left seat of a major airline as an international airline captain. When I knew them, I hadn’t even thought about being a pilot yet. That inspiration was to come a few years later.

It had been awhile since I had read my own book, and I reread the parts of it about them in the first hours of my journey, which would last over seven hours. I was a little warm in spite of the bitter cold that morning. I hadn’t realized the streetcars in Frankfurt didn’t run this early and had staggered exhaustedly the mile or so from my hotel in the dark.

Want more? Write to me and let me know.

And with that,
Until Next Time,
Maintain Airspeed,

Cap'n Meryl

THANKSGIVING

2006-11-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out this week's Ask Cap'n Meryl
question & answer about Icing.

First a few notes: After my mention in the last
Update of The World At My Feet and telling about
one of the adventures in it, having to do with an
attempt to help buy planes that had belonged to
the former Shah of Iran, I had an impressive
number of orders. Many were multiple orders
intended for Christmas gifts, I'm sure.

I've had some orders from around the world
including Singapore, India, England, Finland and
South Africa, to name just a few countries, but I
want to remind all my international readers,
including our military men and women, that there
is no extra charge for international shipping.

I finally finished all the recording for the
audio version of the book and final editing is in
progress now by the studio in London which
approached me about doing the project. They're
adding all sorts of interesting sound effects,
like beach noises for the Prologue which takes
place at the Caspian Sea in Iran, my dad's
rattling of the newspaper when I'm talking to him
while he's trying to read, etc. I'll make an
announcement via this newsletter when the final
product is out, the price is set and it's
available for purchase.

I received the video for one of several segments
I participated in for The Gregory Mantell Show
which was taped in Palm Springs a month ago or
so. This particular segment has to do with
memory loss and I was used as a volunteer to help
demonstrate a particular memory technique. I
could tell you about the method, but I forgot
what it was (aren't we witty today?). You'll
find the segment, which runs about 20 minutes,
posted here and my part starts about halfway
through:
Media Links

Al The Web Guy also posted an earlier TV
interview I did with Greg, which was taped in Los
Angeles, entitled, "How Safe is Flying?" You'll
find this interview link just below the one about
memory.

Now, on to this week's Update. There are two
holidays I take more seriously than all other
holidays. One is Thanksgiving, when I reflect on
all that I have to be thankful for. It takes
awhile as I have an abundance of good things in
my life.

The other holiday, since you're wondering,
happens to be New Year's, when I think about the
year ahead and list all the goals I want to
achieve. This is the night I feel I can start
out with a clean slate for the coming year, and
wipe the previous year's slate clean of
anything and everything not so wonderful. I see
it as a chance to start over with new goals, or
another shot at achieving previous goals.

But let's talk about Thanksgiving. Early in my
flying career when I was as junior as could be on
the seniority list, an interesting phenomenon
occurred repeatedly. I was on reserve, meaning I
was on call. Even some schedules of reserve
flying had some combinations of days that
resulted in having major holidays off. I was,
however, so junior I usually couldn't get that
type of schedule but was invariably scheduled to
work right through Thanksgiving, Christmas and
New Year's. And if I wasn't actually assigned
flights, I was scheduled to be on call, meaning I
had to be in the city where I was based.

However, year after year, either I had a
scheduled flight that would cancel for some
reason, or I managed to get some days off through
the holidays, or I was actually on call but with
so many extra pilots on call ahead of me that I
actually made it home to my parents' house on
many occasions for Thanksgiving, Christmas
and/or New Year's.

My very first Christmas with United, for example,
I had been assigned an eight day trip that would
have put us in Tokyo for Christmas. Less than a
day before that trip was to leave, I got a call
saying the entire sequence had cancelled, so I
went home to San Diego at the last minute and
spent the holidays there.

When I couldn't make it home on the right days,
my Mom just moved the holiday in question for me.
They'd have their Thanksgiving with our extended
family, but if I missed it she would pretty much
do it all over again for me, just as she did for
birthdays and other occasions. It was more
important to my family that I manage to be there
at all than it was that I made it on the right
day.

