The greatest day of my professional life was March 2, 1981. That was the first day of my New Hire Pilot Class. Seven other young men and I began our careers at Southwest Airlines—then still a fairly unknown airline. In fact, some of my college friends and former Air Force buddies didn’t even know what Southwest Airlines was when I told them I’d landed this job!
My journey to that day was a long one—it had been a year and a half since my initial interview, and one previously-assigned class date had been cancelled—but it was worth it; my dream job had finally begun.
Returning from a Trip in 1989
The eight of us who started work that day have seen a lot of changes in the past 30 years. The first few years were spent flying 50-minute legs around Texas (commonly referred to as the Texas Two Step), followed by ten-minute turns. After about two years as First Officers, we had all upgraded to Captain and returned to the bottom of the seniority list.
Next came the opening of a new Crew domicile in Houston (the first one to open outside of Dallas, and the one I’ve been based at since 1984). Today, there are eight Crew domiciles across the country. Times were certainly changing at Southwest—and before you knew it, people actually knew what airline I worked for!
The 737-200, our only aircraft for years, was soon joined by a few 727s, which I was lucky enough to fly. The 737-300s and the 737-700s followed. As we all know, we’ll soon take delivery of 737-800s, as well. Now we fly all over the country using technology unheard of in 1981. The one thing that remains the same at Southwest is the dedication and hard work I see every day by the thousands of Employees who I am lucky enough to work with.
Pilot Snowman Built by my Family and I during my First Officer Days in Dallas
My journey at Southwest must come to an end in a few more years, but I will always remember that second day of March in 1981 as one of the greatest days of my life.
Thank you, Southwest, for one heck of a flying career!
Flying the Flight Simulator with my Daughter