I was hired by JB in 2001, but never went to class. 9/11 happened, and I got an offer from FedEx, and in the post 9/11 world flying boxes for such a stable company just made sense. In hindsight it was 100% right for me and my family.

That said, I was very interested in being part of a start up, and the idea of getting on so early was very enticing, especially before 9/11 occurred. One of the things that attracted me to the company was the "teamwork" aspect and the work together mentality.

A few years in the profession, however, showed me quickly how often the captain and the crew had to make important decisions and deal with issues affecting safety and legality. Listening over the years to clients tell me stories about getting violated for W&B issues, MEL problems, etc etc reminded me again and again that attention to detail is paramount in our profession. And like it or not--there is one person--the captain--who signs for that jet and in the process states that the hundreds of lives in his or her hands are safe. My thoughts on the issue are about 180 degrees out from where they were when I first entered this profession.

I don't know about the rest of you, but when I am sending my wife and daughters off around the country and world on an airline, I'd really like their 100% sole attention focused on the job at hand. I don't want an FO running his hands through a seat back looking for "gunk", but instead his/her eyes reviewing the release, weather, and notams one more time. I don't need the captain fighting a carpet stain--I want him relaxing....taking 10 or 15 minutes before the the most critical moments of his life--the moments he is carrying my family along.

Just because the crew looks "relaxed" sipping a cup of coffee up on the flight deck between segments doesn't mean they aren't doing anything. Like a boxer between rounds, or a racer between wind sprints, they are gathering their mental energy and gearing up of the next event. Odds are it will be benign and boring like the thousands of other events they've already done. Or...like my former F-15 squadron mate and 717 Captain at Delta, he might fly into an unpredicted, unannounced windshear at 400 feet on a VFR day and spend the next 2 miles flighting to claw 1000 feet of altitude. My friend is the type of guy who would buy the FAs a round from Starbucks, show them pictures of his wife and daughters and tell them he is lucky to be surrounded by beautiful ladies at home and at work...while being a complete professional. I'm glad in the moments before that day last month, he wasn't on his knees in the floor cleaning the jet, but was instead going through his standard "taking the runway V1/windshear/door opening/***..." mental checklist.

I was raised on a farm. I have literally shoveled **** for hours, and done some pretty gross things to make a dollar. I flipped burgers in High School, worked on our farm, and always had a couple jobs. I'm not afraid to get dirty. In fact, I'm proud of the dirt and crap I've had to roll in at times. Its not about work ethic. The reason the doctor doesn't scrub ER floors is not that he is too good to do such a job, but rather more than likely his services are needed elsewhere for a another surgery. He also needs the time to decompress and reflect, and get ready for the next challenge.

We forget sometimes how close death lies just outside that cockpit window. We've sterilized flying so much now we actually believe its "easy". Its only easy because we are disciplined, well trained, and fly outstanding equipment. Let's make sure that when we go to work, we honor that disciplined approach by giving it our 100% attention and focus. What would YOU want the crew to be doing if it was YOUR family getting on that flight? What is your number one concern? For me--it isn't the "teamwork" or "esprit" of the crew, or the cleanliness of their seats....its getting my treasure home to me safely. Anything else is a distraction.