The Mad Dog “Growl” –April / May 2006 Page 1 - Delta Virtual Airlines

Flight Deck Visits
By: Larry Foltran
For an aviation enthusiast, a visit to the cockpit is a
great and memorable experience. I’ve been
fortunate enough to have several such visits under
my belt. The fact that 90% of my family lives in Brazil
and we used to make frequent trips to visit them,
provided me the opportunity to earn more flight
hours before the age of 18 than many people
accumulate in their life time. I still have very vivid
memories of the short hops from DTW to LGA
aboard the sleek American Airlines Super-80s and
the long, overnight flights aboard the giant Pan Am
747s.
One especially vivid memory comes from many
years back during one of our Rio to JFK legs. I
remember being awakened by my Dad and seeing a
smiling flight attendant standing in the aisle way. We
were lead from the deep recesses of coach, towards
the nose of the plane and finally up the spiral stairs. I
remember being amazed by the legroom provided in
the elite level of the jumbo jet as our small
procession continued. Still trying to wake up, my
Dad and I were shown into the flight deck. I
remember the sun just sneaking over the horizon
and the illuminated instruments spread before me.
The Captain invited me to come closer to the throttle
pedestal as he sipped his morning coffee. I’m sure
my Dad was equally as excited about being granted
entry onto the flight deck. Having me along as some
leverage helped and there’s nothing wrong with that
in my book.
My next visit came
years later. As I
grew older, I
developed an
inner-ear condition
that made flying
somewhat
uncomfortable.
That condition
ended up turning
into a fear of flying.
People who knew
of my love of
airplanes always
gave me a strange
look when I told
them that I had a
fear of flying. My
response was
always, “I love everything about planes, except for
being in them.” In 2000, my wife and I (she was
there for support) attended a fear of flying program
offered by Northwest Airlines. Part of this program
included a hanger visit at Detroit Metro Airport
(DTW). During this visit, we had a free ticket to walk
around and inside a NWA DC-9. What an
opportunity that was. Trust me, I took plenty of
pictures.
During the 3-day program, I talked quite a bit to a
Northwest 757 Captain who was there as part of the
“instructor” panel. Having an airline pilot available to
answer every question I had bouncing in my head
was a dream come true. The program concluded
with a “graduation flight” from Metro Airport to Grand
Rapids aboard an A319. My new “pilot friend”, as my
wife referred to him as, sat directly behind me and
we discussed what was going on in the cockpit
throughout the flight. He was also nice enough to
arrange a cockpit visit for me during our brief layover
in Grand Rapids. The pilots were extremely friendly
and provided me the first opportunity to take the FO
seat in an Airbus. I know opinions vary about these
aircraft, but you have to admit that they give pilots
plenty of leg room.
A few months later, after a conversation with the
First Officer prior to boarding, I was invited to the
cockpit of a NWA 757 for a very brief visit before
departing to Orlando (MCO). Not wanting to
interrupt their preflight procedures, I made my visit a
quick one. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take any
pictures on this occasion.
My most recent cockpit visit came during a trip to
Denver for a job interview. I had promised my kids
that I would bring home some pilot wings when I
returned. Upon reaching the gate in the Mile High
City, my attempt to claim this prize disappeared as I
saw the pilots leaving the plane before I had a
chance ask them. The next evening, as I boarded a
United Airlines 737 for the return trip, I decided to
take advantage of a traffic jam in first class and
The Mad Dog “Growl” –April / May 2006 Page 7