NIMBYs at it again...

Today, the Palm Beach Post (in my personal opinion, an excuse of a newspaper, but to each his own) put out an editorial against proposed and studied airport "expansion" at Palm Beach International Airport (PBI/KPBI). Now, my readers know my stance. People who move somewhere and ask (okay, maybe not ask, more like DEMAND) that an airport either edit its reason to exist, if not make it cease to exist, for their own personal benefit. I don't need to go over it again.

An airport that has been bullish in its growth should not stop. Airports should reach their full potential. Nobody has any reason to live close to an airport if they're just going to complain about it all day. Take the good with the bad, like everything else in life (good for me, I like airplane noise...it's comforting to me, and ask any pilot and they will agree).

So when people are trying to subversively fight against an airport, and try to designate certain neighborhoods near airports (that came into existence and grew into existence AFTER the airport was there), like the Vedado neighborhood trying to have the county designate it as a historic area (thus preventing the airport, or any other government entity for that matter "interfere" with the area), you know that they're up to something.

This "newspaper" also alleges that the airport reached its peak traffic level in 1990, but never went further than that. So, has it gone up or down? How much so? Enplanements, incoming and outgoing traffic, where are the numbers? Why won't you say what the FAA says? Because it's against your agenda! That's why!

Some will blindly say, they're trying to save their homes. But against what? Something that was already there from before they were born? Something that was there from before their houses were built? Something that already has eminent domain over them? It's like building a house near a mountain that is prone to avalanches and mudslides. Are you going to call the county and tell them they need to fix the mountain? Of course not! You probably would reconsider the build site, if even build AT ALL! That's the smart way to do things! But no, people like to bury their heads in the sand when they see that an airport desperately needing improvement is asking a helping hand.

Even Donald Trump, owner of the Mar-A-Lago estate in Palm Beach (about a mile from the departure end of PBI's Runway 9R), is making raucous about the noise. And he himself is a "contributor" to the noise! He flies his 727 into PBI all the time (and speak of the devil, when I drove to work today, I saw his 727 sitting at Jet Aviation in PBI. His jet isn't even registered in the United States. And his jet is an older one, with noisier engines that people especially complain about. He, of all people, should be the LAST to complain about it, because he has one of the largest private planes that fly into PBI, and one of the noisiest of all aircraft that fly there.

Remember. Ask not what aviation can do for you. Ask what you can do for aviation!

You can view the proposal from the FAA here.

Supporting Aviators Facing Adversity...

Please. Support them. Don't be a dream snatcher. Support them as best you can.

I just came off seeing 20/20 on ABC, and I saw a shocking story of a pilot who is struggling to get into the airlines to fulfill his dream because his father stole his identity. You can read the whole store here.

If there is one thing that I find despicable is doing something like this. Stealing your own flesh and blood's wings. How could he take his son's flying career and throw it down the drain? Who in their right mind would do that? And to steal his own son's identity...it's a true shame. I feel for Mr. Randy Waldron, Jr. (the victim in the case). His father was living in his son's identity, and committed all sorts of crimes, financial and legal. You can get the details from ABC's site.

To Randy Waldron, Jr., if you are reading this, you have my support. I understand it is a tough thing you went through. And now, the agony of not knowing whether you'd be hired by an airline is trying. But don't give up. Don't give in. Never forget those who flew before us who faced adversity of all kinds. They went through hell and high water to fly. And we will succeed! Fight to get those wings. Get those FOUR STRIPES!!! They are yours for the taking! And, I hope that someday, when you're in the left seat of that Boeing 777, I'll be in the right seat with you. You have the right stuff. Fly, brother. You will fly, and succeed. You will have those FOUR STRIPES.

Blue Skies and Tailwinds to you Randy, and to all our flying brethren.

Performance In Class, Desires of Flight, and a Longing to Return Home...

Today was a rare day in South Florida. I actually had to wear my black CWU-45/P flight jacket to work. I did feel different today. However, one thing that I noted this morning when I got out of the house was that I said, "Wow, this is a beautiful day to fly!" Cool and crisp, not a cloud in the sky, just beautiful...simply beautiful. How I wish I had my license.

As you can see in my profile, I work as a customer service agent for a major airline.

Today in class, we were going over airport and runway markings and signage, as well as airspace, and air traffic control. And, we were tested on it. I got an 87% score on the test. It's good, I know. But it should be much better, and I'm beating myself up for it. For years, I was certain that I would be a class "ace". For years, I was certain that I would be able to get a near perfect score with my eyes closed.

We'll, I didn't like what I saw. And I saw myself slipping "behind the power curve". I should be ahead. Not in a competitive manner with anyone else in the class, but against my own self.


"You have to live with that reputation. But it's like you're flying against a ghost."
"Goose" from "TOP GUN"


In a way, I am up against a ghost. The ghost of my projected self. I want to be the most proficient pilot I can possibly be. And with this type of score, I can't possibly do it. I have to be doing a heck of a lot better. But, I may just be putting undue pressure upon myself. Stress from work, from living in this place, from my financial position, and the angst that has built up from four years of not flying. There have been some days where I wonder...I stop and wonder why I am putting myself through all of this. Why am I so bent on becoming a pilot, when I can easily be doing something else? I have better proficiency in graphic design, and audio editing as a hobby. I don't know.

I just need to look back to my first time at the airport.




That was my first introduction to aviation. Though I did not go flying that day, it did affect my life. It has made me fall short of dedicating my life to it (flying comes second to God). Why can't I fulfill my dream? Maybe I'm jumping the gun.

Maybe that's all it is: a dream that I'll wake up from.

I don't know. But one thing is for certain. I'll do the best I can. I may never know why I chose this path, or perhaps why it chose me. But I will follow it.

And, I am continuing to wait for my return to LA. Although I can't possibly be financially able to return any time soon, I will still try to fly back and forth via my airline. When I do go back (as I have done a few times since starting with my airline), it's like reviving from a dream. I get back into reality, into a tangible place.

Near the inlet at Marina Del Rey
Marina Del Rey, California
January 2008

Overlooking Los Angeles International Airport
El Segundo, California
January 2008

I never thought that I would live away from Florida. And it happened so fast, the day after I graduated from Westchester High School. But it is something I'd rather not write about...at least at this moment. I don't want to relive the worst decision of my life. I want to go home. I'm ready to go home.