My last flight as a captain at Chautauqua Airlines came last night, June 18th, 2008. It was a bittersweet day for me, as I am very sentimental. With first officer Zach Izzie and flight attendant P.J. DeSantis, we flew from Columbus, Ohio (CMH) to New York (JFK) and back again.

I truly love my job, have enjoyed all 7 years and 8 months I’ve spent flying for Chautauqua, and will miss the flying, the people, and the short drive to work. Leaving a quality airline, with good seniority (I’m in the top 10% of the pilot seniority list) and the privileges that come from working for a U.S. airline make my move to Cathay Pacific somewhat of a risk. But, with any job change, especially with the airlines, there is always risk, it’s just a matter of how calculated is the risk and are the benefits of the risk worth it.

In my case, I feel the risks of leaving are worth it. Many of my friends who have left Chautauqua for major U.S. airlines are probably going to get into trouble, especially with high oil prices and potential mergers and liquidations. Taking that risk is too high for me to leave what good status I have at Chautauqua. I could only leave my current job for something that would be considered the best or a cream-of-the-crop airline. I feel Cathay is a member of that short list.

I hand in my Chautauqua I.D. badge today. Without that I.D., I can’t travel for free anymore, and I feel somewhat alone and nervous without it. Today, June 19th, I have no job and we have no insurance! Transitions are always uneasy, but I wait for my chance to join another group of pilots and start a new chapter in my book of flying days. So, the adventure begins.

We’ll see what happens . . . stay tuned.

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.