It was a bright spring day at Flight Level 350, far above the Chesapeake Bay, as we cruised up the Eastern Seaboard en route to Newark, New Jersey. This was my first time flying a jet in more than a month—really flying, not playacting in a giant video game on hydraulic stilts ensconced in the antiseptic cloisters of the training center.
Taking Wing: Black Swan Rising
Key Takeaways:
- The author's initial days as a major airline captain were overshadowed by the rapid onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, transforming a career milestone into a period of dread and profound uncertainty for the entire airline industry.
- COVID-19 is characterized as an unprecedented "black swan" event that swiftly brought global airlines to their knees, causing massive flight cancellations, grounded fleets, and severe financial distress.
- The crisis exposed the airline industry's inherent vulnerability to external shocks, surprising newer pilots who had grown optimistic about its stability, while older veterans, scarred by past "black swans" like 9/11, viewed it with a cynical familiarity; it also highlighted management's complacency in recent years.
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