That was pre-Al The Web Guy, of course. Now I
have my personal chef (he's incredible in the
kitchen) all the time and although of course I
still enjoy visiting my family, he's taken over
Thanksgiving dinner which we enjoy at home with
some friends. It's actually quite nice to not
have to travel during the hectic holiday season,
although as a pilot I never minded it. In fact,
I would let our reserve crew schedulers know that
I was quite willing to fly to let some other
pilots with spouses and kids spend the holidays
at home. I know there were other single pilots
who volunteered as well.

My most memorable Thanksgiving was right here in
the United States. I had been sent TDY (Temporary
Duty) to cover a shortage of B-727 captains in
Washington, D.C. for a month (it turned into two
months). Pilots could stay anywhere they wanted
if they could negotiate a hotel price of $50 per
day. That may not sound like much to work with,
but hotels almost universally gave steep
discounts to airline crews.

As it happens, my Dad knew someone at the
Ritz-Carlton near Washington's National Airport
(now Reagan National) and I got my deal after
inviting the manager to lunch and explaining the
situation. As it turns out, the holiday season
is quite slow for hotels and I was given a huge
suite that was much larger than the apartment I
was living in at the time. I was told I might be
asked to switch to a regular room if a paying
client came along, but none did.

A subway station is located directly below the
hotel, which is attached to a huge mall with a
movie theater complex. As an occupant of a
suite, even though the price was ridiculously
discounted and the airline was paying for it, I
had special privileges such as use of a private
facility in the hotel with indoor pool and steam
bath, and having my own chauffeur. Yes, my own
chauffeur.

Most of the time, however, I took the subway
wherever I needed to go and got to know the city
really well. I went through all of the
Smithonisan museums, the National Zoo, the
monuments, and just about everything there was to
see and do, I saw and did. It was fall with
crisp, gorgeous weather and foliage brilliant
with autumn colors, the city was very uncrowded
with kids back in school.

The one and only time my pager ever went off
during the entire two months I was there, I was
just finishing up a White House tour. This was
before cell-phones were popular and I had to ask
a White House attendant to use a phone, which
they were happy to allow. It was an emergency
situation for United with a plane full of
passengers already boarded and a sick captain who
bailed after checking in for his flight.

I caught a cab back the hotel, quickly donned my
uniform and called my chauffer for a ride to the
airport. I stepped out of the limo at National
Airport, taking the hand my chauffeur proffered.
He was decked out in a formal uniform complete
with top-hat. A businessman was standing there,
apparently waiting for a ride, and commented, "No
wonder airfares are so high!" he joked. I didn't
really have time to explain, but just told him it
wasn't what it looked like. It did seem kind of
funny, though.

I was back at the hotel in time for Thanksgiving
although my schedule required me to stay in
Washington rather than go home. In my suite a
note had been slipped under the door. It said,
"Captain Getline, you are cordially invited to
join the hotel executive staff for our
Thanksgiving Buffet with our compliments."

Such a deal! This was a very elaborate buffet
put on by the hotel for its guests for about $40
per person or something like that, and there I
was, staying in a gorgeous suite at my airline's
expense and now a guest for Thanksgiving dinner.
It was a spectacular spread, to say the least.

When I finally checked out of the Ritz for my
next assignment (TDY in New York for the next
month), I checked with the hotel staff to see
about a gift that the manager would surely like.
She was a chocoholic, as it turns out. As it
also turns out, Godiva Chocolates had a store in
the mall right there at the hotel and I got her a
two-pound box of her favorites.

Small thanks for a wonderful stay and memorable
Thanksgiving in our nation's Capitol.

