Halim Airport, Jakarta, Monday, 1995-06-12(1) 03:00 local (Z+7)
I went to bed thinking that I would operate to Jeddah, deadhead back, and then ride with most everyone else out of here. I got to our temporary office in the hotel at 01:00 and found out everything had changed. Now I'm deadheading to Jeddah and then operating back, which means I have to work at the end of a 23 hour and 30 minute duty day. Also, I'll be flying with an Iranian captain. The last time I was with an Iranian captain I had trouble understanding him and the controllers. This is a different Iranian so maybe I'll be able to understand him better, and on the last leg I was doing tolerably well with the controllers.
I'm scheduled to get back here the morning of the 13th, get minimum rest, and then operate, ferrying one of the airplanes to Singapore for maintenance. After a short overnight at Singapore, I'm scheduled to commercial Singapore to Jakarta to Honolulu to Los Angeles—killer day, 23 hours 40 minutes duty time. I'll hit Los Angeles too late on the evening of the 14th to do anything but go to the hotel. On the 15th I'm scheduled to go LAX to JFK. However, I'm hoping they'll release me in Los Angeles and I'll jumpseat home.
At the moment, I'm sitting in the upper deck waiting for them to get moving. Maybe I'll be able to get some food then. I last ate on the airplane on my last leg. Sleep seemed more important that food when I found out I was going back to Jeddah, so I slept all day. Oh, yes, there was the stale candy bar I got out of the hotel room.
Hmmm, just got word via a purser that MEA (Middle East Airlines) just broke down—they've got one airplane here—and we're picking up the trip. Does that mean that instead of ferrying to Singapore I'll operate back to Jeddah again? Nothing stays the same in this business. Okay, whatever, for the moment the task is to rest as much as possible Jakarta to Jeddah and do as good a job as possible Jeddah to Jakarta. I'm already looking forward to being back in bed at the hotel. At some point, of course, this thing will end, and I will get home.
Bye for now. I think they're loading the catering; I'm going to go try to get some food.