The Rerouted Skytress

Yesterday I celebrated 30 years of being a Skytress. Amazingly, not once, has anyone shot me. Years ago when I first started flying, I told my friends if I was still flying at 20 years, they should shoot me. I had no intention of flying THAT long. When I was younger I dreamed about owning the Toronto Blue Jays. Or being a Supreme Court Justice. I even dreamed about being the US Ambassador to Ireland. Never did I think I’d be a Skytress. However, after I graduated from college the economy had a hiccup and no one was hiring in my field. I decided to fast-track my plan and head to law school to become a sports attorney. Then our dear family friend, Mary, suggested I apply to be a Skytress…..well, actually, she said Flight Attendant. I thought being a Skytress for a year would be fun. After all, Mary had worked for the airline for years. I always loved hearing her stories. I thought flying for free also sounded ideal….well, at least for a year.

There was a height- weight requirement when I applied to be a Skytress. Based on my height, I needed to be 122 lbs. I was FAR from that weight! So, I worked out 4 hours a day to get my weight down. I had to be careful not to gain muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. I would eat a bagel for breakfast. I had a bagel for lunch. Then I would eat a regular dinner. It wasn’t the healthiest plan. But, months later, I was in Atlanta at the training center to become a Skytress.

There are a few things that stand out in my mind about training. First, my roommate was a know-it-all. She knew how to run the airline better than the executives. Shockingly, she got fired after flying less than a year. Well, I’m sure it was shocking to her. Not to us. Second, was the fear of the brown letter. If you got the brown letter, you were removed from training. The brown letter came if you didn’t pass a test, or if you did something unbecoming of a Skytress or Skyter. The brown letter usually showed up when we were on a break from class. During this quick break, the class would run to the restroom or run to get a quick drink of caffeine. We needed to be back in class before the break time was over. Some days class would start up and we would all look around. Something wasn’t right. Someone would be missing. The trainers would never mention it. They would just start class. The next break we would all talk about the missing person. No one ever saw the person leave. I believe our trainers were trained by CIA agents. Now I graduated Magna Cum Laude from college. College was easy. I know I had more stress and studied more to pass the litany of tests to become a Skytress, than I ever had in college. Believe me, I did everything I could to avoid getting the dreaded brown letter.

If I could do one thing again in training, I’d go down the emergency slide again. That day I remember being nervous walking to the back galley in the airplane mock-up. For days, I had stared at the emergency slide as I passed it on my way to other airplane mock-ups. The slide always looked ominous. It was a steep incline from the emergency exit to the floor. For weeks we spent hours learning our commands. We trained to get passengers out the exit as quickly and safely as possible. But, when you are the passenger heading back to the exit….with commands being shouted at you…., it’s a whole different feeling. For weeks I had wondered if I could actually jump out the exit and go down the slide. But, when I got to the exit, I did just that. It happened so fast I felt cheated. How I wish someone had video taped it. I would rerun the tape a hundred times in slow motion and try to remember what I was feeling and what I was thinking. To this day, I have no recollection. It all happened… TOO DARN FAST!

In contrast, I completely remember what I was feeling and thinking when it came to the ditching module in the pool. I remember pulling the tabs of the life vest before we jumped into the pool. The vest was cool to the touch from the compressed air that inflated the vest. I could definitely smell the fabric of the vest. It was snug against my neck. I felt a wee bit claustrophobic. Our plan was to swim over to the raft and help everyone in. Now up to that day, I had felt like a fish out of water the whole time I was in training. My fellow classmates were the ideal images of Skytresses and Skyters. They were beautiful and handsome beyond anything I could ever imagine to be. However, even though the raft looked 6 feet out of the water, and the idea of getting in the raft with a life vest on was daunting, I knew I had to do it. I was going to show everyone, mostly myself, that I belonged there. I said a quick prayer and when the instructor said to go, I swam with determination. I got to the raft and bobbed up a wee bit. I grabbed the side of the raft and lifted myself into it. I can still hear the sound my vest made rubbing against the raft, as I slid into the raft. I remember thinking “holy crap! I did it”. I was the first one in the raft! It was a momentary victory. I had to help my classmates safely into the raft, too. It would be a victory for all of us.

I remember that same rush of excitement when I did my long training flight. I had to do the safety demonstration in first class. Unlike thousands of safety demonstrations I’ve done since then, that day,….all eyes were on me. I felt very self-conscious. In my head, I felt everyone was thinking I didn’t look anything like a Skytress. I knew they were waiting for me to mess up to confirm their suspicions. Fortunately, I did everything right. When I finished, Jimmy Dean, the actor and creator of Jimmy Dean Sausage, applauded and smiled at me. The old adage, you never know how you will impact someone’s life, was true in this moment for me. Mr. Dean made me feel like a Skytress for the first time. Not a fraud Skytress. But, a real honest- to -goodness Skytress. He made my Skytress spirit soar. I’ve never forgotten Mr. Dean’s kindness and encouragement. You can also bet, I buy Jimmy Dean Sausage to this day.

A few days later, I was in my official Skytress uniform graduating with 268 fellow classmates. As with all of my airline’s celebrations, the red carpet was rolled out in all it’s glory. My parents came to my graduation. My Dad pinned my wings on me. I suspect he was as nervous as I was. It’s a moment I will cherish forever. We all sat at a table with a fellow Skytress and her parents. I did not know her. Her name was Scarlett. She had a beautiful soft southern accent. Some people think of Scarlett O’Hara from “Gone With the Wind” when they hear the name Scarlett. I will forever think of my fellow Skytress Scarlett. Several months after training we were both based in Cincinnati. I flew with Scarlett many times. She was keeping a book of funny things passengers would say on the plane. In her sweet southern accent, she would repeat what the passenger said, as she wrote it in her book. Several years later my heart broke for Scarlett and her family. Scarlett committed suicide. Thirty years later, I still think of sweet Scarlett when someone says something funny on the plane.

The day after I graduated I went to a day of International training. It was also the day my best friend got married. Never growing up did I ever think I’d miss her wedding. Welcome to the world of aviation. The next day I flew my first trip. These days our new Skytresses and Skyters go through base orientation for a few days before they fly their first trip. I remember I was a load factor on my trip. I was the extra Skytress on the crew. I changed planes multiple times by myself. I can’t even remember where I went. I do remember I was beyond scared. My first real trip, where I was with the same crew for 3 days, was to Portland, Oregon. That trip the pilots invited me into the cockpit during the flight. They wanted me to see the multiple firework displays on the ground for the 4th of July. It was amazing. My entire crew definitely made me feel like part of the family. I bought a water color of Portland’s skyline at the Portland Saturday Market to commemorate my 1st layover. I still have it.

In another post I will tell you all about that trip. There are also loads of stories to tell about my flying days in Cincinnati….the friendships I made….the pilot I dated. In other posts I’ll tell you about the time I was going to leave flying and become a Secret Service Agent. Very soon I’ll tell you how I met my beloved Ron. Oh, there are so many stories to tell since my Dad pinned my wings on me. I have 30 years of stories. Lucky for you, no one shot me after 20 years of flying. Although, that would be SOME story to tell!