And with that,
Until Next Time,
Maintain Airspeed,

Cap'n Meryl

THE AMAZING RACE

2006-11-06T05:51:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out this week's Ask Cap'n Meryl
question & answer about missed approaches:
Missed Approaches

Before I get to this week's topic, I have just a
couple of things I want to mention:

First, I had a call from my friend Bettina Bathe
in Calgary. Bettina is the author of the highly
successful children's' series "Violet the Pilot."
Bettina had told me several months ago that her
books were being developed into a play, which was
pretty exciting news. Even more exciting, the
play is now a reality and will be performed in
Toronto this coming April and May. Since that's
a bit in the future yet, I'll give more details
as we get closer for those in the Toronto area
who might want to attend. You can visit Violet
the Pilot at www.violetthepilot.com .

Also, remember Sally Jessy Raphael? Her TV show
ended several years ago, but now she's on the
radio and I had the pleasure of being her guest
last Tuesday. Al The Web Guy has posted that
interview, lasting about 13 minutes or so, here
on my Media Links page:
Media Links .

Sally was a real pleasure to interview with, and
even mentioned me again the next day which, of
course, is highly flattering. The interview
primarily centered on "The World At My Feet."

Speaking of which, that brings me to this week's
title. I swore I would NOT get addicted to any
reality shows. However, I made the mistake of
watching one episode of "The Amazing Race" last
season and got hooked. I thought I might be able
to overcome the addiction, and even attended
several meetings of RSA (Reality Shows Anonymous)
but it was no use. Ever since I saw the
participants breaking wine bottles over each
other's heads every time a cuckoo in a cuckoo
clock went off, and watched them try to learn the
Schuhplattler dressed in lederhosen, I just have
to watch.

Now, I just finished recording the audio version
of "The World At My Feet" for a studio in London,
and as I read the chapter called "Iran" it
occurred to me that I had participated in my own
Amazing Race of sorts.

Frankly, my whole life could be looked at as an
Amazing Race but specifically, in the late
seventies, when I was flying for a small commuter
airline in southern California, one incident in
particular stands out. My airline decided to buy
some more Navajo Chieftains for their operation.
A Chieftain is a nine passenger light twin.

The Chief Pilot of this commuter airline had
flown B-727's relatively recently for Iran Air.
Through a contact in Iran he discovered a small
airline in Teheran had three Chieftains for sale
at a ridiculously cheap price. It was discovered
later that the planes were the property of the
deposed Shah of Iran and were being sold by those
who had confiscated his property, including more
than forty aircraft, as we later discovered.
Even the Shah's private B-707 with a gold bathtub
was put up for sale (the asking price was $8
Million).

There were only about sixteen pilots at this
commuter at the time, including fifteen guys and
me. We were all unmarried and all had the same
goal, which was to build flight time so we could
get hired by a major airline. We all had
tremendous drive and a sense of adventure, and
the thought of ferrying airplanes from Iran all
the way back to Los Angeles was just too much to
resist for any of us. We all wanted to be part
of it.

When we heard our Chief Pilot was going to go to
Iran to negotiate a purchase and then ferry the
three airplanes back one by one, there was
nothing less than a "feeding frenzy" of pilots
trying to convince him he should take some of us
along to help fly the planes back.

"Nothing doing," our Chief Pilot said. "I can't
take you all, so nobody goes." What he thought
he had going for himself was that, although he
still had a work visa to get into Iran, none of
us could get one as visas were unavailable to
Americans at that time. He thought he was safe.

He didn't count on all of us calling the Iranian
consulate in San Francisco begging for visas, but
we certainly did. Only one of us was actually
issued a visa and subsequently made it all the
way to Iran. Now, guess who that might have
been.

Right, and I had ridiculous obstacles to
overcome, just as in the TV show. For instance,
I had to figure out how to first talk my way into
being issued a visa when none were being issued.
Then I had to figure out how to get to Iran
virtually for free (it wound up costing me $10
round trip), how to come up with the bucks to
make the deal happen after the chief pilot quit
and no longer had any backing (the planes were so
cheap we decided to buy and sell the airplanes
ourselves), etc.

