Merry Christmas!

Please refrain from issuing instructions on what type of Christmas I should have.

Just Kidding, Merry Christmas POA friends, Be SAFE out there.................
 
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The Pilots Christmas Poem

'Twas the night before Christmas, and out on the ramp,
Not an airplane was stirring, not Comanche, nor Champ.
The fuel trucks nestled, all snug in their spots,
While north wind was gusting to 49 knots.

The aircraft were fastened to tie downs with care
In hopes that come morning, they'd all still be there.
And I at the fuel desk, duties caught up,
just settled down with my coffee in cup.

When over the radio, came such a clatter,
I turned down the squelch to see what's the matter.
A voice clearly heard over static and snow,
Asked for clearance to land at the airport below.

He made his transmissions both lively and quick,
And I'm sure that the call sign he used was "Saint Nick."
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Sure that it was only Horizon's late Dash.

I peered at the sky seeking Nav lights on sled,
I saw only one at the front it was red!
He called his position, and I heard him say,
"St. Nicholas here, inbound on my sleigh!"

He flew the approach, on glideslope he came,
As as he passed fixes, he called them by name.
"Now Ringo! Now Tolga! Now FAF Bacon!
On Comet! On Cupid!" (what pills was he takin?)

The last of those fixes were bound to confuse,
So the Tower called me to deliver their views.
The message they gave was both urgent and dour
"When Santa Claus lands, HE WILL PLEASE CALL THE TOWER!"

He landed like silk, with the sled runners sparking,
With "Exit at Charlie," and "Taxi to parking."
He stepped from the sleigh, but before he could talk,
I had run out to give him my very last chock.

He was dressed all in fur, which was covered with frost,
And his beard was all blackened from chimney exhaust.
His breath smelled like peppermint, gone slightly stale,
And he smoked on a pipe (but he didn't inhale).

He had a broad face, his armpits were smelly,
His boots were as black as a crop duster's belly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old fool,
And, smiling, informed me he needed some "fuel".

A wink of his eye and a turn on his toes,
He left for the washroom to powder his nose.
As he departed I wondered and saw
That my challenge was finding a fuel called......straw.

I thought for a while about passing this test,
Then remembered a 'plane had arrived from out West.
Just full of supplies for a stable quite near,
The freight warehouse must contain straw for the deer!

So I went to the warehouse and warnings unheeded,
Found and brought back what the nine reindeer needed.
When I got to the sleigh Santa beamed with relief,
Then went for a phone for a flight-service brief.

And I thought, as he silently wrote in his log,
That with Rudolph, he could land in a one-eighth-mile fog.
He finished his preflight, from front to the rear,
Then on with his headset. I heard him yell "Clear!"

And laying gloved finger upon his push-talk,
He called up the tower for clearance and squawk.
"Straight out on three-zero," the tower called forth,
"And watch for a Cessna inbound from the North."

I heard him exclaim, as he climbed in the night,
"Happy Christmas to all!....I have traffic in sight."
 
It's Christmas Eve. We celebrated with one son and his family yesterday, then drove them to the airport this morning for their flight to visit the in-laws. Tomorrow we drive to the other son's house to spend the day with him and his family.

It is calm and quiet here now. Playing on the Bluetooth speaker is the album "Merry Christmas" by the Norman Luboff Choir, the very same LP record my parents played on the hi-fi in our home Christmas Eve almost sixty years ago.

It has been a challenging year. In July Mrs. Pilawt and I were scheduled to go on a three-week trip to Europe. It didn't happen. Instead, the highlight of July 2019 was when I was relieved of my cancerous prostate on an operating room table by a bizarre-looking robotic machine. Today was my 34th follow-up radiation treatment (of 40, beginning the first week of November and ending January 3).

But the joys have far outweighed the challenges. I feel great now, full strength, the nasty little side-effects of the surgery are waning, and there are only smiles from the doctors. Side-effects of the radiation have been almost completely non-existent. Thanks to Basic Med, time on the ground was minimal. We have had the privilege of meeting many wonderful people in the medical profession, and many courageous fellow patients.

There are other joys as well. Following an adoption hearing in September, we now have a fourth grandchild, a precious 7-year-old girl. Our kids and grandkids have been doing amazing things in their careers and education. The canceled Europe trip has been rescheduled for June 2020, with no loss of pre-paid fare. I among all am most richly blessed.

At times like this I think of the friendship, camaraderie, concern, prayers and good wishes of so many wonderful people, many of whom I have never met in person.

You know who you are. Thank you.

May this night and this season be joyful and profoundly meaningful to all of you, and the New Year happy, healthy and prosperous.
 
Merry Christmas, all... And a cheap... no... Inexpensive annual in the new year!
 
Merry Christmas folks.!!

We had a white Christmas, not much of one though. When the sun comes out this afternoon it will become a muddy Christmas.

Looking forward to the new year. I hope it will be a healthy and prosperous year for all.
 
Many of you have the original VOR/ILS chart for the north pole (Jeppesen has a sense of humor, not sure about Boeing) but Jepp (excuuuuuse me, Boeing Global Services) published the RNAV chart for those of you with the new-fangled technology.
 

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Merry Christmas, and God bless us, everyone! Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season and CAVU in 2020.
 
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