Captainkirk's Duster project
I may be somewhat of a procrastinator when it comes to picnicing on the train tracks, but when they start to rumble and hum, I'm generally smart enough to get out of the way.
Reluctantly, I began looking at aviation employment websites and putting out subtle feelers. A the paychecks continued to 'not appear' on payday and I was forced to begin borrowing to keep my mortgage up, the feelers went from subtle to seismic. Christmas was a real bummer, if you get my drift. It would go in fits and starts....no check, then some work would filter in and we'd squeak through another payroll. Then another dry payday, another loan from relatives, another sleepless night...it was like giving a teaspoon of water to a man dying of thirst.
It was time to pack up the picnic basket. The rails were humming their electric tune and I thought I could see a light flickering through the mist down the rails...moving in my direction.
Yep, time to get the hell off the tracks, bucko.....
It was non-payday again, and I was quivering with anger at getting stiffed...yet again...and the thought of having to grovel and make another mortgage-borrowing phone call.
I called Kenny.
Now, Kenny was an old acquaintance. We go waaaay back. He also happens to be Kenny, the Brit Bike Nut mentioned once-upon-a-time way back somewhere in this story. I gave Kenny his first job in aviation, mentored and encouraged him back in the early days to get his A&P, later his IA, and then encouraged him to get the hell out of general aviation, go corporate aviation, and live a little. He did. And made a rather good go of it. I had given him a job working for me during a year-long layoff as well... Kenny said he figured he owed me. I didn't see it that way, but I asked him a favor; if he heard of any jobs in the corporate world, give me a heads-up. He said he would.
He also said he never considered me to be in the market as I was a 'business owner'. I gave him the rundown, and explained just what being a 'business owner' meant. Having a new, enlightened full 'understanding', he promised to keep me in mind if he heard of anything.
I don't mind telling you that I began having some serious conversations with the Big Boss Upstairs around this time as well. Quite a few of them. And as the coldest, snowiest midwest winter I could ever remember soldiered on, my dispair and feelings of helplessness deepened along with the snow and plunging mercury....