If you've not yet read my book, I hope this
tidbit will now inspire you to reconsider (see
offer at the end) and if you already have it
yourself, maybe you have a friend or child who
would enjoy reading the rest of the story. "That
time of year" is quickly approaching, and it
really is one heck of a story.

Sometimes I forget or don't appreciate what a
wild ride I had getting to an airline job, but
reading through the entire manuscript out loud
for the audio version served as a reminder. I
actually had to re-record several sections as I
couldn't get through them without laughing out
loud, like during the chapter about the blimp
pilot and the ridiculous joke he played on me.

But that's another story (and one you can hear
via a radio interview on my Book Synopsis page,
recorded in 1983):
Book Synopsis

Incidentally, my thanks to the folks at "Colorado
Country Life" magazine who wrote an unexpected
and really nice review for "The World at My
Feet." Their reviewer describes it as a
"hard-to-put-down" book.

Hopefully you will agree.

FROM GLOVES TO HANDCUFFS

2006-10-23T11:59:00.000-06:00

This week's Ask Cap'n Meryl question: Into The
Wind
Before I tell you what the title of this Update
means, I have a few notes as usual:

First of all, I want to congratulate my friend
Courtney Riecan, about whom I've written several
times in this Update. Courtney left her home in
Seattle to pursue her dream of becoming a
professional pilot and is now training at the
Delta Connection Academy near Orlando. She has
successfully completed her first solo, which is
one of the most exciting times in a new pilot's
training. I've posted two new photos to
commemorate her accomplishment in the "Sky
Ladies" album. Click here to see these two new
photos:
Sky Ladies

In one photo, you see her fight instructor
cutting her shirt tail, and in the next one, you
can see that the shirt tail commemorates her
first solo flight. If you're unfamiliar with
this custom, it is thought that it stems from
early days in aviation, when pilots wore a scarf
with which to clean their goggles. Student
pilots, however, were obligated to use their own
shirt tails to clean their goggles. When a
student became a pilot, the shirttail was cut and
handed to him to symbolize that he, too, was now
entitled to wear the scarf of a pilot.

Another piece of aviation lore says that in early
tandem trainers, it was so noisy that the
instructors would get their student's attention
by yanking on his shirt tail. After the student
would solo, the shirt tail would be cut as the
instructor no longer needed to jerk on the shirt
tail.

This information was gleaned from one of my
favorite sites: http://www.whittsflying.com, a
wonderful, informative site by Gene Whitt.

I know the thousands of readers of this Update
wish nothing but continued success for Courtney.

On another note, I had several comments regarding
the new spinning logo on the Home Page of
www.fromthecockpit.com. I received several
compliments regarding my narration of the video
you can view by clicking the link. Although as a
matter of fact I do engage in some voiceover
work, I didn't produce this video and it isn't my
voice. I appreciate the thought, though!

Also, you'll note our right-hand margin on our
Home Page has taken on a new look. Al The Web
Guy is working on some new things for new content
in this area and you'll see some other new
additions there under the heading: Great add on
for Flight Simulator Cap'n Al Recommends.

All the links under that heading are to a company
in England called Ariane Design Studios. I first
became aware of them last summer when I attended
the International FlightSim Convention here in
Denver. Their add-on gives an incredible,
realistic experience to the Microsoft Flight Sim
and I highly recommend all of their products,
which are very reasonably priced. Click on any
of those links and have a look if you're into
simming at all or think you might want to be. In
the near future, I hope to do an in-depth review
of their product but for now, suffice it to say
I've used it and I love it.

Speaking of flight sims, the new FSX from
Microsoft finally launched a few days ago. Many
readers have asked me about my affiliation with
Microsoft, so here's what's up with that: A
reader recommended to them that they contact me
and have me act as an interface of sorts so that
flight sim pilots could be in contact with an
actual pilot to get their questions answered.

