Mitch Cronin Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 Most mornings, If I happen to be on that half of my life where I'm actually waking up in the morning, the first thoughts to hit me are things about my plans for the day, or what's going on in the house at that moment in time... But lately, just as in that other half of my life where I'm waking up in the evening and soon to be headed to work, my thoughts have been drawn to the difficulties that plague all of us at Air Canada. I've begun to wonder why it is that I'm here. Why I chose this line of work, whether or not I want to stay, and what I'd do instead... My wife and kids see it ripping at me. Almost every week one of them suggests some other kind of work I could do. I have a book on my shelf here that I've never read, called "Do what you love, the money will follow". My father gave me that book some years ago when he saw me go through something like my eleventyfirst job... all before I was 20. I was about 19 when I found airplanes. I started flying little Cessna's and soon found my way out of the taxi I was driving into employment in the great field of aviation in Canada... working as a "ramp rat"... I can remember being thrilled to lay on my back on the tarmac wiping oil off the bellies of the flying school birds... I felt like something had ignited in me when I first learned to throw a prop for the guys with their little rag-winged things without starters... I was absolutely hooked. Did I say "was"?... Puh! I still am... I have a room full of remote controlled airplanes, I have video's galore of airplanes, about 60 or 70 books on aviation, pictures and mementos and do-dads...I AM hooked! Some time in my early 20's I came to the conclusion I wasn't situated well enough to go through what it would take to enable me to fly for a living, but airplanes were a part of my life, and I wasn't about to deny that. So I made my way into a career of fixing them. And I love doing it. The best reason I can think of to do any job at all, is because you want to... better yet, because you love to do it. John Force - (arguably the best Funny Car driver ever) : "I don't want more money, I want more nitro! ...If you'd ever been for a flight, down that quarter mile of track at night, flames out the window and that motor pounding the ground like it does, you'd understand. It's like watching a beautiful woman pass by... it only lasts a few seconds, but man, that's what I live for." There's a moment, in the job I have, that I imagine might compare to the feeling a pilot probably gets as he breaks through the grey and into the blue... That's when I'm sitting in the airplane testing whatever fix I've just made, and it proves to be a good fix. The books can be signed and the bird sent on to the gate to take a new load of happy people flying... It's a feeling of fulfillment, satisfaction, justification of purpose... The reason I do what I do. Doing something you feel as though you "live for"!? Lot's of us here are damn close to being in that position... probably were at least once... or are there now. But all this extraneous BS flailing around splatters everything in sight and almost obliterates that feeling. The rest of you do what you like... Paint 'em white, purple, pink, blue, or teal... hang your banner on the thing, put it on the ramp, fill it up and go flying..., ...just call me when you're done with the bird, so I can have my version of "more nitro", fixing airplanes. Now if I could only find a way to have that clear thought continually shed the BS that's flung so readily and rapidly...? Wanted: An employer who'll enable me to earn a decent living doing what I love, and keep the BS from interfering, for our mutual benefit. Too much to ask? Maybe eh?... So I guess I'm back to listening to my kids make suggestions for alternate employment... or finding a way to ignore the extraneous nonsense so it doesn't get me down... still... at least I know there is a reason I stay. That'll help. Cheers, Mitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GDR Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 Nice post Mitch. When I did my last flight Nov 27 last year it didn't really sink in. I just felt like on was on days off most of the time. Lately though I look up and see the contrails overhead I get this kinda sick feeling in the pit of my stomach knowing I don't do that anymore. Obviously with some of the stuff going on there are things I don't miss, (and I really don't miss figuring out how to get from YYJ to YVR to get to work), but I really miss the airplanes and the people. Heck, I'm still here reading posts on the AEF and other forums. Mind you I do have a personal interest in the futures of all the great people I worked. (I might have just a passing interest in the future of my pension as well. ) It isn't easy separating the enjoyment of the job and the politics. Lately it just seems to go with the territory. Again, nice post Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Cronin Posted April 29, 2004 Author Share Posted April 29, 2004 Thanks Greg.... My last trip out to visit my brothers on Salt Spring saw me heading back to YVR on one of those Beavers that fly out of "The Flying Beaver", via a detour to another island and a skim across several of them at about 1000 ft.... what a fantastic ride!! Best place on earth, best job on earth... if only those guys could earn a decent living doing it! Maybe they'd be interested in hiring a retired, old, ex-huge-thing-flyer to flog their Beavers? Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GDR Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 >>Maybe they'd be interested in hiring a retired, old, ex-huge-thing-flyer to flog their Beavers?<< They're probably a whole lot smarter than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AME Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Mitch You have to work to live and not live to work, or you'll lose your sanity..... If you're interested, I'm currently doing some contract stuff, and the people here will be looking for permanent engineers in the near future, for YEG and YYC not airline but a great place. Brett ps: I'm Baaaaaaack effective May 17th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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