Page 24 - Volume 18 Number 9

cantankerous, squirming hatch blowers that I did not. It has allowed me to emulate some and to recognize in myself traits neither beneficial nor admired, and to avoid those behaviors. Hopefully, I have become a passable Captain myself; I’m still learning and refining. Thanks, Bob, f o r s e t t i n g t h e e x a m p l e a n d g r o •o m i n g Justin, me, and dozens of other to become Crusty Old Captains. T&Tfourth stripe – and feel their weight. Bob and I both agree that the baton being passed to Justin is more like a club than it is a scepter, and we wish it was not so. But the pendulum is swinging in the correct directionas the profession is finally coming back. Soon, it may even be worth becoming an airline pilot again.During the time I flew as an FE and FO, I took note of crusty Captains that I admired, like Bob, and theKevin Dingman has been flying for 40 years. He’s an ATP typed in the B737 and DC9 with 20,000 hours. A retired Air Force Major, he flew the F-16 then performed as a USAF Civil Air Patrol Liaison Officer. He flies volunteer missions for the Christian organiza- tion Wings of Mercy, is employed by a major airline, and owns and oper- ates a Beechcraft Duke. Contact Kevin at.Dinger10d@gmail.com.22 • TWIN & TURBINE SEPTEMBER 2014