Taking Leave Tomorrow

[Captain Sherm]

Taking Leave Tomorrow

Anyone anxious to contact Sherm tomorrow will find him on leave.

Anniversaries are for remembrance. But on this eve of the twenty third 24th, it just seems that list of comrades who are ailing, infirm, or who have left on their last journey this last 12 months is a little long to be adequately remembered amid the pressures of work.

So, tomorrow will be spent reflecting once again on those faces, the smiles, the places, the tears, the joys and the unity of these 23 years.

Yes….”Wouldn’t have missed it for quids”….sums it up, but only in part.

An aging Sherm does miss pilot unity. Does miss the days when the Minister would take a phone call from the AFAP Technical VP. Does miss lost friends. Does miss those who will never return to Australia. Does miss the days when CAO 48 actually was seen as a limit, not the norm. Does miss the days before the balkanization of the workplace saw so many awards, AOCs, contracts, agreements and outsources that it scarcely seems likely that anyone has an overall picture. Does miss the technical excellence of DCA and the major airlines, once the hallmark of the industry. Does miss the days when airlines were run by technical people who hired the best business brains to support them, not replace them. Does miss the days of friendly, not bitter competition.

But no-one should miss the stagnant growth of the regulated world. The days when you'd never get a jet job if you weren't hired by 27.

And yes there’s some misty-eyed nostalgia in there too. Yep-mindless but still there. How could you not miss the pre-FOQA days when you could ease the 727 effortlessly up to M.88 with a 350 kt descent to 20 miles just to get in on time, or even better, beat the opposition? How could you not miss seeing the northern lights from the cockpit of your very own 777 as your track across the top of the world takes you deep into the Arctic?

And as anniversaries are a time of hope and optimism too…..let me urge upon those who read this, and their friends, and those who disagree…..to reflect on the 2 years ahead til the 25th anniversary and make a pledge to use those 24 months well to heal, to commit to less inflammatory posts, to less pontificating on the sins of others, to see things from the other guys point of view, to unite, to forgive and to reconcile. Internicene war whether hot or cold is never pretty, rarely profitable and always generous in the list of fallen wounded, lost and bitter. We need less of this, not more.

So yes, Sherm will have a day of reflection tomorrow. Should you wish to catch sight of this greying aviator, hang around the MCG around 2200 hrs where if there is any justice at all…..Sherm will be singing the Bomber’s song to mark victory over the Tigers.

Safe flying

Sherm

[Capn Bloggs]

10/10 for that, Sherm. Have a good holiday.

:D

[Marvin Martian]

Thanks for the reflective post Sherm.
I was with you all the way until the last couple of lines...
You'll find the words that will be sung go....
O we're from Tigerland....etc etc Yellow and Black eat 'em alive!!

[B772]

Boy does time fly. I have been that busy the date did not register.

Amen.

[teresa green]

We all miss those days Sherm, have a great leave, I am on "leave" too, the missus has dragged me to DRW, and Im loving it. I am now a officially a grey nomad, I have spent years flying over it, this great land, now find myself towing a van behind a Landcruiser and have met the most amazing people on the trail, from retired High Court Judges to new arrived immigrants. I could get into this!:D

[C441]

Sherm will be singing the Bomber’s song to mark victory over the Tigers. :D :ok:

....and like many things alluded to by Sherm, you must continue to remain loyal to and support those things that are part of the fabric of your being wherever they are being led or the results they are achieving.....

"Go Dons!"............and a few other things.........

[tontinewarrior]

I thought Carlton were going to enforce the follow on last week.
Tiges are even going to miss the treasured 9th on the ladder. Bookies only give even money on that at the start of the season. Richmond should be higher with that mullet haired throwback in the ruck.

[amos2]

All well and good for you Sherm, but what about the others less fortunate than you and I, who had there lives totally destroyed?

I certainly wouldn't be basking in my lot as you are!

[Lookleft]

A great post Sherm, another waste of binary's from amos.

[once bitten]

To those who earned it... Sui Generis, gentlemen.

[chimbu]

Sherm


I'm not sure what you are trying to do here.


Invoke a sense of nostalgia for events 23 years ago?


Remind the reader of the silly decision you made then?
Remind yourself of 23 wasted years in sweat sewers of SE Asia?
An invitation to join you at the soulless MCG?

Ramblings of an old man.
Who cares!
Enjoy your 4 &20

Click

[Yarra]

Captain Sherm. I think the Bombers plot has been lost for this year apart from the one they will be buried in tomorrow...sadly your leave may not be off to the happiest of starts where the MCG is concerned....:sad:

[Eastwest Loco]

Have a great break Shermsan

I envy you.

I can't take holidays.

