My Roommate's Rough Day

Last week I received a cryptic phone call from my crash pad roommate.

“Rob, who would you call if you had just been forced to land in someone’s field?”

OK, is this a trick question? Hypothetical? But I could hear the wind whipping in his cell phone’s mike. Maybe he was serious.

“Um, I’d probably start with the owner of the airplane,” I stumbled. I had no idea. It sounded like he was trying to keep this as discreet as possible, an improbable task fraught with all kinds of issues.

“Rob, I’ll call you back.” Click.

Now what was that all about? Obviously the FAA would have to be notified, not to mention the owner of the field. I first called a friend who works for a different airline. I caught him in the middle of getting a flight ready for the passengers to board, but he promised to call back in a few minutes. I then called my Dad, who is a retired airline pilot. After talking with each of them I hopped on the internet and looked up definitions to see what constitutes an “accident” versus and “incident.” (Yes, there are very specific definitions and requirements.)

I then called my roommate back. He was talking with someone else, and said he’d call back. When he did I got the rest of the story.

It seems he was flying his step-dad in his step-dad’s plane from Utah to Florida. It was a small, single engine four-seater, about six years old. About 10 minutes after taking off from Midland, Texas he noticed a fluctuation in the oil pressure gauge. Never a thing a pilot wants to see. He decided not to take any chances and informed Air Traffic Control that he was turning back to the airport. A couple of minutes later the engine died.

Gliding to the airport was clearly not an option, so he began to look around for a suitable landing spot. Fortunately he was over northwestern Texas and not western Colorado. He quickly found a nice cotton field and gently landed into the wind, making not a scratch on the airframe. Crisis over.

Or was it? Now what? Where was he exactly, and now what should he do. I’m gratified that he called me. I only wish my initial help could have been more, well, helpful. The questions were answered for him shortly, as numerous police, fire and media vehicles arrived at the scene, informed by Air Traffic Control. You can watch the local news report about it here and read about it here.

When all was said and done he had nothing more than some paperwork to fill out, plus find a way home. It was a very stressful day, even though the forced landing was no fault of his own and could even be seen as a testament to his good judgment and skill. Nevertheless, after something so emotionally draining his reaction was not elation but exhaustion.

I extend my congratulations to him for a job well done. I’m very glad it had a happy ending, but I’m also glad it happened to him and not me.

25 Things About Me

Recently a friend posted a list of 25 things about himself that his friends may not have known. I was inspired and came up with this list about myself:

1) I spent two summers during high school volunteering in Latin America (Ecuador and Panama).
2) I helped families in small villages build latrines. My then six-year-old sister thought it was so cool that I was building trains.
3) I speak Spanish and Portuguese fluently, speak some German and am now working on learning Arabic.
4) The first girl I kissed was Brazillian. In Rio.
5) I met my future wife while trying to fish my retainer out of the trash during a freshman opening social in college.
6) She was the one who offered to help me find it, which she did. At the bottom of the can. Her parting comment was, “I’d wash that if I were you.”
7) My dad was pulled over by the police on the Bay Bridge while trying to get my mother to the hospital when she was in labor with me.
8) There are eight years between my older brother and me, and eight years between my younger brother and me.
9) My wife had never taken care of a newborn before, so when my oldest was born I was the expert. Briefly.
10) I ate some of my parents’ wedding cake (they froze it).
11) I started out wanting to be a pilot, then a diplomat, then a marriage and family therapist, then a financial planner, and then a pilot again.
12) I herded cattle in Oregon. OK, only once, but I did it.
13) I ran into a friend in Germany and he was so surprised he fell to the ground.
14) The first time I spoke to my wife’s parents I used a fake English accent (my mother-in-law is from England and my then-girlfriend mistakenly thought they would like it. Did I mention we were young?)
15) Apparently some memories fade, because when I called my future father-in-law four years later to ask to marry his daughter, his response was, “Well, it’s about time.”
16) I saw Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Nils Lofgren, Don Henley, Tom Petty, Robin Williams, and Bruce Springsteen—all at the same concert!
17) I ran in the world’s largest footrace, with over 100,000 participants—The Bay to Breakers in San Francisco, California)
18) In high school I was nominated, “Most likely to become a sumo wrestler,” but lost out to someone even skinnier.
19) I completed the last of the requirements for my Eagle award the day before my 18th birthday. Who are you calling a procrastinator?
20) Since then I have served as a Cub Scout den leader, Cubmaster (twice), Scout committee chairman and Assistant Scoutmaster.
21) In college I was the national president of the Intercollegiate Knights, a national service honorary.
22) I enjoy trading-card games like Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon and Magic but rarely have time to play anymore.
23) I took piano for 6 years or so as a kid. Now I wish I had appreciated it more and taken it more seriously.
24) I watched the sun rise from the summit of Mt. Sinai in Egypt.
25) My favorite TV show is “The Amazing Race.” Surprised? I didn’t think so.

Go on, you know you want to do this too. Make your list and make sure I know where you post it!