Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Be nice!

When I first got out of the Air Force the economy was having a rough time and the airlines were not hiring. I ended up taking a job at a little FBO. FBO’s are basically service stations for airplanes. I was officially a mechanic but since I was the most junior guy I was also the designated line boy; the gas pumper. “Check your oil sir?” and wash the windshield, you know?

Now, airplanes can get pretty pricy and frankly some (not most) pilots are pretty snobby, stuck up jerks. I would run into them now and again pumping airplane fuel and it was never fun. They could be very much like Merrill Streep's character in "The Devil Wears Prada"

So years later I buy my first plane. This is her, this was my baby. She was old and she was cheap but she was just what a first timer like me needed to learn with. We spent over 600 hours together in the air and she taught me a lot. Sadly, I traded her in for a younger much faster mistress who really eats at my wallet. :(

Anyway, once I became an aircraft owner I vowed I would always treat the line guys right since I remembered well the shit I had to take on occasion. Really, I just treated them no different than any other human. I don’t look down on many people. I would always laugh and joke with them and at Christmas I gave them all gift cards from the sports bar down the street. Nothing big though, just enough for a cheeseburger and a few brews.

So one hot summer day a sudden and violent storm just sprang up out of nowhere as they sometimes do in the hotter part of the Great Plains. The storm only lasted about 15 minutes but it was a doozy. I was on the 31st floor and I could feel the building swaying in the wind. I looked out the window and the trees were bent over and the hail was pummeling the cars on the street below!

My building was pretty close to the airport so I drove over to the airport real quick to see how my darling came through the storm. I pulled into the parking area and my plane’s parking spot was empty! Oh crap! My baby got blown away! Where was she? So I was looking around desperately and right then the supervisor of the line guys comes out in his golf cart and says, “Looking for your plane Mr. Johnson?”
“Yeah! Did the storm get her?”
“Oh no. We saw the storm coming so we put your plane in the big hanger”
Since this place had LOTS of customers and I probably had the oldest, cheapest plane there I was surprised, “Well thanks Don! I really appreciate that bud! How in the world did you ever find room for her in there?”
“Uh…see that blue and white Lear Jet there in front of the big hanger?”
“Yeah”
“Well”, Don drawls, “that guy is a huuuuuuge asshole so we pushed his plane outside to make room for yours. By the looks of all the hail dents he won’t be flying for a while, huh?”

Wow, what could I say?

Karma dude, Karma.

23 comments:

HappyBlogChick said...

Karma indeed!

That is like the airplane mechanic version of spitting in someone's cheeseburger when that someone is an ass to a fast food clerk. But without the spit.

(And PS, no, I've never done that.)

Crazymamaof6 said...

holy crap! COL! karma! that is super nice of them to treat you well. now weren't you glad you were nice and decent to them.

and a new mistress should always be faster and younger! and they are never easy on the wallet.

Maggie Moo said...

Hee hee hee hee...it's always the karma...

AutoSysGene said...

Karma is truly a bitch! For once being nice pays off.

kay said...

that is awesome!!! i'm a firm believer in what comes around goes around!

Andie said...

it's so so so true! I totally believe in this!!!

MaNiC MoMMy™ said...

So, you sneaking peeks over at MM, but not saying HI!?!?!? DOes that mean you'll be donating blood in the near future?!??!

Taj said...

Good old karma! And nothing like a new mistress to get the blood pumping...

Sauntering Soul said...

I love this story! Awesome Rob!

NerdyRedneck Rob said...

happyblogchick - That is a great analogy! :)

Crazymomma - Ooooo, I got a full cackle out of you on this one eh? :) Cool! At least I am going the right direction with the mistresses then! :)

Someday I am going to introduce you all to the current mistress. I just don't want to bore you all with too many airplane posts. Airplanes are one of those things you are just totally into or they are just boring as hell! :) So some of the stories I post may have airplanes in them but they are not the point of the story.

Mags - I like to think so!

Melissa - You got me to thinking there. Your right, it does not seem to work out that way most times huh?

Kay - ‘Sup with the avatar? I don't see anything on your blog about a new (even shorter) do, so that must be an older picture you are using now? Either way I like it though.

Andie - I got an idea how you Louisiana girls are! I thought you'd be into it! ;)

Manic - I'm crushed! I left a long comment! You were my first! (blog) You will always be very special to me! On the blood thing though, like I said, they just won’t take me. :(

Taj - Heh - she does get my blood pumping! In fact, I took Erika flying one time and I think it is safe to say my current baby is so hot she even got Erika’s blood pumping! :) ;)

Sauntering - I am so glad you enjoyed it!

Tanya said...

Sure does pay to be nice. :) I would have liked to see how the guy with the Lear reacted.

I don't like people who are jerks to others. It doesn't take any more effort to be nice.

kat said...

Karma...hehe. What goes around comes around *LoL*

Well that's the thing about young mistresses, they are much more expensive *lol*. Your insights are grand and cheer me up no end.

NerdyRedneck Rob said...

Tanya - Since you worked the desk I am sure you were on the reciving end of some of that snobby rich guy crap. Am I right?

Kat - It makes my day that I can cheer up my favorite computer geek in Germany!

kay said...

ha! that's me in high school!

i'm looking for a cool hip picture to replace that. keep an eye out for it!

House of Jules said...

She was old and she was cheap but she was just what a first timer like me needed to learn with.

Something tells me this post could have also gone in a different direction.

Jules
House of Jules

Tanya said...

Actually, I didn't have too many jerks, but thats mostly because we weren't the biggest FBO at SUS. We got a lot of the puddle jumpers and those people are almost always nice.

We did have one guy who had a plane and a helicopter. He was married with 2 kids, yet he would go on these trips with "new flight attendents" that were always blond and busty and looked like he found them at Hugh Hefners crib. That and his helicopter trips to "lunch" over at the strip club.

Ron Bramlett said...

Great story!

Shelley said...

Hey Rob! I just wanted to drop in and say thanks for stopping by my blog. Great story about the hailstorm, too...karma's a bitch, huh? As for the playground...you don't need to borrow my kid, just take any random kid with you, and I'll take care of the rest. ;)

NerdyRedneck Rob said...

Jules - Well that is just because I have been anthropomorphizing everything lately. The Red Cross, airplanes, cars the list goes on. Why no, I’m not bitter, why do you ask?

Tanya - I have been into SUS quite a few times. In fact my current mistress is parked over at Creve Coure (1H0) right this minute. Small world huh?

Ron - Thanks for stopping by and glad you enjoyed it. Hope you legs keep feeling better.

Shelly - I got the DVD and the Goldfish! Whoo hoo! ;)

Angel said...

karma can be such a b#$%&, huh? ;)

my dad has a plane too and I think he would qualify as one of those stuck up jerks..... :/

OHmommy said...

Oh my gosh....

I agree with you.

In Mexico, I went out of my way to even greet the grounds people and start up a conversation in Spanish.

Great post, Rob!

tammy said...

Ok I blog hopped over here from Crazymama's blog, and had to tell you I love this story! Being married to an airline pilot who was also at one time a line guy, we can both appreciate this!!

Megan (Best of Fates) said...

Isn't it great when life works out like that?