1/. I don't know any good Travel Agents

2/. It would cost too much to retrasin me:}:}

Make it a biggie

Best regards

EWL

[Old but not bold]

Very poignent Sherm, but as a wise old Training Captain once told me, "looking in the rear view mirror may tell you where you have been but not where you are heading" have a great day.:ok:

[Captain Dart]

That year lead to my octupling my net worth, a wide body command in 8 years and now based in Aus! Can't spend the dough fast enough.

And I can look myself in the mirror.

Not a bad result for a few years in the 'sweat sewer', Chimbu.

Sherm enjoy your day.

[RHLMcG]

Invoke a sense of nostalgia for events 23 years ago?

That's reasonable, given the angst those events caused a lot of people

Remind the reader of the silly decision you made then?

We made a number of decisions - some we would have preferred not to have made. Silly ? depends on one's sense of moral values but very possibly so. Certainly, while the decision to resign had a sound financial basis, it was the height of Industrial stupidity - afraid we were between a rock and a hard place on that one and either stood up to be counted or retreated to fight another day. Many/most of us, with the benefit of hindsight, probably would have opted for the latter.

I suspect all of us wished that we had had the thing which is PPRuNe - the heightened communication capability would have put us all in a far better position to manage the events and, I daresay, the strategies and fallout would have been far, far different. Water under the bridge, now.

Remind yourself of 23 wasted years in sweat sewers of SE Asia?

Many of us would take the view that flying for Australian airlines is now far inferior a life to that we all enjoyed pre-89.

Ramblings of an old man.

Include me in that, as well.

Who cares!

Probably only those of us who remain these days do. Eventually all will be dead and, I guess, no-one left will give the events of 89 a passing thought.

However, those of us in the group still retain a sense of comradeship and unity for whatever that may, or may not, be worth.

[Jack Ranga]

Have a good one Sherm :ok:

I spoke last night to a pilot who told a jet operator to shove it (sub standard conditions). Maybe the worm will turn?

Oh we're from tiger land, a fighting fury.....................

[amos2]

"Anniversaries are for remembrance. But on this eve of the twenty third 24th, it just seems that list of comrades who are ailing, infirm, or who have left on their last journey this last 12 months is a little long to be adequately remembered amid the pressures of work.

So, tomorrow will be spent reflecting once again on those faces, the smiles, the places, the tears, the joys and the unity of these 23 years.

Yes….”Wouldn’t have missed it for quids”….sums it up, but only in part."



On the actual day of the dispute Sherm you will be remembered for this crass statement you posted yesterday! Especially the first paragraph!

You're no doubt sitting in the members stand at the MCG at this very moment, having had a meal in the members dining room prior to the footy, and probably reading this now on your ipad or iPhone.

I hope the Bombers get their ar*e kicked Mate!

[Cravenmorehead]

Tigers by 45 what a ripper. :D

[RadioSaigon]

Build a bridge boys, get over it. Get on with your lives. It was 23 years ago FFS.

[Captain Sherm]

Time to close this I think. The 24th has passed and with it not only my attempts to simply remember something worth remembering and urge a more benign focus on the things that might divide.

Sadly, to a few Pruners it appears that you can misinterpret these words:

"...let me urge upon those who read this, and their friends, and those who disagree…..to reflect on the 2 years ahead til the 25th anniversary and make a pledge to use those 24 months well to heal, to commit to less inflammatory posts, to less pontificating on the sins of others, to see things from the other guys point of view, to unite, to forgive and to reconcile. Internicene war whether hot or cold is never pretty, rarely profitable and always generous in the list of fallen wounded, lost and bitter. We need less of this, not more"

In the interests of Chimbu, Amos 2 and one or two others, should I remember this date again at some future point I will spend more time with the thesaurus to attempt to make myself a little clearer.

Now for a report on the actual 24th: At a pleasant lunch yesterday with a few mates who have shared those years there was no triumphalism, no basking, no hatred, no crassness. Yes, lost friends were remembered and some happy times in far-flung skies. There was much focus on the quality of the reds....and sadly a few very correct predictions about the outcome at the MCG last night.

As this thread closes, being no longer relevant to this year, Captain Sherm will approach his career and thoughts in the same way he approaches the issue of his beloved Bombers:

While remembering the past and counting today's blessings, focus on the future.

To the few who seem to always find the glass half empty, I commend those words.

[Captain Dart]

Saigon, we are perfectly aware of how long ago it was, but on behalf of all the pilots and families affected by those events, I would like to thank you anyway for your very informative and inspiring 'get over it' post (I would now insert the 'roll eyes' icon but for some reason my iPad won't do it).

[Back Seat Driver]

Allow me if you please CD. :rolleyes: -(For you RS, your input was boorish)
Sherm, I've always been having a rememberance Bundy or two on the 23rd August????
Well even the youngest of us from back then, have grey hairs on our back now.
Cheers to you all.

[redned]

And while your all at it,think about the poor bastards who thru no fault of their own were sent broke by this bloody dumb dispute.Believe me there are lots of them.Just idiotic and damaging as shutting down the live cattle trade.