Old 11-03-2021, 03:11 PM
  #4  
biigD
Gets Weekends Off
 
biigD's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,714
Default

Sigh...dammit. I'm not UPS, but Davey was a big deal in my life and I feel the need to post.

Back in the early 90s I was a middle schooler that loved airplanes. At some point I realized that flying for a living was something that could be done, and perhaps somewhere around 9th or 10th grade I started seriously thinking about it. My Dad had this CompuServe account, and on there I found an aviation forum where I asked about being a professional pilot. Now keep in mind that I was probably 14 years old - the questions were naive as hell I'm sure - but Davey answered them with patience, and I was blown away that an actual DC-8 pilot was giving me advice! Davey always gave a balanced account of the positives and negatives of the industry, but one thing he said stood out: regardless of the negatives, whenever he got into his uniform - straightening his tie in the mirror of a hotel somewhere - he'd think about how privileged he was to fly airplanes for a living.

I never forgot that, and it's the big reason I went forward with being a pilot. I never got to fly for UPS, but I'm a captain at a major airline and think about him every time I straighten my tie in the mirror. He was right. Is it the perfect job? Nope, but I'm incredibly lucky that I get to do it for a living. RIP Dave Bottom - I don't think I'd be here without you. Can't wait to 'raise a little cain' the next time we meet.
biigD is offline