With my departure to Cathay Pacific being eminent, Laura and I wanted a chance for me to be the captain of one of her flights here at Chautauqua, where I would fly her as a passenger. Once I go to Cathay, I won’t be a captain again for a long time, so we didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

Laura has flown a lot since she has met me, but never with me being the one flying her. So, I bid to work a Saturday, where she could come along. I got a trip that left Saturday afternoon and simply went from Columbus to Orlando, and then back to Columbus. The flight left about 5:00 p.m. and we got into Orlando around 7:00 p.m. and then back into Columbus around 10:00 p.m. It was a fun little out and back trip that not many people get to experience. It was certainly fun.

As always, there was a little bit of drama. The flight was booked full from Columbus to Orlando and it didn’t look like she, flying standby for free, would have a chance to get on board. I thought, “Great. I’m working Saturday, just for this experience, and now she won’t be able to go!” Well, luckily, one person didn’t show up and she got the last seat! I showed her a little bit around the cockpit, and my copilot was nice enough to take our picture a few times.

She sat in the last row, row 18, and got a window seat. The flights down, and back were both smooth and uneventful. I flew the leg down to Orlando and had a very smooth landing! I was nervous, though, because with the wife in the back, you want to be as impressive as you can, and of all the landings, this was not the one to mess up, or crash it on real rough. We touched down on runway 35 right and it was “buddah” (butter).

She was also able to get a seat on the way back as well. Good thing — I didn’t want her to have to buy a hotel room for the night. The co-pilot flew us back and overall, it was a real fun time. It was really cool to be flying Laura in the back. It really added a new meaning of importance to my flying. It was a special time for us and a neat experience I will remember for a long time.