That arrangement was discussed, the first time
when I was in Seattle last summer and then a
couple months later when they flew both Cap'n Al
(Al The Web Guy) and me up to their offices.

I just spoke with them several days ago once
again, and although they still seem highly
enthused about our relationship, the launch of
the FSX has kept them so busy they still haven't
had time to fully address their new site content.
So that deal isn't off at this time--it just
hasn't quite materialized. So we'll see what
happens. I have plenty else keeping me occupied
at the moment so we'll just roll with the
punches.

Now to this week's title. Last week I mentioned
a TV documentary on CNBC regarding American
Airlines. A female pilot for American Eagle sent
the info to me, which I wrote down in three
places but still forgot. Fortunately, my friend
and reader Anthony reminded me about 10 minutes
before it started via email. Since I check my
emails approximately every 3.47 seconds I
fortunately got it in plenty of time. You can
meet Anthony, along with his sister Tiffany, here
in my Cap'n Meryl & Friends Album. Look toward
the bottom of the page for a photo I took of them
when we all met up once at Chicago O'Hare:
Photo Album

It pulled at my heartstrings to watch an in-depth
look at an airline operation. I'm enjoying being
home with our puppy-dog and other critters (you
can meet them all in our At Home Album if you
haven't yet.) but I do miss some aspects of
airline life:
At Home Album

One of the most interesting parts of the
documentary was looking at a heavy maintenance
overhaul where airplanes are torn apart, all the
way to the naked metal--no insulation, so seats,
no carpet--just the bare-bones airplane.

Everything is inspected, every bolt and aspect of
the plane worked over on the outside, and on in
the inside, runners for the seats are replaced
where needed, bolts replaced, gum removed (one of
the mechanics insisted that gum was sometimes
found deep within the mechanisms for the seats
and that people had to have had tools on board to
take them apart to get the gum in!), carpets
cleaned, cockpit discrepancies fixed, etc., etc.,
etc.

On occasion, United would invite pilots to view
our maintenance operation at San Francisco
International and I went over to the hangar to
watch some of the process a few times. It's
really fascinating and when they're done, it's
like having a new airplane again. There may be
new engines, or overhauled engines, new tires,
new carpet if necessary--whatever needs to be
brought up to snuff is addressed. Even without
an invitation, pilots and other employees could
always get permission to come watch at least part
of the show.

The name of this Update stems from a remark made
by an American Airlines flight attendant during
this documentary. She said, "You know, when I
was first hired we were issued little white
gloves. Now we're issued handcuffs."

The documentary went on to show some of the new
responsibilities (and stresses) of being a flight
attendant in this day and age. It used to be
considered an underpaid job but a glamorous one.
Now many flight attendants view themselves as
underpaid for a job that is no longer glamorous
(to say the least).

I think this flight attendant, the head of the
flight attendants' union at American, summed it
all up very nicely with her one statement about
white gloves then, handcuffs now. I remember the
relatively stress-free environment prior to 9/11,
and the devastating sense of something lost
forever afterward.

Who could have even imagined it would come to
this?

By the way, there is a photo of American's giant
Operations area in my Photo Gallery in the
Worldwide Aviation Support Album. They asked for
me not to identify American in the caption within
the Photo Gallery:
American's Dispatch

http://www.forexeztrading.com

IF IT'S MEATBALLS, IT MUST BE TUESDAY

2006-10-11T11:00:00.000-06:00

This week's Ask Cap'n Meryl question: STARS &
SIDS - Arrivals & Departures STARS & SIDS

Many of you realize that United Airlines handed
over its pension obligations to the government,
resulting in drastically reduced pensions for its
retired pilots. I've been asked what I'm doing
for income in retirement, and you'll find the
interesting (and exciting, at least to Al The Web
Guy and me) answer by clicking on the following
link. After Retirement

