Delta Airlines Pilot

[redtail]

Capt. Brad Lang.

http://bcove.me/wnlnsvp4


Although we took different career paths, I got quite a kick out of the fact that both of our dads used to take us to Newark Airport on a regular basis to watch the airplanes.

Cool guy.

First and only aviator in my family, no one else has the bug.

As a four or five year old kid, I remember seeing airplanes flying over our house on approach to Newark Airport as well as a few GA planes on approach to Teterboro ( KTEB ). I was fascinated that man had the ability to be up there doing this! At that moment, I knew that I wanted to fly. My father always encouraged me to pursue my dream but it bothered him that he couldn’t afford to send me to flight school. However, to feed my passion, he would take my siblings and me to Newark Airport and we would go to one of the terminals to watch the planes. Back in those days (mid 70's) you could go to the departure gates even if you weren't flying.

I attended electrical/electronics schools (my other passion) and made that my career choice.
Fast forward to the 80's, now I'm working at KEWR as an industrial electrician, maintaining the runway lighting and electrical systems (4160VAC), the control tower and terminals. Fast forward to 1998, at the age of 32 I'm finally taking flight lessons. My friend was an Air Traffic Controller at KTEB, so I visited him in the tower and then checked out the flight schools there, took two discovery flights over the Hudson River/NYC skyline and was hooked!!! The following week I signed up for ground school at Millionair Flight School and a week later, I was pursuing my childhood dream!

I passed my check ride the following year. It was a bittersweet moment because dad passed away eight years and a day prior. I know without a doubt that he would have been my first passenger. One of the first things I did was take my wife and kids on that same scenic flight over the Hudson and when my daughter got married two years ago, I took her and my son-in-law as part of their wedding gift.

I have the blue cap (seriously)

 

[jordane93]

Very nice! I'm on my way to Santo Domingo with my dad who is a captain on the 737. Free wifi is awesome

 

[BillTIZ]

Nice write up.
My mom knew I was destined to fly when we flew to Japan on MAC Air for one of my dad's assignments. I was maybe 4, she told me that every time the cockpit door opened I was rubber necking to see what was up front, and then one of the pilots offered me a tour.

My dad a was an AF flight engineer then engine mechanic after he was grounded with vision problems. We would walk the flight line on weekends. He never could afford for me to fly, but he made sure I got to college. I picked an aviation school and completed my rating before Christmas, but he passed away my freshman year before I could get home and take him flying.

Thanks for the memory.

 

[Everskyward]

Capt. Brad Lang.

http://bcove.me/wnlnsvp4


Although we took different career paths, I got quite a kick out of the fact that both of our dads used to take us to Newark Airport on a regular basis to watch the airplanes.

Cool guy.



I have the blue cap (seriously)

Nice.

I think I have already mentioned this to you but I also grew up watching the airplanes passing overhead into Newark. Looking at a map, we lived on about 20 mile final for the 4s. My father, who was interested in airplanes but not a pilot, would point them out.

As far as TEB goes, we were stuck there for the past couple days waiting for a part which was first delayed by the weather, then lost by the courier. Then we had to wait for mechanics to install it... on Thanksgiving. Made it home a couple hours ago. Time to spare, go by air, even if it's a business jet.

 

[redtail]

Very nice! I'm on my way to Santo Domingo with my dad who is a captain on the 737. Free wifi is awesome

That's awesome! Enjoy.
I have two boys and two girls (3 adults) and none of them have the slightest interest in aviation. They've all flown with me and were always excited when I'd take them to air shows, but that's about it.

My youngest (9) shows more interest than the others, but I don't detect any real desire in him to become a pilot.

 

[SCCutler]

Nice, and thanks for sharing.

My dad also used to take me to see airports; he brokered land deals, and whenever he had to go out and look at property, he'd ask me to come along and had always scoped out an airport somewhere along the way to stop in and look at.

I was fortunate enough that, when I finally got around to getting my cert, my Dad was still around (old, but ambulatory), and he flew with me several times.

Always got a kick out of this: when he'd show up to go flying, he always had a map with a piece of property he was interested in and we'd fly over so he could scope it out from the air, maybe tale a few pics. He closed his last deal when he was 91 years old, and was still sorta trying for one more when he had the accident which (eventually and indirectly) ended his life.

 

[redtail]

Nice write up.
My mom knew I was destined to fly when we flew to Japan on MAC Air for one of my dad's assignments. I was maybe 4, she told me that every time the cockpit door opened I was rubber necking to see what was up front, and then one of the pilots offered me a tour.

My dad a was an AF flight engineer then engine mechanic after he was grounded with vision problems. We would walk the flight line on weekends. He never could afford for me to fly, but he made sure I got to college. I picked an aviation school and completed my rating before Christmas, but he passed away my freshman year before I could get home and take him flying.

