With the practiced air of a concert pianist adjusting his piano bench, Les Abend slid his captain’s seat forward and towards the midline of the American Airlines 757, adjusted the seat height and rudder pedals with habitual precision, surveyed with satisfaction the array of dials, screens, switches and throttles, then turned to me and first officer Robert Wall and said, “Does anybody know what any of this stuff does?”
Luckily, he and Robert appeared to. During the next four days I was to experience the rhythm, cadence, sights, sounds, aromas and textures of what a “trip” is all about for an airline pilot. Contributing Editor Les had gotten permission from the FAA, American Airlines, the Department of Transportation, American’s chief pilot and Principal Operating Inspector for me to ride in the jumpseat as he and Robert worked their way from Fort Lauderdale to San Juan to Chicago to Orlando to Boston to San Juan to Fort Lauderdale. For them it was work; for me it was the trip of a lifetime. I wrote last month about the impressive culture of safety at American, so this time I’ll tell you more about how the whole escapade looked and felt.
