Update from Beach from San Juan

Happy Bday!
And wow seems y’all are really busy over there! Keep up the good work and stay safe!

Happy birthday, and thank you for what you’re doing down there. Sounds like it’s busy down there - stay safe.

Dadgum, Chris. Stay safe, happy birthday and thank you for your efforts over there. My mom was born there.

Thanks for all the positive thoughts. The real heroes are the people we are flying in there that are actually leaving the airport and getting out there and doing the real work in incredibly difficult conditions.

So we flew in replacement pilots and medical crew last night, but I was asked to stay on a few days to orient the new crews. So it looks like I’m staying for a few more days, tentatively leaving to return home on Monday when a replacement pilot will come relieve me.

Last night, I thought our plane was having maintenance peformed, but the guys only replaced a tire and changed out our LOX orb, and put the plane back in service. So I got a call at 6AM that another plane was coming with a patient and was landing in 20 minutes in St. Pete and I needed to go do a wing-to-wing transfer and take that patient up to Jackson, MS. Shoot…that was short notice…! Somehow managed to get my crew together, get semi dressed, get to the airport and met the airplane just as it was leaving customs.

So flew that trip up and back to JAN, came back, and have spent most of the day getting the new crew briefed. They just took the airplane to San Juan to position it, and I’m allegedly hopping on a Challenger with my crew to ride out to be in position for flights tomorrow. We’ll see how that works out. Things have a way of changing quickly and the plan that was given to you 5 minutes ago has usually already been changed.

Will post more pics when I get a moment. I’m doing laundry right now and the smell of detergent is practically bringing tears to my eyes.

I sent my crew of seven days home today and there wasn’t a dry eye among us…it has been a tough week of flying with not enough rest and some interesting conditions, and they really made it awesome. I can’t wait to get home and have a beer with them and talk about all we did.

So heading to San Juan in three hours…might be out of touch there, but we’ll see.

Thanks for keeping the place humming guys, I can’t wait to get back to doing some more relaxing flying LOL…

10 Likes

Glad to hear your still giving it hell out there. Fly safe and we’ll see you soon!

1 Like

This guy…lol…

10 Likes

I can’t believe that poor homeless guy met the owner of Mudspike! Did you buy him a cup of coffee? :wink:

7 Likes

Does he have a type rating for your Challenger?

OMG Nicholas CAGE!

4 Likes

ROFL

Sorry I am bad in identifying faces. Who is that?

John Travolta - who’s a keen pilot and 707 owner (or was).

He was asking the line guy for change at 1AM in St. Pete, but the line guy didn’t have access to a cash box. So, helpful guy I am, I say “Hey John, I got some change…” as if this happens to me daily. So he is trying to break a $50 and all I have is two $20s, a $5, and two $1s. So long story short, I took Travolta for $3. He might have to sell a plane taking losses like that…

12 Likes

haha, love it

Be wary if he asks to you help retrieve any lost luggage, also insist on riding shotgun.

3 Likes

Ah now that you mention it i recognize him. I knew that face looked a bit familiar. Thx.

2 Likes

So in San Juan now, watching the other crew fly around. We are on deck for the night stuff. This isn’t helpful…LOL…

radar1

3 Likes

That kinda looks like a clusterfvck. :slight_smile:

1 Like

Except I’m not home yet. But a little birdie told me I have an airline ticket booked for Monday! I’m sure ya’ll have been waiting for me before you even download that Su-33 patch right? Right??!

2 Likes

Quick, @fearlessfrog, hide the screenshots thread!

4 Likes