Restless Wings

"My soul is in the sky." William Shakespeare

I need to get my fix - my flying fix, that is. Other than flying the simulator the other day, I have not touched an airplane in over two weeks. And that is two weeks too long.

I'm not really asking for much. I don't need a 10-day trip, especially with the holidays approaching. I just want to fly anything; a 4-hour training flight would suffice. It doesn't help that my squadron had five training lines cancelled in the last week, and I was scheduled for two of them. I'm not worried about getting rusty; I only need one takeoff and landing by the end of the month to stay current in the airplane, but I would like to fly, simply because I need my fix. My restless wings yearn for the sky.

I miss the early mornings as the crew bus pulls up to a dark jet, sitting like a silent sentinel amid the reddening dawn. I miss admiring its sleek lines as I approach the aircraft. I miss the urgent growl of the ground power unit and the jet's annoying electronic alarms as it begins to awaken for its flight. I miss the first whine of the engine as it surges to life and the sickly sweet smell as its exhaust fumes faintly fill the air. I miss the crackle of interference on the radios as a crew member checks his email messages on his Blackberry one last time before takeoff. I miss the roar of the engines as the aircraft begins its takeoff roll, charging down the runway as the distance remaining markers pass by in a blur. I miss the point of no return, when the aircraft leaps into the sky, leaving all other earthly worries behind. I miss climbing into the boundless liberty of the heavens and dancing among the clouds, my soul reveling in the infinite playground of the sky. I miss admiring the earth unfolding beneath my wings, its enduring beauty revealed in grandeur from my lofty perch among the firmament. Few earthly delights can rival the lure of flight - it is a drug to which I have mortgaged my spirit. It is the closest I have ever felt to God.

Sometimes, it is hard for me to believe that I get paid to do this job.