Last
month, when I submitted my first article to Escape Artist sharing some
of my adventures in Argentina as an expat airline pilot, I had no idea
it
would touch a chord with so many people.
To all of you, who took the time to write to me, I thank you for that.
The feedback I received was very encouraging and uplifting. Your
comments were great. There was one negative comment, but I think
the writer must have misunderstood my words and intentions. I can’t believe
it has been a year-and-a-half since I departed my life in Canada and headed
out into the world of expatriate aviation. I suppose to some living
the life of an expat seems very frivolous and selfish.
But what a lot of
people don’t realize is that, in many cases, we are forced to make a choice.
For
better or worse. In my case, I had to make a choice and so far it has been
for the better.
Since my departure, I have become
less in tune with all the happenings in Canada and I have slowly started
to disconnect from my previous life. Whether that is a good thing
only time will tell. Right now, life is good and I have adapted to
changes as I am presented with them.
However, one of the more frustrating
things about my new life and living outside of “safe shores” has been my
inability to share much of my feelings and first hand experiences with
my family and former colleagues. I know what you’re thinking.
What I mean is that sometimes, e-mails,
letters and telephone calls just don’t cut it. It is very hard to
describe a picture of flying over Iguazú, drinking mate (mah-tey)
or looking up at the peaks of Tierra del Fuego unless you are actually
there.
Like others before me, I wanted to
share some of my thoughts and memories of the world just outside our doorstep.
I guess putting the experience into words is the next best thing.
Read
on.
¡Hasta Luego!
As much as I hoped my time in Argentina
would go on indefinitely, the contract between Air Atlanta and Southern
Winds came to an end in early March 2004. As I had described in the
previous article, the crux of Air Atlanta’s business is leasing aircrew,
maintenance and insurance (ACMI) on a contractual basis to other airlines
that require extra capacity on a short or long-term basis. In the
Southern Winds case, the contract for flight crew had lasted about 20 months.
Unfortunately for us, Southern Winds
decided they no longer required our services. Rather than renewing
the contract as we had hoped, Southern Winds decided to go it alone.
As they say, all good things must come to an end.
So, in early March, Air Atlanta closed
the Buenos Aires flight crew base and relocated us; first to Curaçao
for 2 ½ months and then in May to England. Despite the changes,
Air Atlanta has signed a three year renewable contract to maintain and
support the Southern Winds fleet in Buenos Aires. Lucky for the maintenance
personnel, I say. We are all hoping that down the road we will be
presented with another opportunity to relocate to Argentina.
Some
of us are even investigating the possibility of making a more permanent
move to this beautiful land in the next couple of years. Life is
full of opportunities and perhaps just perhaps, we will be given that chance.
Working with Air Atlanta, you begin to realize that change is normal and
thus anything is possible.
In the meantime, my colleagues and
I have been assigned to various contracts with other airlines throughout
the world. Siggi is working with Air Algerie; Stefan is training
to fly the 747 and will likely go to Malaysia Airlines or maybe Lufthansa
or Iberia. As for me, well I am now flying the 767-300 for Excel
Airways based out of London, England.
To say the last year-and-a-half working
abroad has been deeply satisfying would be an understatement.
Since the beginning of 2003, my adventure
has taken me from Canada, to the south of the planet and back again. Twenty
years in the airline industry and almost two years flying abroad have provided
many incredible memories. When I decided to start writing about my adventures,
I found out very quickly that putting those thoughts into words is easier
said than done.
Nonetheless, the first article was
the result of many hours of reflection. I thought the follow-up would
be easy. Not so. Over the last few weeks, I have found it very difficult
to write about Argentina and my experience. I suppose it is like trying
to describe a feeling of deep fulfillment. It is difficult to express those
feelings in words.
Despite that, I have spent many hours
looking through over a thousand photos. Many happy and exciting memories
are written into those photos. So, after much deliberation, I have selected
a few of my best photos and with that a short anecdote about each one.
The following is the first article
that Steve wrote for the magazine
Last
month, when I submitted my first article to Escape Artist sharing some
of my adventures in Argentina as an expat airline pilot, I had no idea
it
would touch a chord with so many people.
To all of you, who took the time to write to me, I thank you for that.
The feedback I received was very encouraging and uplifting. Your
comments were great. There was one negative comment, but I think
the writer must have misunderstood my words and intentions. I can’t believe
it has been a year-and-a-half since I departed my life in Canada and headed
out into the world of expatriate aviation. I suppose to some living
the life of an expat seems very frivolous and selfish.
Copyright 1996 -
EscapeArtist.com
Inc. All Rights Reserved