On October 2nd I appeared on a radio show which
airs in the northeastern section of the country.
Al The Web Guy was nice enough to record it, and
although the quality is not crystal clear it's
certainly adequate if you'd care to hear the 14
minute segment. My host was Rita Cleary, A.K.A.
"Radio Lady." We spoke about my flying history
and a few other aviation-related topics. You'll
find the interview here and look for the control
buttons above the words Radio Show:

Should you wish to download, you may do so here:
. Right
click on Radio Show and then Save Target As
to download the MP3:

On another note, one of my female pilot friends
sent me the following. This is sure to be an
eye-opener and I'll be very interested to watch
it myself: The CNBC documentary on American
Airlines, entitled "A Week in the Life of the
World's Largest Airline," is currently scheduled
to air Wednesday, Oct. 18. In an unprecedented
effort, CNBC recently deployed 12 film crews to
portray the activities of American and American
Eagle employees while on the job. The air date
for the special is set for Wednesday, Oct. 18 at
8pm Eastern. Much of this was shot in SOC
(Systems Operation Control).

I promised a few Updates ago to tell you about my
recent TV gig. Recently I was invited to fly out
to Palm Springs to appear on a segment with my
friend Greg Mantell on his show, "The Gregory
Mantell Show." I've appeared twice before on his
show, but previously we taped in Los Angeles.
This time, he had a deal with CBS Studios in Palm
Springs for his first HDTV taping and I was happy
to once again appear with him.

This taping was very different than my previous
experiences with Greg in that he scheduled eight
segments for taping in one day. It seemed like a
lot and it was. The very last segment's guests
had to be rescheduled when things got just
slightly behind. We taped in the studio where
the 6:00 PM news team broadcasts the local Palm
Springs nightly news and had to bail so they
could get ready. The technical guys were amazed
that they taped seven segments for Greg; the most
they'd ever seen done in a single day was five.

In addition to appearing as one of three guests
in a segment having to do with 9/11 (this was the
first time I have ever spoken about it on TV and
I choked up a little), I was used as a
"volunteer" for two other shows.

The first one had to do with memory. I was asked
if I have any memory issues and I do: I tend to
leave stuff upstairs that I meant to bring
downstairs at home, and vice versa, at least
several times per day. It's great exercise
running up and down the stairs all day, but it's
really irritating when I can't remember what I
went up for in the first place. That can make a
retired airline captain crabby.

Also, I tend to leave stuff at home I meant to
take with me, like outgoing mail, for instance.
Even the day Al The Web Guy and Coco The
Pomeranian drove me to the airport to head for
Palm Springs (Al did most of the driving with
Coco's help) I left behind my briefcase with my
camera, book, etc. in it. Because security rules
still forbade liquids of any kind, I actually had
to check a bag, the first time I've done so in
several decades. I still wanted a few things
with me for the plane ride, however, so I put
stuff in my briefcase to carry onboard.

Fortunately, we'd left extra time to get to the
airport and were only about two miles from hour
house on the hour and fifteen minute drive to the
airport when I realized I didn't have it, so we
went back and got it.

In any case, I told this to Pete The Memory Guy
on the air and he gave me a technique to try.
When this segment becomes available (at some
point all the segments should be accessible) I
should be able to get a link to it.

I was also used in a fitness segment to help
demonstrate some toning exercises. I don't want
to talk about it, thank you very much, and after
I see this segment I'll decide whether it's too
embarrassing for my readers to have a look if I
want.

Because of the relatively sparse schedule of
flights between Denver and Palm Springs, and
because taping was to start early on Saturday and
go all day until at least 5:00 PM, I was forced
to spend both Friday and Saturday night in Palm
Springs. Poor BABY! I shopped around and got a
really good online discount at the Shadow Ridge
Marriott Resort just a few miles from CBS.

As my longer-term readers know, swimming is one
of my favorite activities. It's right up there
with eating. The pools here did not disappoint
and I discovered they had even had a waterslide.
Although it was a supreme sacrifice to stay two
nights, I just had to make the best of it.

