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On a vector to San Diego at 31000' and .82 Mach in the B727; 2:43 am (the clock shows zulu time)!


 


The world's most user un-friendly GPS in the B727!  It doesn't even draw a map!

 

 


Inbound to Memphis in the B727 at sunrise
(after a very long night.....)

 

 


About to depart on my last flight as a Boeing 727 Captain - July 2, 2012.  I was hoping to ride the
"Jurassic Jet" into retirement but the fleet is heading to the "bone yard" in the next year or so.  As
the fleet grows smaller, the flying to choose from becomes less desirable so it's time to move on.  I
start training for the Boeing 757/767 later in the month.

 

 


My "ride" after the B727 - the Boeing 757, I'm now flying the Boeing 767.  The 757 and 767 share
many design features and are treated as a single "type" by the FAA - one "Type Rating" (license) to
operate either aircraft.  The main visual difference is that the 767 is a "wide body".


 


The Boeing 767 I'm flying as of March, 2019. 
Surprisingly, while the B767 is a much larger and heavier aircraft, it's much "sportier" than its smaller
sibling, the B757.  It requires lighter and is more responsive to control inputs than the B757 but it's much
heavier (up to 408,000 pounds vs. 230,000 pounds for the B757) and requires careful planning and a more
delicate touch for takeoffs and landings.


 


My view from the left seat
I'll miss this part when I retire.......


 


Looking through the HUD (Heads Up Device) at sunrise.
 

 
 


Another view through the HUD, this time with "Enhanced Vision" (infra-red image of terrain)
101 Miles East of Palm Springs headed to Ontario; level at FL400 but cleared to descend to14000' at our discretion.  We stay
high until reaching the point where we can do an "idle power" descent to the vicinity of the airport for fuel efficiency.  The bright
dot to the right is the moon.

 


Somewhere over Oklahoma, Texas or New Mexico on my final flight as an airline pilot


 


I had the pleasure of flying brand new Boeing 767's at the end of my career

I flew my final flight as a Boeing 767 Captain on Saturday, December 7th (airline pilots have a mandatory retirement age of 65 - I was a little over a year shy of that but for contractual and personal reasons, I chose to retire a little early).  I Captained flight 3713 from Indianapolis to San Diego and landed at Lindbergh Field around 6:21 pm.  I was surprised when, at almost every air traffic controller frequency change along our route, they congratulated me by name on the radio!  In my 33 years as an airline pilot, I had never heard that done before!  I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed a tear or two after we landed, taxied in and were treated to a "water canon salute" by the airport Fire/Rescue department.  This "salute" has been a traditional airline pilot retirement event, at least until recently; the environmental extremists have dictated that "we can't add to the runoff stream" with this sort of thing any longer.  Thanks to Scott, Eliot and Brad for pulling strings to get around that for me!  My family, friends and several fellow crewmembers greeted me as I parked the airplane for the last time; it's a bit surreal and it's going to take some time to sink in..... 


 

 

My last takeoff as a Boeing 767 Captain
December 7, 2019 at KIND
(Indianapolis, IN)

My last landing as a Boeing 767 Captain
December 7, 2019 at KSAN
(San Diego Lindbergh Field)




 
A little work humor!

 

YouTube video of the airplane I flew for FedEx for over 25 years. 
The Boeing 727 - the last of the "real" airplanes in airline service!

Another view of the 727


 

A little "St. Elmo's Fire" - the 727 will display some spectacular
St. Elmo's when near thunderstorms.  This a pretty mild display!

 

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