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scarves and holiday jewelry. Airline captains may make special welcome aboard and enroute PAs.
The most common addition to the enroute PA during a Christmas Eve flight will be information on the progress of our fellow aviator and his reindeer crew. Once word is received that his flight plan is on file (via an automatic text from Flight Plan-Go), a ceremonious announcement is made. More PAs are made providing updates on his location throughout the flight, sometimes to the chagrin of humbug-type passengers. Traffic is typically light on Christmas Eve, and direct routing is common – unless a vec- tor around aforesaid, high-priority, multi-mammal-powered traffic is required. Even though Santa’s Sleigh Avionics Suite (SAS) was updated with TCAS and ADS-B, he’s still negative RVSM because Rudy can’t get a proper O2 mask fit due to a congenital-glowing-schnoz-disorder (CGSD).
A Peaceful Stillness
Everyone on a commercial flight seems to have a special connection as Christmas Eve slips away and Christmas morning arrives. The connection is even more special between crew members. We’re all away from our homes, families and pets, so as a crew, we become a family even more so than normal. The view out the windows seems different on Christmas Eve too. When you look down at the normally busy roads at night, you notice a peaceful still- ness. And even though you can’t see snow on the ground, you feel that it’s there – like a Christmas card or painting of a wintery landscape.
If the moon is bright enough, you may see the shiny glimmer of a snowy field or mountain every now and then. Sometimes you may get a view of the Northern Lights or glimpse a meteor. You also realize that hundreds of thou- sands of euphoric children nestled in their beds are strug- gling to sleep with that once-a-year incredible anticipation of the upcoming day. The children onboard are not nestled in their beds for a long winter’s nap. And I doubt it’s sugar plums dancing in their heads – more likely some electron- ics, games and toys, and their euphoria is contagious.
It’s the Thought that Counts
Once you arrive at your destination, the Merry Christmas goodbyes begin. After a Christmas Eve flight, the thank
you’s and goodbyes are quite sincere. And people really seem to care about each other. If you’re headed to another hotel like the crew, you are reminded that a lot of other folks are working Christmas Eve and Day: clerks, maids, drivers, and restaurant workers – even a manager or two. And it can feel strange waking up in a hotel room on Christmas morning. When I was an airline captain, I’d try to bring cards and gifts for my crew when we met for breakfast or crew pick-up on Christmas morning. It could be difficult to select a gift since we normally don’t know each other very well. But it turns out that it truly is the thought that counts.
Like flying at night on July 4 or midnight on New Year’s Eve, there is something special about flying and working on Christmas Eve. If you are one of the thousands of people working on Christmas Eve and Day, you are blessed with the task of helping others to enjoy “not working.” I think that the folks tasked with working seem to have more Christmas spirit than those with the day off. They’re given the opportunity of sharing that spirit with strangers and to treat them as family. Those working Christmas Day get to experience the often elusive “true meaning of Christmas.”
It’s Better To Give
Assisting at a food bank or taking gifts or a meal to one of your favorite local businesses like a restaurant, auto shop or doctor’s office are examples of special things we might try on Christmas Day in pursuit of the true mean- ing of Christmas. What about the folks at your FBO? The maintenance shop will be closed, but the office and line people will be working. How easy would it be to deliver a few pizzas with a ribbon and bow on each box! Bring along a gallon of eggnog or apple cider and some plastic cham- pagne glasses too. If you have never tried these types of things, you may be amazed at the feelings it will generate in those involved.
Fly Away All
Well, you’ve made it through another contraction-filled story. But hopefully, this heartfelt rendition from an un- developed writer refreshes your perspective and puts you in the holiday spirit. I also hope there is one contraction you noticed I did not use: the one where you substitute an “X” in Christmas, taking out “Christ.”
If you’re flying your sleigh Christmas Eve like Santa and me, then to the end of the runway, to the top of the climb, fly away, fly away, fly away all. But get deiced first and be careful out there my friends. Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
Kevin Dingman has been flying for more than 40 years. He’s an ATP typed in the B737, DC9 and CE-650 with 25,000 hours in his logbook. A retired Air Force major, he flew the F-16 and later performed as an USAF Civil Air Patrol Liaison Officer. He flies volunteer missions for the Christian organi- zation Wings of Mercy, is retired from a major airline, flies the Cessna Citation for RAI Jets, and owns and operates a Beechcraft Duke.Contact Kevin at dinger10d@gmail.com.
24 • TWIN & TURBINE / December 2022