Work Day

This morning we are up and out early for our work day on the airplane. The brief respite of sunshine is gone and it is again cold and damp. This is beginning to seem like we did go to Seattle! We plan to eat breakfast at the employees cafeteria at Alliance Airport. At the American Airlines maintenance facility everyone is on the security list except yours truly but a couple of phone calls takes care of that.

Since we had skipped supper the night before, we are ready for a hearty breakfast, but, alas, we have arrived perxactkly in that no man's land between breakfast and lunch. There are all sorts of tasty foods on display, but they will not serve them. The salad bar is open so that is what we get and it is well above average so we are happy and fed.

Then it is off to the hanger where our freshly washed, buffed and vacuumed plane sits next to some huge 7something being repaired. The Flagship people are so grateful to the chairman of American Airlines, Gerard Arpey, for becoming a sponsor. The previous chairman threw George out of his office, saying he was running an airline, not a museum. The employees here can volunteer time to work on the plane and they do. They take great pride in it. The guys who built the galley come by to admire their work and see what we think of it. Our fellow member Jeff had gotten off work at 10 the previous night but returned at 7AM to tow the plane back from the wash rack. Gene and Steve start chores like loading a tow bar, rearranging the cargo room, adding oil, and who knows what else. Peggy and I get into unloading things we will not need on this trip including the tent and merchandise. We have a storage room and we get in there and sort things out. We will take two bins of hats and a bin of assorted t-shirts to give as gifts on the trip. Also we want the antique suitcase with the sticker and the boom box to play 40's music which was missing on the Columbus trip. We work until after 3PM, while also giving tours to employees and visitors who express and interest. Sorry about the sideways photo of Gene, the software has a mind of its own and keeps flipping it so I have given up.