Thanks for the memory.

Sorry to hear that he passed during the time you were away in school. I know you were really looking forward to that flight with him. In my case, he was already gone, so I knew that wasn't going to happen.

 

[redtail]

Nice.

I think I have already mentioned this to you but I also grew up watching the airplanes passing overhead into Newark. Looking at a map, we lived on about 20 mile final for the 4s. My father, who was interested in airplanes but not a pilot, would point them out.

As far as TEB goes, we were stuck there for the past couple days waiting for a part which was first delayed by the weather, then lost by the courier. Then we had to wait for mechanics to install it... on Thanksgiving. Made it home a couple hours ago. Time to spare, go by air, even if it's a business jet.

Yes I recall. So was that when you got the burning desire to become a pilot?

Newark Airport will always be dear to me. It was by pure coincidence that I found myself working there years later (for ten years). I still visit occasionally and have co-workers take me out on the field.

That must be fun, being stuck at TEB for a few days glad you made it home.

 

[redtail]

Nice, and thanks for sharing.

My dad also used to take me to see airports; he brokered land deals, and whenever he had to go out and look at property, he'd ask me to come along and had always scoped out an airport somewhere along the way to stop in and look at.

I was fortunate enough that, when I finally got around to getting my cert, my Dad was still around (old, but ambulatory), and he flew with me several times.

Always got a kick out of this: when he'd show up to go flying, he always had a map with a piece of property he was interested in and we'd fly over so he could scope it out from the air, maybe tale a few pics. He closed his last deal when he was 91 years old, and was still sorta trying for one more when he had the accident which (eventually and indirectly) ended his life.

Was he giving you all kinds of headings and altitudes to fly,lol.

Sounds like good times, (minus the accident).

 

[Everskyward]

Yes I recall. So was that when you got the burning desire to become a pilot?

As a little kid I'm not sure I considered becoming pilot. I wanted to be a bird. But that was not possible so I became a pilot.

Truthfully I didn't think about becoming a pilot, at least for a career, because I never knew there were many possibilities beyond airlines or military which never appealed to me anyway. In any case my uncorrected eyesight would not have been good enough. Plus we are talking about the 1960s when I was a child. A girl. I gradually realized that people did fly in small airplanes so I saved up some money and learned while I was going to college. By then times had changed. Then it was the one thing leads to another scenario.

Newark Airport will always be dear to me. It was by pure coincidence that I found myself working there years later (for ten years). I still visit occasionally and have co-workers take me out on the field.

I remember Newark airport when it was just the old terminal! I also remember going there on a school field trip in about first grade, walking on the ramp and getting into an old airliner. I think one of my classmates' father was a pilot for that airline.

That must be fun, being stuck at TEB for a few days glad you made it home.

Oh yeah. Fun going out there in the middle of the night with the mechanics waiting for a lost part, then giving up on it, going back to the hotel and asking to check back into our rooms since we knew housekeeping hadn't cleaned them yet based on the fact that it was 0400. And that's just part of the story...

 

[redtail]

As a little kid I'm not sure I considered becoming pilot. I wanted to be a bird. But that was not possible so I became a pilot.

Truthfully I didn't think about becoming a pilot, at least for a career, because I never knew there were many possibilities beyond airlines or military which never appealed to me anyway. In any case my uncorrected eyesight would not have been good enough. Plus we are talking about the 1960s when I was a child. A girl. I gradually realized that people did fly in small airplanes so I saved up some money and learned while I was going to college. By then times had changed. Then it was the one thing leads to another scenario.

I remember Newark airport when it was just the old terminal! I also remember going there on a school field trip in about first grade, walking on the ramp and getting into an old airliner. I think one of my classmates' father was a pilot for that airline.

Neither did I. Lack of exposure I guess.
I wanted to be a fighter pilot more than anything (F-16 or F-15) but since that was the ONLY thing that I wanted to do with the military, I realized it wasn't a good idea to join, so I gave up on that idea. The airlines didn't appeal to me that much as a career, although I love the aircraft, the technology and just being around them!

My first field trip to EWR I think was 5th or 6th grade. We were introduced to an old former military pilot (I think he was a Tuskegee Airman). I didn't know who they were at that time. I remember him giving us a long motivational speech and then he took us onto the field.

 

[flyingron]

My favorite view of life at Delta comes from www.angrypilotwife.com

 

[Everskyward]

My first field trip to EWR I think was 5th or 6th grade. We were introduced to an old former military pilot (I think he was a Tuskegee Airman). I didn't know who they were at that time. I remember him giving us a long motivational speech and then he took us onto the field.

That's cool. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know who the Tuskegee Airmen were until I was an adult.