Taking Stock. By Owen Zupp.
With the events of last week’s 747 retirement put to rest and the requirement to isolate well underway, there is time to pause and take stock. Normally our world moves at a hectic pace with us placing one foot after the other and offered minimal opportunity to look left and right of arc. Amid the pandemic, change seems to be occurring on an erratic cycle forcing us to be more reactive than proactive. To have some time to regroup is very welcome.
While the last 747 being delivered to the Mojave Desert spells the end of its QANTAS service and with that any opportunity to fly soon, the news is not all bad. It has offered Kirrily and I some degree of certainty rather than an open-ended timeframe and speculation. Obviously, we would rather be gainfully employed and doing what we love, but at least the hovering question mark has been wiped from the back of our mind.
It has also called for us to practice many of the fundamentals that we preach. We have always believed that life is about the experience and not the material things and with our regular income decimated, we have focused on family and enjoying the time together that we are being afforded. Additionally, Kirrily is working part-time in a role far removed from aviation as I pound the keyboard to meet deadlines and compile another book.
We may have over sixty years as pilots between us, but that plan is on hold. The downside of our passion for flight has always been that as an industry, aviation is volatile and at the mercy of factors beyond its control. As a career it can be as fragile as the next medical examination. So, we move forward and control what we can control. As parents, we believe that a major element is setting an example and that is what we intend to do.
We are hoping that the airline industry recovers but we are not waiting. With that in mind, we also recognise that hope is not a strategy. If an unforeseen situation arose in an aeroplane, we would identify the problem, verify it and then rectify it. Our circumstances beyond the flight deck should be treated with the same calm and positive action.
It is challenging but those are the cards that have been dealt. We still live in a great country with a wonderful family by our side. The power of this pause is the opportunity to take stock. Once that’s been done, it will be time to get the head down and move forward.
Stay safe everyone.
Cheers,
Owen