And now, on to this week's title. Meatballs?
What do meatballs have to do with anything?
Well, if you'll just be patient, I'll explain.

Since I retired from United, I've basically been
living a non-scheduled life. As an airline
pilot, or in any profession, now that you mention
it, you really do need some awareness of what day
it is, and what time.

I've actually let myself not worry about either
the day or time (other than for the occasional
doctor's appointment, radio or TV interview,
etc.) to the point that the other day, when I was
out doing some errands, I decided to stop by
Subway for a sandwich, thinking I knew what day
of the week it was.

Their Daily Special is a great deal ($2.49 for a
different featured sandwich each day of the week)
and I went to take a look at the menu posted
outside. Wednesday showed a turkey sub and that
sounded great.

So I ordered the Daily Special and the young man
started piling on meatballs and marinara sauce.
I didn't say a word, but suddenly I realized I
actually had no idea whatsoever what day it
actually was. Thursday? That didn't sound
right. Obviously it wasn't Wednesday. I love
their meatball sandwiches so I didn't say
anything.

After I sat down, and feeling more foolish than
you might imagine, I looked at their Daily
Special menu on the table and ascertained that it
was actually Tuesday. I felt I had gained a day,
so convinced had I been that it was Wednesday,
but I felt ridiculous, almost as ridiculous as
when I had to go ask for a knife and fork after
my sandwich exploded. I don't know how anybody
manages those things, but they sure taste good.
Can you imagine being so out of it you have to
check a menu to determine what in the world day
it is? Good grief!

There are twelve new photos in my Photo Gallery
this week. Some are of my recent trip to Palm
Springs for my appearances on the Gregory Mantell
Show, some are of my new Indian pilot friend
Khalida Peerzada in my new International Women
Pilots Album (hopefully other women from around
the world will make contact with me and allow me
to post their photos here as well) and a few are
from a recent drive Al The Web Guy and I took in
the Rocky Mountains with Coco The Pomeranian.
You can see all twelve new photos here at Last
Uploads:

Maintain Airspeed
Cap'n Meryl
http://www.fromthecockpit.com/Gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=0

THE EPIPHANY, PART TWO - COURTNEY & THE CHINESE CONNECTION

2006-09-26T16:03:00.000-06:00

This week's question has to do with descent clearances and busy air traffic control frequencies:ATC Descent Clearances and Busy Frequencies

I decided to take last week off from writing my Update, and may continue to do them every other week. Every week creeps up on me too fast and every month just isn't often enough for my own taste, so we'll try this for awhile. I'll continue to post new questions, but also at a rate of one every two weeks so I don't get bogged down. I don't know how I got so busy since I retired from United, and I really have no idea how I managed everything when I was flying such a full schedule around the world.

I just returned from Palm Springs where I was interviewed by my friend and TV host Greg Mantell for his show. It was fun and I wound up being in three segments, two of which had absolutely nothing to do with aviation but which were interesting and entertaining, at least for me and hopefully for the audience when it airs. I'll tell you more about all that next week.

This week, however, I want to continue telling you about Courtney, my 25 year old friend from Seattle who decided, upon discovering my book "The World At My Feet" that she, too, was destined to become a pilot. She did something I would do. In fact, she did two somethings I would do.

The first thing she did was immediately start taking flying lessons. She soon encountered the same dilemma every new civilian pilot encounters, unless the new pilot happens to be fabulously wealthy, and that is the prohibitive expense of flying.

One of the most common questions I get is from prospective pilots who do not consider the military an option for one reason or another, but who want to learn to fly: What in the world is one to do when the cost of learning to fly is so exorbitant?

If you've read "The World At My Feet" (if you haven't, see my offer at the bottom) you already know the path I took was innovative but unique to me and not a good solution or even a possible solution for others in this day and age of ultra-intense security.

What I generally suggest to civilian would-be pilots is to attempt to get an airport job and at least get discounted flying lessons, or even free lessons, but sometimes this isn't practical. Courtney did make an attempt at going this route but it just wasn't going to get her where she was going in a timely fashion.

