this month marks one year since i actually laid my ass in an actual A320 co-pilot seat. this day would be exactly a year and a week of me sitting on the right hand seat.
i do feel proud. i never expected or dreamed to reach this far. sometimes, it still feels out of this world. all the early part of your life you spent studying, and look forward to the day you're actually worth something to society, and not just a wasted sperm. here i am now, one year into it, and loving it.
this is the autopilot, dear readers.
we still have to "manipulate" it. it makes life easier,
but that doesn't mean it requires zero brains to work it ;)
i know i whine about going to work a helluva lot of times. but honestly, when i'm the seat, i do enjoy the work. i like it when i'm introduced in the announcements as the co-pilot. just to reaffirm that my existence counts, you know? and the uniform, in the words of will smith, "i make this look good". lmao.
it's no full-fledged airline, and we don't aim to be. a lot of things we do here, all the knowledge we learn and use, i do appreciate. i don't think i'd get this much exposure and experience anywhere else. maybe in future i'll get bored of it, but for now, i'm savouring it.
time flies, and i don't feel like it's been a year at all. but recounting back the experience, i do feel i've learnt a lot. just last week i encountered wake turbulence during landing from a fellow A320 aircraft. i never expected that.
a lot of people think that flying is like driving. you get the keys and head out. but our "job" looks easy because what many don't understand, is that a lot of the work is done on ground. we don't just take off and head to our destinations. weather, notices, aircraft performances, flight plans (routes and fuel) needs to checked and calculated. in the aircraft, certificates, safety equipment, cockpit checks will be carried out. and a whole lot of other things, i won't bore you with the details.
the thing is, i used to get frustrated when people say my job is so nice. yes it is. but don't give me a trying-to-be-tear-jerker story that your life sucks. you've had your opportunities, mine came a little later. while you enjoyed your life initially, i did not. it's the choices we make that make the difference. the things i've had to put up with, wasn't easy. as my cousin always says, nobody will know what you're going through except yourself. i've never shared them with you, doesn't mean it never happened. i opted this.
i've met a lot of people in recent times. most have so much to say negatively. while i appreciate their opinions and right to individualism, as such i hold back my own comments because i choose to be this individual instead, i think the root of the problem would be your outlook on life. we've got our priorities on odds i think. so now, i don't bother getting my frustration levels riding high. i just sit and smile. least i can do.
moving on, while the company celebrates its phenomenal feat of 1,000,000,000th guest, i'm nearing my 1000 flying hours. one thousand hours in an airplane making haley williams wish come true. one thousand hours of having peoples' lives in my hand. one thousand hours of having a dream come true, and possibly making dreams realized for others too. may not be much of a feat for some, but for someone who was once climbing trees, it makes a difference.
my life is here and now. as cliche as it sounds, i'd do it over again, not one bit different.
