Back to flying again

Tomorrow we get back to the business of flying again. It has been almost a week as we had new rules recently more strictly enforced about using no contract pilots in our company. It's on everybody's books but seldom enforced until this week. Now, we are going to need a copilot for the Excell really quickly as Dhaka, who flies the CJ, is the only legal copilot we have right now. He was on vacation all last week and so I went to Mumbai and PASSED my FAA physical. Someone asked if there was any doubt and I have to say at my age there is always a lot of doubt about what might happen in these doctor's offices, and especially if you are in a foreign country where there is an undercurrent of getting the ex-pats out. I had always wanted my life to be settled down and somewhat boring but it seems like that always eludes me, just when I think I have it in my sights, a new challenge erupts. My stated goal is to stay in India for 4-5 years and then retire but now the DGCA, Indian Aviation authorities, may have a sayso in my future here.

I won't be losing any sleep over it but it does affect how Karen and I plan our stay here, with a somewhat less permanent feel to it than it had last year before I knew all this stuff.

I am going to a famous Hindu Temple tomorrow in Tirupati, India. It is THE most visited temple in India and therefore will be crazy busy. My co-pilot, Dhaka, called today and asked me to go the Temple with him. I said I would and then he explained that if he just went alone to pay homage, there would be a several hour wait, but since I have the white skin color and the "tourist" appearance I would be given preferential treatment to the FRONT of the line and that I could include friends to go with me. So, tomorrow I will be using my appearance to break into a line at a Hindu temple for my friend, so he doesn't have to wait. And, it's at this point that I realize that I am not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Here's a pic with my favorite lady from church today and she didn't even know it was halloween, I bet.

Dan