KRUSTY....
well do I remember those dark and rainy nights when you were just PRAYING to get in.
Ice falling off, or sticking, everywhere. 40-50knots at 5000', and always across your path. Unable to cancel SAR on the ground, because it was "just one of those places". NDB needle arcing thru 20deg either side of track, and a schedule to keep.... followed by an 11 hour day the next day, with six sectors.
After finally getting in at the final destination, getting handed the keys to a car to drive myself/ourselves to some minimum requirement hotel in Bumf#ck nowhere for MINIMUM rest and still having to sleep, eat, iron, eat again, and drive BACK to airport to preflight before dawn in the pouring rain, WITH NO RAINCOAT, to be told to "hurry up".
This is inevitably followed by a phone call asking if I will come in on my day off the next day for another 11 hour day. ALL whilst working for F$ck all $$$$ AND having to fight for a fair days pay in my time off, as well as do many company required courses, and amend manuals and Jepps at night(unpaid or time recognised) once I had fought traffic all the way home(could be up to 2 hour drive in peak hour) cos some genius rostered that we should finish our 11 hour day two last flight at 1645.
then the phone call 4 weeks later asking why we were 5 mins late that day.
DO I MISS IT? he asks....
truthfully, the answer is NO.
Am I a better person and pilot because of it? well, I like to think so.