I first met Courtney downtown Seattle when I was there at Boeing's invitation to hear all about their new B-787 earlier this year and we both knew she was already in trouble. She had managed only four flights in a couple of months due to weather and other obstacles and was completely frustrated although intent as ever upon securing her goal, just as I was when I decided I would become an airline pilot and nothing else would do no matter what it took.

I didn't know how to advise her, but she is her own person and came up with a solution I didn't even know existed. I'm writing about her for two reasons: One is that I am extremely proud of her and I want her and others to know it. The second reason is that her example absolutely may be an inspiration to others whether or not becoming a professional pilot is their goal.

When I first started to fly in the early seventies, the vast resources of the Internet weren't here yet. There may have been flight schools, but if there were, I didn't know about them and I doubt they were anything like the expansive flight schools of today even if they did exist. Then there was the female thing--I had trouble right from the start getting most people to take me seriously since the airlines had not yet started hiring women pilots.

It was only a few years before my retirement from United that I started hearing about flight academies. In fact, it was a bellman at our layover hotel in Miami one evening that asked if I could recommend one. His son wanted to attend a flight academy but the price was exorbitant, around $70,000. I was appalled at the price tag and didn't have any suggestions other than it would be far less expensive for his son to take private lessons.

In Courtney's case, she wanted a defined plan. She wanted a plan with a beginning, a middle and an end resulting in her flying professionally in a reasonable amount of time. She started investigating flight schools on her own and the only advice I could offer her was to be absolutely sure, without fail, to get referrals from pilots who had graduated and were now flying commercially.

She did all that while I still fretted about the money because the price was, indeed, going to be around $70,000 and I was pretty sure she didn't have that kind of money lying around. Would she get it from her parents? I didn't know.

However, I do now and the answer just never occurred to me. These flight schools will assist in obtaining a student loan. If Courtney had asked for a regular loan at her bank I feel quite certain she would have been denied. However, a student loan is something else entirely and it just never occurred to me one could be had for the purpose of learning to fly, but it can, and she went and got the loan she needed.

This is the second "something" I referred to earlier. Courtney took the bull by the horns, did what she needed to do and started flight school yesterday, September 25th, 2006 at the Delta Connection Academy (owned by Delta Airlines) near Orlando, Florida. Although she realizes the gravity of taking out a loan for tens of thousands of dollars, at the same time she doesn't seem terribly intimidated by the prospect of flying professionally and paying back the loan.

Courtney first wrote to me of her intentions to become a pilot on April 12th of this year. You can see her letter to me, if you missed it, in my last Update here: www.fromthecockpit.com/Blogg.

Now, not even six months later, the entire course of her life has changed and she has taken a defining step toward her goal--a good example for anyone to follow who has a burning desire to attain something that at times may seem out of reach.

Courtney was breathless telling me all about her first day of school when we spoke on the phone last evening. She's meeting people from all over the world and in fact her roommate is a 19 yearold girl from India who just flew home to celebrate Ramadan.

You;ll find Courtney with her roommate and new friend Khalida here in my Sky Ladies Album. They're both wearing the blue school student pilot uniform: http://www.fromthecockpit.com/Gallery/thumbnails.php?album=4

So what in the world do the Chinese have to do with this Update? Courtney told me there is a large contingent of Chinese pilots sent by one of the Chinese airlines to learn how to fly at the Delta Connection Academy. These pilots' expenses are completely paid for by their prospective airline and when they're done with school, many apparently don't see the need to take their flight bag and/or books back to China with them. Courtney discovered this and bought the supplies she needed from some of them for around $250 instead of the thousand dollars or so she would have spent otherwise.

You see? A true pilot at heart. We always know where the best deals are.
Courtney has not only my own best wishes for her success, but that of her supportive parents and the thousands of readers who regularly receive this newsletter. Happy flying, Courtney!