Rambling thoughts.

AuntPeggy

AuntPeggy

Final Approach
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Namaste
Just found this buried in a file Hubby was working on a few years ago:
17 Sep 2004, 5:30.
Normal dread has set in. I came to work early this morning having waked up at 3:30 and unable to re-sleep. My legs have that curiously unneeded half-ready-to-flee tension that seems to take over everything.

I watched Peggy take off Wednesday night for a flight to Beaver Falls, PA, for the night and thence to Tulsa Thursday morning to see the kids and take care of some realestate business. I flew up to Poughkeepsie to change the airplane’s oil, she drove up to meet me. She had the airplane packed and ready to go about the time I drained the last quart into the engine.

I drove home into a low ceiling and rain while she, judging by the sunset at POU, flew into clear skies. That was the last time I saw her.

Thursday night was the usual free-to-do-anything-I-want-while-Peggy-is-gone time. I worked on the computer and went to bed late. I wanted to enjoy the freedom while I could because by Thursday night I would be missing her. I thought about going out for ice cream but restrained myself to experimenting with a quart of orange sherbert that had thawed, separated and been re-frozen: not too bad for a temprary bachelor. I like the large crunchy ice crystals in the bottom layer.

Thursday morning I got out of bed at the usual time but got to work earlier than usual as I didn’t have to wait for Peggy to get ready. The day went well, completing one project and wandering towards the light end of another. Around 2:00 I asked Kari to see if she could find Peggy on her flight watch program. It shows all US aircraft that are in the Air Traffic Control system. She found Peggy halfway between the New York border and Beaver Falls but warned that she could not determine when that was or anything else. I was unconcerned because she had made it past the worst of the weather.

That evening, as usual, I worked on the computer. Every hour or so I checked the phone for messages to see if Peggy had arrived in Tulsa. There were a number of hang-ups but no messages more important than low refinancing mortgage rates. I began my normal worry state: going over the flight plan multiple times and comparing it with the current weather. I concluded she would have gone south of a spot of cloud around St. Louis, there’s that chunk over Springfield, but she could have gotten in to Tulsa after the thunder storms to the south subsided in the evening cool. Holly left a message that Peggy had not called yet and she was putting the girls to bed. Around 9:00 I called Heather to see if Peggy had gone to Ponca City. No, she hadn’t. I called Holly to reasure her that Peggy was doing fine, had just run into some weather and was watching HBO in a motel somewhere in the midwest. She believes almost everything I tell her.

I stayed up until 12:30 playing solitaire and thinking if there had been a problem the police would be knocking on the door. They did this once before when Peggy’s brother killed himself. The officer insisted on making me sit down before telling me and wanted to stay to make sure I was Ok. In my mind I went over all the things that I would have to do in the event of death. Death certificates, life insurance, bank accounts, finances, things I know nothing about, I realized we were both unprepared for the departure of the other.

I slept fitfully and now at work, with something to keep me busy, I feel better. She is, after all, a good pilot in a good airplane and I would worry even more if she were driving. When she gets back I will ignore all the thoughts about preparations we should have done and go an as if nothing bad can ever happen.

17 Sep 2004, 8:15.
She called.
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etsisk said:
Shoulda called the man the night before, Peggy!! :eek:

:yes:
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The FBO was dark when I arrived at Beaver Falls. I swung around the ramp, and parked off to the left before trying the door. There were a few motels just a few miles away and a restaurant nearby, but I couldn't find a phone and didn't want to start walking without knowing which direction to go.

I crawled back into the plane and rearranged my suitcase and flight bag. The right seat would recline until the top rested on the edge of the rear seat if it was pulled as far forward as possible. My soft-sided suitcase on the back seat provided a bit of a pillow and extended the length of the recliner enough to pretend to be a passable bed. Ski jacket and sweater combined to become bed clothes and bed linen. I passed the night curled into a ball, first facing one direction, then the other until sunlight streamed in the windows.

They were just opening the FBO when I stumbled in from the ramp looking for a restroom. I wandered about, groggy from lack of sleep, looking for breakfast, getting a briefing, getting fueled, etc. Everything I did took twice as long as it should and twice the concentration to accomplish. I sat in the plane for quite some time before deciding I was fit to fly.

At the next fueling stop, once again, I moved slowly through my chores, and felt refreshed after eating lunch, but this time I decided I wasn't fit to fly and stopped at a motel for some real sleep in a real bed.

I didn't know he was so worried. He knows I can take care of myself. Then again, I worry so much when he goes off by himself, so I should have known.
 
That's really neat and puts a smile on my face. Thanks for sharing, Peggy. :)
 
AuntPeggy said:
I didn't know he was so worried. He knows I can take care of myself. Then again, I worry so much when he goes off by himself, so I should have known.
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A wonderful post. And, this last line... a great reminder for the relationship I'm embarking upon. Thank you.
 
Excellent. I always have to call first thing after landing. More strict than closing a flight plan!

The hardest part is giving a reasonable estimate when I have no idea what I'm going to be doing. One Saturday, I was giving someone a ride to their cabin - be back by 2, sweety.

Well, the ride turned into an afternoon and some grilling before I got out of there. On roll out at my home base, the tower controller says - "Turn left at Kilo 3, Kilo, Echo, Bravo to parking with me. You shoulda called."

Huh? I shoulda called who? Turns out my SO had called the FBO and the Tower about 1/2 hour before I arrived and again while I was on approach. Tower was able to tell him I was within sight.
 
tmarlatte said:
Excellent. I always have to call first thing after landing. More strict than closing a flight plan!

The hardest part is giving a reasonable estimate when I have no idea what I'm going to be doing. One Saturday, I was giving someone a ride to their cabin - be back by 2, sweety.

Well, the ride turned into an afternoon and some grilling before I got out of there. On roll out at my home base, the tower controller says - "Turn left at Kilo 3, Kilo, Echo, Bravo to parking with me. You shoulda called."

Huh? I shoulda called who? Turns out my SO had called the FBO and the Tower about 1/2 hour before I arrived and again while I was on approach. Tower was able to tell him I was within sight.
Click to expand...
Funny thing. A friend of mine was a flight instructor at the time who was friends with everyone in the tower. When I was returning home from this flight, NY Approach told me to call home as soon as I arrived. The friend had been trying to find out where I was.
 
tmarlatte said:
Excellent. I always have to call first thing after landing. More strict than closing a flight plan!

The hardest part is giving a reasonable estimate when I have no idea what I'm going to be doing. One Saturday, I was giving someone a ride to their cabin - be back by 2, sweety.

Well, the ride turned into an afternoon and some grilling before I got out of there. On roll out at my home base, the tower controller says - "Turn left at Kilo 3, Kilo, Echo, Bravo to parking with me. You shoulda called."

Huh? I shoulda called who? Turns out my SO had called the FBO and the Tower about 1/2 hour before I arrived and again while I was on approach. Tower was able to tell him I was within sight.
Click to expand...
Where in the Chicago area is this? PWK? Are they THAT accommodating there?
 
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