Jakarta, Tuesday, 1997-03-25
Just a quick note before checking my email for the morning.
The laundry that I did in the sink still isn't dry after 26 hours. Some pieces are close though.
They've made a 3rd change to my departure today. First it was 17:30 for a Halim (Jakarta's old international airport, now used for the Hajj terminal) to Jeddah leg, then 15:30 for a Halim to Jeddah, and now it's 15:00 for a Bali turn. That means we'll fly from Jakarta's Cenkareng Airport (the primary airport and the one you'll come in to) to Denpasar, Bali, be there for an hour or so, and then come back to Jakarta.
Apparently we're going to start an almost daily Bali turn. That will be very unpopular with most of the pilots since it's a money-loser. You get maybe 3 hours pay and then you're back at the bottom of the first-in/first-out list. Since I can't break guarantee this month anyway, I certainly don't mind it for now. I may not even mind it next month. It's a lot less tiring then the Jeddah trips.
I really am getting tired of getting tired—how's that for good English. In other words, I really don't like wearing myself out any more. Maybe instead of looking for another flying job, I should start looking for a computing situation...or whatever. Just thinking out loud.
But I really do enjoy the non-tiring part of the flying. When I landed at Jeddah, it was a well executed approach and landing, and it really felt good...especially since the captain had screwed up the previous approach so badly. I am good at what I do, and it seems a shame to waste that. But this business of being a first officer is so unsatisfying. When you're a captain you feel really useful, like you're doing something worthwhile.
I was misreading my own feelings. What I was really reacting to was a first officer's lack of control. It's the captain's airplane, necessarily so.
Later, My Love...Terry
still Jakarta, still Tuesday, 1997-03-25
Hi, Kiddo,
Well, confusion reigns here. We got out to the airport only to be informed that Garuda didn't have a flight attendant crew legally trained for Tower's airplanes. After an hour of standing around on an on again off again status, the flight was finally scrubbed. Then our operations told us to drive immediately to Halim airport and go to Jeddah. Unfortunately, none of us had our bags with us, and I had my computer setting out—okay for a quickie trip, but not okay for a couple of day's absence, especially in the wee small hours of the morning. Finally, they said we could swing by the hotel and quickly pack our bags. By the time we got to the hotel, they had sent out another crew, and they rescheduled us to go at 07:00 in the morning. This was fine with me, because I had slept for a Bali turn, not for an all night Jeddah trip. So, in a few minutes to bed and to Jeddah in the morning.
My laundry is finally dry—took 36 hours.
The violence in Israel is disastrous for Tower's Tel Aviv traffic. Everybody is pissed at Netanyahu, including me. The man simply does not want an accommodation with the Palestinians. What is sobering is that we support Israel to the tune of millions per day—I think around $12 billion a year, which would be approximately 33 million a day. No wonder they refer to it as our 51st state.
We're still trying to puzzle out what the new bids really mean, and we can't get any clarification from the crew scheduling rep here. At this point I think we should plan on your leaving the 13th, assuming, of course, that we can get your passport back by then. However, these is still some hope for a later window depending on what the bids are really saying. The problem is that they didn't send pairing with the lines. We can't tell whether the Seoul lines mean we would be based in Seoul or what. The same goes for the Taipei lines and the Riyadh lines. I'll keep you posted.
As soon as I get back from Jeddah, I'll make arrangements for the tickets. They'll be positive space, business class, 50% discount tickets that will NOT be locked into any given days. The fact that they are positive space means that the industry discount of 50% will not in any way make you a lower priority with respect to other business class travelers.
It sounds like a good place to go for a few days would be a place called Lombok. It's an island off Bali. Several people have recommended it as a good place to go to see what Indonesia—or at least that part of it—is rather than just a touristy place. Apparently Bali is becoming very touristy, a favorite place for Australians of limited means to come.
Later....Terry