Good Read - HL 272 (1)

My musings about having completed my last PC:

The Last Time

Meredith Grey, from Grey’s Anatomy said, “Cause you never think that the last time is the last time.  You think there will be more.  You think you have forever, but you don’t.”  I must admit when I approached our annual ritual of getting checked, I never thought it would end, but it has.  

The last one.  Everybody experiences this many times over.  When you finish the last time for anything there is some degree of pause,  reflection and sometimes even a bitter-sweet taste.  Think about it.  Your last time driving that hot car you once owned.  Your last time flying an airplane that you loved.  Your last time walking out the doorway of your growing-up home off to college, military or a job knowing things will never be the same.  Or your last time completing a requirement that keeps you current and active. 

Well, I just completed my last PC.  In a few months I age out and the life and love of mine for past 48 years with over 30,000 hrs invested, will end as a new path begins.  In this last 7 year gig with Omni, it has been a privilege to have built a memory trove of experiences.   Heck, there are billions of people on this planet, and if you think about it, there’s really only a select few who've ever piloted air carrier type aircraft, let alone fly these fantastic machines  (sometimes to their design limits) in and out of exotic and unique places all over the world.  That happens here at Omni and I feel fortunate to have been a recipient.

It would be too easy to list a familiar cadre of complaints that we all have as flight crew, but since you all know what they are, I’ll spare you.  The “last time” means something different for me, as it is a gift, because along with the relief that comes from completing the race, it allows reflection which can lead to recalling some great memories with gratitude.  That’s where I am at today.  The “last time” leads to a realization that in just a few short months, I’ll be left with the many last times that will all be a memory. 

Times like, the last time as a crew we flew over the pyramids.  The last time an Atlantic crossing with TRW’s seemingly from feet wet to feet dry.  The last time we’ll try to raise Mumbai radio in the Indian Ocean on the way to Diego.  Or the last time we fly in to one of the many exotic or unique airports that few civilians have ever had a chance to visit. 

In the career spent in the air, it is true that most of my strong memories have been made on the ground.  Believe it or not, our flight operations are so dependable that they literally become a little ho hum (which is a good thing)  as they take a back seat to the out-of-box memories built on the layover.   Oh, not that we haven’t had our airborne “moments” or two, but as we look back they are mostly overshadowed by what happens not on the airplane, but out of it.  For example,  how often will a crew walk the same streets as the Caesar’s did at the Forum in Rome?  How about strolling the beautiful beaches of Barcelona or Crete?  How frequently will a crew experience the city centers of the world’s great places like, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, or Tokyo?  How about the chances of visiting Hiroshima’s Peace Park at the ground zero for the WWII bomb?  Or as a crew, eating the best pizza and wine available in the beautiful city of Catania?  What about visiting the incredibly friendly and beautiful medieval town of Tallinn, Estonia?  Or how about the Han’s Christian Anderson’s Copenhagen, Trondheim, Capri, or Pompeii?   Yes, the memories flow and of course I could go on and on,  all because of my reflection created by this “last time.” 

Your time may be short or it may be long here with Omni, and your memories of course will come in all sizes and flavors.  So if there is anything I would leave as a worthwhile tip it probably would be this: make long and lasting friendships and build rich, full and great memories, while here, because when your “last time” comes (and it surely will) your cup will then be full. 

Alfred D. Souza said, “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.”

When you have your “last time” moment, like me, you may come to the same place that Souza came to, that life is in the here and now.  As I said, the “last time” has given me time to reflect and it can be a little scary or a gift.  I choose the latter.  In the big scheme of things we are always in transition.  My “last time” is really the opening of a door to a “first time” on the new path that lies ahead.  I’m looking forward to it and I hope you are too!

Mark Sztanyo

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